Monday, March 18, 2013

What literary term defines this quote in Macbeth "...for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth."

This is the second apparition, I believe, the first having told him to beware Macduff, thane of Fife. There are probably several literary terms we could say applies to this line: "For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." 


The simplest explanation is that it's foreshadowing--a warning or indication of a future event. As this is literature--and in literature, we generally aren't told anything that isn't relevant to the plot--we know that the witches are tricking Macbeth, but we don't know exactly how it'll all come together yet. We just got the hint that it will be someone who was "not of woman born"--whatever that means. (Macbeth clearly doesn't think it's remotely possible, all the way to the very end when he is confronted with the horrifying details of Macduff's birth.)

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