Macbeth Summative
By : Britini Bronson
The Downfall of Macbeth
The witches are to blame for Macbeth's downfall, this because the witches had said different assumptions throughout the play leading up to Macbeth's death. In the beginning of the play the witches had met in thunder and lightning and had said they would meet again when the battle was over. In the play when the witches were first introduced it says, “ [Thunder and lighting. Enter three witches.] When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won.” (Shakespeare 7).
After the battle was won, Macbeth was confronted by the three witch sisters after Macbeth had been victorious in the battle and was told he would become thane of Cawdor and king, Macbeth was stunned when he was told that the witches provinces was true, so without a doubt he started to come up with a plan to kill the king so he could become the new king.. In the play the witches have first met Macbeth and said he would be named thane of Cawdor, and soon he would be the new king. In act 1 scene 3 it states, “The witches hail Macbeth by a title he already holds, thane of Glamis. Then they prophesy that he would become both thane of Cawdor and king…. He immediately begins to consider the possibility of murdering King Duncan.’’ (Shakespeare 14-15).
After Macbeth has killed several people Macbeth has another encounter with the witches, and this time the witches are making a potion and the witches tell Macbeth three apparitions that will be essential for him to not lose his kingdom. The witches show him a head with a armor helmet on meaning that he must beware of Macduff, he also sees a bloody child, meaning he can not be defeated by any man born from a woman. The last apparition is a child with a tree, meaning Macbeth will not be defeated until the Burnam Woods moved towards his castle. This is described in the text by, “ the witches raise three apparitions. The first, an armed head,tells him to beware Macduff. Next a bloody child assures Macbeth that he will never be harmed by anyone born of a woman. The third apparition tells him he will never be defeated until the trees of Birnam wood move towards his castle in Dunsinane.” (Shakespeare 115). But what the witches do not know is that the woods in the Burnam woods can move if the soldiers use it as camouflage and also that MAcduff had not been born from a woman, his mother had given a c-section which means the witches were wrong because he had defeated Macbeth because he was not born from a woman.