The Role of Prophecy in Shakespeare's MacBeth

In Act 1, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, two main characters, the Scottish nobles Banquo and Macbeth, hear prophecies from three witches. Macbeth is completely enraptured when he hears that he will be King of Scotland, but Banquo listens rather passively when he hears that his progeny will be Kings of Scotland for generations to come. In the long run, these reactions are important to the plot of the entire play, as Macbeth destroys himself striving to make the prophecy come true, and Banquo is destroyed in the process, but he never gets to see his portion of the prophecy come to be.

When the third witch first speaks to Macbeth, she addresses him as the future king, and Banquo is the one that, at first, finds the good in such a prophecy:

THIRD WITCH All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!

BANQUO Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear

Things that do sound so fair?...(1.3. 48-50)

It is as if, perhaps, Macbeth's first instinct is the best. He has reason to have fear of the witches' prophecy. At this early point in the play, he is still a pure soul, and is devoted to King Duncan. He has just earned himself the title of Thane of Cawdor for his deeds carried out in the name of Duncan. After the witches plant this promise of power in his head, Macbeth becomes corrupt with the idea of his future as king, and his initial fear turns to scheming as he transforms into a mischievous villain before the audience's eyes. He has several asides that reveal his true desire to usurp the throne:

MACBETH [aside] The Prince of Cumberland - that is a step

On which I must fall down or else o'erleap,

For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires,

Let not light see my black and deep desires;

The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be

Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4. 48-53)

Macbeth is referring to Duncan's son, Malcolm, who was just named Prince of Cumberland, and heir to the Scottish throne. Macbeth implies that he now has more than just the King to dispose of in order to gain power, and that he now has to deal with Malcolm. Although he was initially scared by the thought of becoming King, it is obvious that the notion has gripped him, and that he is willing to do whatever he must in order to make the prophecy come true.

Macbeth uses his former quality of sincerity to mask his newfound secretiveness when Duncan fears that Macbeth has not been given all that he deserves (i.e. The new Thane of Cawdor title). Duncan states that he cannot reward Macbeth as much as Macbeth deserves to be rewarded, and the newly false and plotting Macbeth replies that "the service and loyalty I owe, / In doing it, pays itself..." (1.4. 22-23).

One can see this transformation from fear to desire just in the way in which he reacts after the witches' prophecy has taken root in his mind. He seems to be consumed by the very thought. After the witches greet Banquo and Macbeth, Banquo describes Macbeth's reaction to the news:

...I'th' name of truth,

Are ye fantastical or that indeed

Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner

You greet with present grace and great prediction

Of noble having and of royal hope,

That he seems rapt withal...(1.3. 50-55)

However, Macbeth again questions the value of the prophecy one last time before falling victim to temptation. He contemplates the nature of the witches' promises:

This supernatural soliciting

Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,

Why hath it given me earnest of success

Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.

If good, why do I yield to that suggestion

Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair

And make my seated heart knock at my ribs

Against the use of nature? Present fears

Are less than horrible imaginings.

My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,

Shakes so my single state of man that function

Is smothered in surmise, and nothing is

But what is not. (1.3. 129-141)

In this scene, Macbeth has one last glimmer of hope to the audience. This is the pivotal point at which he could decide to ignore the witches' prophecy. After all, as one learns from Oedipus Rex, destiny is not something to be interfered with - it cannot be escaped if it is meant to be. Macbeth wonders why, if this prophecy is good, he must commit murder in order to fulfill his destiny. Then, he states what seems to be Banquo's philosophy about the prophecy, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me / without my stir (1.3. 142-143), meaning that if the prophecy is correct, then he will be king one day, whether or not he takes matters into his own hands now.

However, he eventually assumes that he must kill Duncan in order to be king one day. Although he contemplated the idea, he does not seem to realize that, if it is meant to happen, it is possible that it will happen without his having to take action. For some reason, the thought of passivity does not suit him, perhaps because he does not want to wait any longer to become king.

Macbeth's obsession breeds evil actions. He writes to Lady Macbeth telling her of his meeting with the witches:

...And I have learned by the perfect'st report they [the witches] have more in

them than mortal knowledge...by which title the weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time with "Hail, King that shalt be!" This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee...(1.5. 2-11)

It is apparent from Macbeth's letter that he has decided to heed the witches' promise, otherwise he would not have alerted Lady Macbeth of the fact that she will one day be "great," meaning her status will improve, not that she will be a great person, because, as the play unfolds, Shakespeare shows that in character, her "greatness" much declines as she and Macbeth commit their horrible deeds.

Of course, the fact that Macbeth actually murders Duncan, and has Banquo killed is enough to prove that he takes the witches' prophecy to heart. He also goes back to the witches' after he begins to wonder when, and by whom, he might be dethroned. The witches tell him to beware Macduff, and Macbeth responds, "for thy good caution thanks" (4.1. 89). Macbeth must have decided that the witches' advice is good after all, even though he knows he has done evil things as a result of hearing their promises. And, although they do caution him to beware Macduff, he does not seem to take this morsel of advice as whole-heartedly as he took their initial prophecy. When Macbeth is face to face with Macduff, he still has the misconception that Macduff will lose.

Macbeth is not the only character that the witches claim to know about. They tell Banquo that his progeny will be kings, and hail him as "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater" (1.3. 63). Like Macbeth, Banquo is very skeptical of the witches. Upon meeting the witches, Banquo reveals his initial skepticism:

...What are these,

So withered, and so wild in their attire,

That look not like th'inhabitants o'th'earth

And yet are on't? - Live you, or are you aught

By each at once her choppy finger laying

Upon her skinny lips. You should be women,

And yet your beards forbid me to interpret

That you are so. (1.3. 37-44)

Perhaps Banquo is "forbid to interpret" more than merely the gender of the three sisters. Although he says this before the witches reveal his and Macbeth's destinies, he approaches the witches with a wariness that he, unlike Macbeth, is able to hold onto.

After hearing that Macbeth will be king, Banquo asks the witches to tell his own destiny:

If you can look into the seeds of time

And say which grain will grow and which will not,

Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear

Your favours nor your hate. (1.3. 56-59)

The third witch replies that Banquo "shalt get kings" (1.3. 65). Although he appears to believe the witches, he does not become so obsessed with the idea that he is the ancestor of future kings. Where Macbeth begs to be told more, Banquo states that he is neither afraid of, nor does he beg for more of the witches' knowledge. Banquo's reaction has a quality of passivity about it, as if he knows that, if the prophecy is true, he will not have to take action in order for it to come true. Macbeth, on the other hand, begs to know more about his future, and constantly turns the witches' words over in his head. He feels the need to react to this prophecy with action in order for it to actually happen.

Macbeth's rapture and Banquo's lack of such is revealed when Macbeth says to him "Your children shall be kings," and after Banquo replies "You shall be king," Macbeth goes on about his own titles, "And Thane of Cawdor too, went it not so?" (1.3. 84-85). Although it may seem a trivial exchange, Macbeth's reaction is important to the idea that he is wrapped up in the prophecy. Banquo does not go on about himself after Macbeth states that he shall be the ancestor of kings, but when Banquo responds with Macbeth's future, Macbeth goes on about himself. This is just one action that shows that Banquo is really not worried about what the witches say, while Macbeth is consumed by what they say.

After Macbeth seems awed by the fact that, like the witches promised, he is now Thane of Cawdor, Banquo still does not believe that their words had good intentions:

...But 'tis strange,

And oftentimes to win us to our harm

The instruments of darkness tell us truths,

Win us with honest trifles to betray's

In deepest consequence. (1.3. 120-124)

It is true that the witches were correct about Macbeth's new title, but that does not mean that they do not have some hidden motivation for telling Macbeth such things. Banquo believes that the witches only put some truth into their prophecy in order to lure Macbeth and himself into trusting them. Macbeth, does in fact get "[won] to [his] harm." Banquo refers to the witches as "the devil" (1.3. 105), implying that they must be up to some mischief, why else would these devils be willing to give out such information?

Interestingly, it is Banquo who admits to thinking about the three witches, and Macbeth denies ruminating upon their words:

BANQUO All's well.

I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters.

To you they have showed some truth.

MACBETH I think not of them;

Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,

We would spend it in some words upon that business

If you would grant the time. (2.1. 18-22)

It is obvious that Macbeth is lying, since he seems to contradict himself just within three spoken lines. He states that he never thinks about the witches, and yet, he has evidently been thinking about them since he wants to spend an hour talking about them with Banquo. Banquo, on the other hand, does not tend to let the witches' prophecy consume him like Macbeth does, but it shows up in his dreams, which, according to a Freudian, would mean that it is an important player in his subconscious.

In response to Macbeth's request of a conference about the three witches, Banquo replies that if, in supporting Macbeth, he himself will become a lesser person, he will not do so:

So I lose none [honour]

In seeking to augment it, but still keep

My bosom franchised [guiltless] and allegiance clear [unstained],

I shall be counselled. (2.1. 25-28)

Banquo is obviously not willing to sink to the level of conspirator in order to propel the witches' prophecy into being. He wishes to remain an untarnished individual, while Macbeth must believe that having power will make up for having an unclear conscience. If Banquo had become a conspirator, it is possible that he would have ruined his progeny's chance at ruling Scotland. They would likely be considered traitors, being the descendants of a traitor, and would have no chance at the crown. In this way, Banquo's conscience not only remains clear, but he does not cause problems for his family further down the road. Instead of lusting for power, Banquo remains a loyal subject to the crown, and is willing to go to great lengths to find King Duncan's murderer. He not only states such, but also implies that he is in the right frame of mind, being "in the great hand of God," as opposed to the assassinator:

In the great hand of God I stand, and thence

Against the undivulged pretence I fight

Of treasonous malice. (2.4. 126-128)

While he is still living, Banquo begins to lay guilt upon Macbeth:

Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all

As the weird women promised; and I fear

Thou played'st most foully for't. (3.1. 1-3)

Banquo seems to truly value Macbeth, but after becoming power-hungry, Macbeth no longer values his friends, and he states that Banquo is his enemy to the men he enlists to murder Banquo (3.1. 117). After Macbeth has Banquo murdered, he begins to see Banquo's ghost. His ghost acts as a sort of guilty conscience, reminding Macbeth of his own foul deeds. The purity of Banquo's character serves as a foil to Macbeth, and his ghost is a reminder to Macbeth that he has acted wrongly towards those that he used to value.

When Macbeth goes back to the three witches and asks them more questions, he sees that Banquo's descendants do become kings. He sees that generations upon generations of Banquo's progeny will have the crown, and yet, he gets upset at the sight. Since his portion of the witches' prophecy came true, it stands to reason that he would have believed the part about Banquo as well, but he still gets upset at the witches for showing him this sight:

...Filthy hags,

Why do you show me this?...

...I'll see no more...

Horrible sight! Now I see 'tis true,

For the blood-baltered Banquo smiles upon me,

And points at them for his. (4.2. 131-139)

When Macbeth asks whether Banquo's descendants will be kings, he expects an answer, and yet he is upset by that answer, even though he knows that the witches predicted that it will be as he sees. It is after seeing the images of Banquo's descendants in the witches cauldron that Macbeth really loses his faith in the decisions he has made. He realizes that "damned