The Same Prophecy, Two Men
📖 The Same Prophecy, Two Men
Act 1 Scene 3. Two generals stand before three witches on a heath. Both receive prophecies. Macbeth immediately suffers "horrible imaginings" — his mind races to murder before a word of encouragement has been offered. Banquo listens, shrugs, and walks on.
Shakespeare does not write the witches to cause Macbeth's ambition. He writes Banquo to prove the witches do not cause it. The ambition was already there. The prophecy merely showed Macbeth where it could lead.
English Literature glossary
- What is equivocation, and how do the witches use it?
- Equivocation is language that is technically accurate but structured to mislead. The witches' prophecies are equivocal: 'none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth' is literally true (Macduff was delivered by Caesarean section) but Macbeth hears it as absolute protection. Each prophecy gives Macbeth a truth that leads him to a wrong conclusion. Shakespeare uses the witches' equivocal language to argue that evil exploits the gap between what is said and what is understood.
Shakespeare constructs Banquo as Macbeth's precise mirror — same battlefield, same bravery, same prophecy. But where Macbeth receives the witches' words as opportunity, Banquo receives them as warning: "The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray's / In deepest consequence." He n
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🧠 Memory Aid: BANQUO's Function
Barometer — measures Macbeth's choices by contrast
Alternative — shows prophecy does not determine action
Neutrality — his silence is a moral failure too
Quiltwork — guilt made physical as a ghost in 3.4
Unwitting catalyst — his murder ensures the dynasty Macbeth feared
Order — his ghost represents the broken social order demanding restoration
Witches = AMPLIFIER not AUTHOR of Macbeth's ambition.
Quick Check: Why does Shakespeare make Banquo suspect Macbeth of Duncan's murder — but not act on this suspicion? What does this moral choice argue?
Shakespeare uses Banquo's silence to complicate the foil relationship — Banquo is not a simple moral hero. His inaction when he suspects murder makes him complicit through neutrality. Shakespeare's argument is that witnessing evil without opposing it is a moral choice with consequences: Banquo's silence does not protect him. He is murdered precisely for what he knows and does not say. This allows Shakespeare to distribute moral responsibility across the play rather than centering it solely on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Now try it yourself
Quiz · Question 1 of 10
Which characters speak the line 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' in Act 1 Scene 1 of Macbeth?
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