Kubista 1
Alicia Kubista
March 6, 2014
Macbeth- Equivocation
The Three Witches’ Use of Equivocation
The tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare presents the danger of being ambitious
without a justifying reason. In this play, the main character, Macbeth, is so focused on his quest
for power that he does not realize that he is setting himself up for failure. Macbeth’s desire for
becoming King of Scotland brings him to his doom. Three witches inform Macbeth of his fate;
however, the equivocation used by the witches causes Macbeth to misinterpret the predictions
which initiates the snowball effect of his guilty future. The powerful future that Macbeth is
supposed to have is shadowed by his constant feelings of fear and guilt. Macbeth experiences
spiritual turmoil throughout his rise to power through the motif of equivocation.
Because of Macbeth’s misinterpretation of his fate, he brings spiritual trouble upon
himself. When the witches inform Banquo that he will be “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater...
Not so happy, yet much happier” (I.2.64-65), Macbeth does not see the importance of what they
say and does not pay attention to it; he only listens to the information that pleases him. This is a
direct example of equivocation because Banquo is “lesser” than Macbeth as far as power, and
however, just as the witches mention, Banquo is “greater” than Macbeth. Banquo is greater in the
sense that Macbeth becomes a corrupt person which makes him less honorable and therefore,
less happy. Banquo becomes not so “happy” because he never becomes king and is murdered,
but his future generations become the heirs to the throne (III.1.64-73). After Macbeth murders
King Duncan he admits, “I could not say, ‘Amen...’” (II.2.28). This shows how Macbeth
becomes spiritually “lesser” than Banquo. To not be able to say “Amen” expresses that his
Kubista 2
relationship with God is broken. The literal meaning of “Amen” is “so be it,” which means that
one is able to accept something and believe it. Macbeth’s inability to say “Amen” indicates that
he has no humility which ultimately means that he believes he is more powerful and divine than
God.
After facing many spiritual obstacles throughout his journey to become king, Macbeth
starts to doubt the prophecy from the witches. As Macbeth gets farther and farther with his
wrongdoings, it is clear that Macbeth is ruined spiritually. After killing King Duncan, Macbeth
claims, “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no / more! / Macbeth does murder sleep’”
(II.2.34-35). This relates back to the part of the prophecy where the witches say that Macbeth
will be “lesser” than Banquo (I.2.64). He constantly destroys the things that make him a human,
like sleep. Macbeth’s usage of the word “methought” indicates that he is unsure and shows his
mental weakness; he destroys his ability to reason; he is unable to decide if he has heard a “voice
cry” or not. The exclamation point after the word “more” shows emotion and the seriousness of
the consequence of killing King Duncan. The voice in Macbeth’s head also personifies sleep and
murders sleep as if it were a person. This means that Macbeth believes that he will never be able
to sleep peacefully again; just like how death is permanent, Macbeth’s ability to rest peacefully is
ruined permanently. Immediately afterwards Macbeth explains the importance of sleep and how
it is the “Chief nourisher in life’s feast” (II.2.35-39). Macbeth compares sleep to a nourisher, in
this case, a meal. He signifies how vital sleep is; it satisfies and heals people throughout the
course of their lives in the same way that food satisfies stomachs. Macbeth’s feelings of doubt
are apparent when Macduff’s army comes to fight Macbeth and disguises themselves to look like
trees; Macbeth says, “To doubt th’ equivocation of the fiend / That lies like truth: ‘Fear not, till
Birnam Wood / Comes toward Dunsinane!’” (V.5.43-45). In this quote, Macbeth states that he
Kubista 3
“doubts” the “fiend”, the witches and Hecate, who lie “like truth”. A lie and the truth contradict
because they are opposites; this means that Macbeth knows that the witches used equivocation to
disguise a lie, his fate, as the truth.
Macbeth starts to feel insecure after he becomes aware that his initial interpretation was
incorrect, and that he should have looked at the prophecy in multiple ways. Macbeth realizes that
he will lose the thrown eventually and that he is sacrificing his relationship with God for power
that is meaningless. The witches do tell him valid information, but their use of equivocation
cloaks the truth. After seeing Banquo’s ghost sitting in his (Macbeth’s) seat at the table, Macbeth
feels fearful; he realizes that he misinterpreted the information he received from the witches, as
he acknowledges, “...They [the witches] hailed him [Banquo] father to a line of kings. / Upon my
head they placed a fruitless crown /... Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, / No son of
mine succeeding” (III.1.62-67). He realizes that Banquo’s heirs will be king and that his journey
to becoming king was pointless because he will not have any progeny. Macbeth’s insecurity is
evident when he refers to his crown as a “fruitless crown;” he himself may not be fruitful as far
as producing heirs to the thrown, but he could be fruitful in having characteristics that good
kings should have, such as, perseverance, lowliness, and devotion. He uses the word “wrenched”
as if the crown had been stolen from his possession, and the word, “no” signifying the
definiteness of the fact that he will not have any posterity. Macbeth’s insecurity is shown when
he encounters Macduff towards the end of his life when he pleas, “Of all men else I have avoided
thee” (V.8.4). Soon after, Macduff reveals to Macbeth that he (Macduff) was not of “woman
born” (IV.1.80-81), which makes him eligible to kill Macbeth. Macbeth knows that Macduff is
the man who will kill him and senses his own doom. The syntax of this sentence leaves one with
the impression that Macbeth has been planned his avoidance of Macduff. Macbeth also does not
Kubista 4
mention Macduff’s name, as though his name itself brings fear upon him (Macbeth). At this
point, Macbeth has accepted the fact that he has lost and that he has no strength. It is evident that
Macbeth knows that he will die and that he had prior knowledge that Macduff will kill him since
he has been avoiding Macduff all along.
Macbeth’s misinterpretation of the of the prophecy leads to many internal struggles. He
faces troubles spiritually and gives up his relation with God in order to become king. Macbeth
also doubts his interpretation of the prophecy which leads to his insecurity that his power would
be taken away. Macbeth becomes power-hungry and constantly kills people who he thinks are a
threat, thinking that he will find satisfaction knowing that he has one less person to worry about.
However, Macbeth actually brings more and more danger upon himself by doing this; people
who were once his allies turn against him and plot to kill him. It can be said that by being greedy,
one can make enemies, just as Macbeth does. It is also evident that when people are greedy, they
lose their ability to think rationally and become power-obsessed; they become willing to do
anything to achieve their goal, but once they achieve it they decide that it is not enough and
pursue something even more radical.
Word Count: 1,236Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. The Signet Classic Shakespeare Ed. Sylvan
Barnet. New York: Penguin Group Inc. 1986. 3-97. Print.