How does Shakespeare use foreshadowing in Macbeth?

By making Lady Macbeth be the first to suggest assassinating Duncan in Act I, he suggests that she will be the one who actually does the deed in Act II.

By having the witches make a second round of predictions in Act IV, he suggests how Macbeth will actually be defeated in Act V.

By showing the witches telling Banquo that his sons will be kings in Act I, he suggests that Banquo will conspire with Macbeth to kill Duncan in Act II.

By depicting the way Malcolm upsets Macduff by claiming to be selfish and cruel in Act IV, he suggests the flaws that will actually be revealed when Malcolm takes the crown in Act V.

The play opens with the Thane of Cawdor, a Scottish nobleman, attempting to raise a rebellion against Duncan and gain the throne for himself. The rebellion is defeated, but these events hint that the political state of the kingdom is unstable and foreshadow Macbeth’s own plot to seize power. The foreshadowing becomes even more explicit when Macbeth is awarded the title of the disgraced nobleman, becoming the Thane of Cawdor himself.

The Witches’ Prophecies To Banquo And Macbeth

When they first encounter Banquo and Macbeth, the witches predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland, and that Banquo will become the ancestor to a line of kings without actually ruling himself. These prophecies foreshadow events that will happen later in the play, such as the murder of Duncan and the escape of Fleance.

Macbeth Hearing A Voice Cry “Sleep No More!”

When Macbeth tells his wife about his experience murdering Duncan, he says that he thought he heard a voice cry out “Sleep no more!” This statement implies Macbeth will never again be at peace or have a clean conscience, and will never be able to rest easy. The statement foreshadows the guilt and paranoia that will torment both Macbeth and his wife for the rest of the play.

Macbeth’s Bloody Hands

When Macbeth first meets his wife after murdering Duncan, his hands are covered in blood. This image foreshadows the fact that Macbeth is going to commit more violent acts. It also foreshadows how Lady Macbeth’s guilt will eventually drive her mad. Later in the play, she will hallucinate that she is perpetually washing her hands, unable to clean them, which symbolizes her inability to find peace after her involvement in the murder.

Predictions About Threats To Macbeth

In Act 4, Scene 1, the witches make a number of predictions that Macbeth interprets as being in his favor. For example, they predict that no one borne of a woman will harm him. These predictions serve as ironic foreshadowing because they hint at events to come later, including Macbeth’s death at the hands of Macduff, and show how Macbeth misinterprets prophecies based on his own arrogance. Because he wants to believe that he will be able to maintain power, he makes assumptions about what the prophecies are predicting and then uses these assumptions to justify continuing to commit crimes. Foreshadowing does not simply hint at what events will come, but shapes the events of the plot based on how characters respond to what they believe is being predicted.