Equivocation: A statement that is not literally false, but
is designed to mislead. Macbeth is led to his destruction by the equivocation of the
witches, particularly as it is demonstrated through the appearance of the three
apparitions in Act IV, scene i. Macbeth is told to "Beward Macduff!" Then he is told
that "none of woman born" can harm him. Finally, he is given this
reassurance:
Macbeth shall never vanquished be
until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane
Hill
Shall come against
him.
The statements prove to
be true, literally, as final events in the drama unfold, but they mislead Macbeth, as
intended, into a false sense of invulnerability. As a result, he continues in his wicked
ways and is beheaded by Macduff.
Before his death, Macbeth
realizes the witches have equivocated. Macduff's mother had not born him naturally at
his birth, and Birnam Wood does move up the hill, as soldiers cut down boughs to shield
themselves in their attack. Ironically, by feeling safe, Macbeth is set upon a straight
path to his destruction. Further irony can be found in this; in one of the three
prophecies, the witches did not equivocate, but Macbeth did not recognize the truth when
it was presented to him. "Beware Macduff!" was not misleading at
all.
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