Good individuals can be profoundly impacted by fear and foreknowledge, which frequently determines whether they are able to stick to their principles and goals or give in to negative feelings and urges. While fear can be an effective motivator, it can also result in rash choices and irrational behavior. Foreknowledge can be a useful tool for those who are trying to avoid obstacles but can be very destructive for those who ignore or lack vision. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth reveals how the protagonist Macbeth is riddled with fear of being caught for his crimes and he does not have the foresight to see the impending danger coming towards him, leading him to search for reassurance in supernatural beings. Eventually leading him to descend further into madness and instability. We can see his downfall as he hallucinates a dagger, his dead friend Banquo and three apparitions.
To begin with, Macbeth has conflicting emotions and is filled with fear about killing King Duncan as he lacks foresight about his first murder. His
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The apparitions, which are presented as prophetic visions, offer Macbeth a glimpse into his own fate, and the consequences of his actions. The first apparition, a disembodied head, warns Macbeth to beware of Macduff:
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough. (Shakespeare, IV) The second apparition, a bloody child, tells Macbeth that he cannot be harmed by anyone born of a woman:
Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of a woman born Shall harm Macbeth. (Shakespeare IV) Which initially gives him a sense of invincibility but also leaves him wondering about the nature of his fate. And finally the third apparition, a child wearing a crown and holding a tree, tells Macbeth that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to