Banquo's Prophecies In Macbeth

Macbeth Essay
The play Macbeth revolves around the events that occur once Macbeth hears the witch’s predictions. These predictions were told to both Macbeth and his beloved cousin Banquo; this will play a major role in the future. Macbeth was told that he would be Thane of Cawdor as well as being Thane of Glamis and later on would be King, while Banquo was told that his children would be kings. Later on, when Banquo dies, Macbeth is told three new prophecies that would further influence him. These change Macbeth and start to make him do actions that would normally be out of the ordinary. This is what causes Macbeth to be a very famous example of what the American sociologist Robert Merton called a “self-fulfilling prophecy”. Merton’s definition…show more content…
The truth is that many of these decisions that Macbeth makes or follows is based on what the witches told him. One example of this is when Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill Duncan in order to become king. She specifically says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature / … / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, / and chastise with the valor of my tongue” (1.5.16-17, 27-28). In this quote Lady Macbeth is thinking about the witches prophecy and how she can make it come true. She states that she will control Macbeth with her words and she will convince him to do what she says; like killing Duncan. This shows that Macbeth’s main action (the killing of Duncan to become king) was based on what he was told by the witches and what Lady Macbeth told him after he told her. Another case in which Macbeth is acting upon the witch’s prophecy is when he wants to murder Banquo. When Macbeth talks to the murderers and even a bit before he says, “It is concluded: Banquo thy sol’s flight, / If it find heaven, must find it out tonight.” (3.1.141-142). In this statement Macbeth is talking to the murderers and is saying that Banquo must die and he must die as soon as possible. Macbeth says this right after he states, “ They hailed him father to a line of kings.” (3.1.60). These two statements clearly show that the only reason why Macbeth wants…show more content…
Their prophecies give him new ideas and goals that he would have never thought of before and is constantly seen thinking about their predictions. The first instance in which we see Macbeth thinking about the witch’s comments is right after they first appear to him. After they appear to Macbeth he says, “I am Thane of Cawdor: / If good, why do I yield to that suggestion” (1.3.133-134). This occurs just a few moments after the witches appear to both Macbeth and Banquo, declaring him Thane of Cawdor and future King of Scotland. In this quote Macbeth is saying why should he stop with just being the thane of Cawdor, why not achieve even more greatness; the greatness that the witches promised him. This quote gives us the first glimpse into Macbeth’s goals and thoughts. Macbeth doesn’t just stop with hearing the witch’s prophecies once; instead he seeks out their advice again and tries to learn more about his future. This helps to assure him that the goals he’s achieved will be safe and won’t be taken from him. When Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth he says, “I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak,” (3.5.134-135). In this context Macbeth is anxious to go to the witches to see if he should fear anyone taking his newfound power from him. This shows that he has acquired what he wanted however he doesn’t feel secure, this shows that he relies on the witches for support and cannot think without first taking into consideration what the witches say. Before this