Foreshadowing: a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is about to come later on in the story. It often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and it helps the reader develop expectations about the upcoming events.
Allusion: a brief or indirect reference. (to a person, place, thing, cultural or political idea, etc.)
Two examples from Act 1 that can be argued to be foreshadowing future events:
Most of the major events in the play are foreshadowed before they take place, although the hints can be misleading or hard to interpret.
In the beginning of the play, the Thane of Cawdor, attempts to raise a rebellion against King Duncan in order to 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 gain power. The foreshadowing becomes even more explicit when Macbeth is awarded the title of the Thane of Cawdor himself. The audience suspects that Macbeth is going to follow in the footsteps of the man who previously held the title.
In act 1, scene 3, the witches present Macbeth and Banquo with three prophecies. They predict that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor, and eventually become the King of Scotland. They also predict that Banquo will become the ancestor to a line of kings without actually ruling himself. This indicates that his son might be the king. These prophecies can potentially be hints at what might occur further on in the play.
Find an allusion to Shakespeare in a popular medium of your generation:
At the end of Toy Story 3, all the toys get together and not only reference but put on a stage performance of Romeo and Juliet. There is a snippet of the infamous ‘balcony scene’ with hedgehog as Romeo and Little Green Man as Juliet. He quotes ‘But soft what light through yonder window breaks’ and the LGM quotes “Romeo oh Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo.” Both lines come from Act 2 Scene 2, one of the most famous of Shakespeare’s scenes.
What is unnatural about Macbeth’s desires?
In Act 1, scene 7, Macbeth states, “To our own lips. He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. ” Macbeth states that he should not murder the King because he is his kinsman and his subject, so he should protect King Duncan. Secondly, he is the host. These reasons make it unnatural for Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Macbeth was characterized as generous, hardworking, and loyal in the beginning of the play. These traits make it unnatural for him to desire authority.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
The phrase, “fair is foul, and foul is fair” is chanted by the three witches in the beginning of the play. This phrase has several meanings. It can indicate that the notion of good and bad is reversed. Or, that one shouldn’t judge purely based on face value. When Banquo and Macbeth first saw the witches, they were horrified and thought that they were “ugly creatures.” But once they heard the prophecies, they didn’t want them to leave and were persistent to hear more.
Why did Shakespeare choose to make the transition so quick?
Shakespeare chose to make the transition so quickly to show how appearances can be deceiving. Macbeth’s victories displayed his hardworking and loyal self. But the plotting to overthrow the king shows how maybe the first impression wasn’t very true. The real “drama” of this tragedy is loyal and treachery.
Evidence from Act 1 that suggest Lady Macbeth is an unnatural woman.
Some of Lady Macbeth’s unnatural behaviors include her summoning of the spirits of darkness to help with the murder, her willingness to kill a child if necessary, and her encouraging the murder of Duncan.
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