Summary
Highlights
In Act 4, Scene 1, the witches gather with Hecate and brew a potion. Macbeth appears, and three apparitions rise from the cauldron to reveal insights into his future. The first apparition, a helmeted head, warns him to beware of Macduff.
The second apparition, a bloodied child, assures Macbeth that 'none of woman born shall harm him.' This leads Macbeth to believe Macduff is no threat, though he plans to kill him anyway. The third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, states Macbeth will reign until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill, which Macbeth dismisses as impossible.
Macbeth demands further knowledge, and a procession of eight kings alongside Banquo's ghost appears. Seeing Banquo's ghost smile and the line of kings stretching infinitely in a mirror, Macbeth realizes this signifies Banquo's descendants will be kings, greatly distressing him.
Upon hearing Lennox report Macduff is in England, Macbeth, fueled by renewed confidence from the witches' visions, decides to ambush Macduff's castle and murder his family and servants without mercy. His arrogance prevents him from considering the deeper meanings of the prophecies.
Macbeth's previous successful predictions lead him to blindly trust the witches, ignoring potential incomplete or misleading information. He interprets the prophecies superficially, focusing on those that assure victory and disregarding the warning about Macduff. His distress over Banquo's lineage doesn't lead him to pursue Fleance, showing he acts on emotion, not deliberation.
Macbeth's new strategy, driven by ambition and arrogance, involves picking and choosing which prophecies to trust. Despite having information about his destiny, his selective interpretation prevents him from truly understanding it, leading him down a path of further destruction.