Wednesday 14 September 2016

Do all the witches' predictions come true in the play Macbeth? (Please explain your answer.)

No.  All of the predictions do not come true within the time frame of the play.

The witches first predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and King.  Both of those happen.  


They also predict that Banquo will not be king, but his lineage will produce kings.  Banquo doesn't become king, so that part is true.  But during the play, no offspring of Banquo takes a throne of any kind.  Perhaps they will later, which will then make the prediction true. 


They predict that "Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him."  That does happen, because the approaching army camouflages themselves in tree branches from the forest.  


The witches predict that “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth."  They also tell Macbeth to beware of Macduff.  Those two predictions also come true.  Macduff does kill Macbeth, and he was not born through the regular process.  He was a cesarean birth.   

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