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In Act IV, Scene 1, the three witches summon three ghosts in order to answer Macbeth’s questions about his future as the king of Scotland. These apparitions each offer a different warning about the circumstances that will lead to his downfall, although like the witches’ earlier prophecies, their words are ambiguous and misleading. The first vision that appears takes the shape of a head wearing a military helmet, and it warns Macbeth to watch out for Macduff. While this ghost offers no specifics about why Macbeth should fear Macduff, the fact that it manifests itself in the image of a man ready for battle emphasizes that the two men will eventually meet in combat. This message confirms one of Macbeth’s fears, but the remaining two apparitions give prophecies that lead him to believe he will ultimately be invincible.
The Second Apparition, which takes the form of a bloody child, explains that “none of woman born” can harm him. These words are particularly misleading as they appear to suggest that no human being is capable of defeating Macbeth. As the final act of the play reveals, however, this message refers only to people born naturally and does not account for babies born via caesarean section. The vague language of the Second Apparition begins to lure Macbeth into a false sense of security. When the final ghost appears in the form of a child wearing a crown and holding a tree branch, it begins by imploring Macbeth to be proud and fearless of others.
The Third Apparition then prophesizes that he will only be beaten when the Great Birnam Wood, a nearby forest, arrives at Dunsinane to fight. Given how absurd the literal image of trees arriving for battle is, Macbeth feels even more secure in his position. He fails to imagine the metaphorical side of this prediction, and Macduff’s army eventually descends on Dunsinane while hiding behind branches from the forest. Together, the Three Apparitions highlight the connection between Macbeth’s hubris and his tragic downfall. They correctly describe the conditions that will lead to his destruction, but his unwillingness to see the multiple meanings in their words makes it impossible for him to escape his fate.
