Questions and the three apparations:
Is Macbeth actually immortal or have the witches fooled him into being immortal? Why has the third apparition specifically said Birnam wood and dunsinane? It’s oddly specific.
First apparition, an armed head Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff;
Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
Second apparition, a bloody child Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
Third apparition, a child crowned, with a tree in his hand Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.
In scene 1 of act 4, Macbeth confers with the three witches and Hecate, who make more predictions and follow through with their plan to gift Macbeth immortality. The witches create an extreme potion with various vile and brutal ingredients such as a lizards leg, scale of dragon, finger of a strangled baby. Then enters Macbeth that receives predictions from 3 apparitions, that take the form of an armoured head, bloody child, and a crowned child that holds a tree. They say to beware of Macduff, that Macbeth will be immortal, and that he will only die when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Again the witches use rhymes in their lines, showing their otherworldliness. Macbeth says an interesting line: “to crown my thoughts with acts, be it though and done”. He is saying that he will perform any actions he thinks of without hesitation, which is a stark contrast to the beginning when he killed Duncan, where he had a lot of doubt and second thoughts, and even some regret.