Theme Of Predatory Birds In Macbeth

Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the motif of predatory birds to relay the theme of omens of unnatural behavior. The natural actions of predatory birds are to hunt and kill their prey (mice or other small animals). Accordingly, owls are known to hunt and kill mice while: “On Tuesday last,/ a falcon tow’ring in her pride and place, /was mousing owl hawked at and killed”(73). How unnatural is it that an owl decides to attack and kill a falcon which is higher on the food chain, instead of an innocent mouse? Not only does this relay an action of unnatural behavior but Shakespeare also uses this to add depth in the portrayal of the recent events in the killing of Duncan and Macbeth’s hallucinations. People become skeptic and concerned about their surroundings and others, as “The raven himself is hoarse/ that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan /under my battlements” (33).

In the event of Macbeth rising to the position of King, Macduff, the Thane of Fife under the now King Macbeth, feels cheated as Macbeth is not fit for the title and leaves his wife in search to destroy Macbeth. As a result Lady Macduff is awestruck exclaiming, “For the poor wren,/ the most diminutive of birds, will fight/ her young ones in the nest against the owl”(133). The action of the male protecting his family is not unnatural for both birds and humans. Macduff on the other hand exhibits the unnatural behavior of leaving his wife and children instead of caring for them and protecting them like a wren (a smaller bird like