"‘Tis Unnatural”: A Disruption of Reality in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

In Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth sees the three witches for the first time and they tell him the prophecy that sets the entire bloody play in action: “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (act 1, scene 3, line 50). Despite the ambiguous nature of the play, Macbeth takes these words at face value and interprets them literally, including the second half of the prophecy:

1 WITCH: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.

2 WITCH: Not so happy, yet much happier.

3 WITCH: Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:

So all hail Macbeth, and Banquo (act 1, scene 3)

Macbeth hears this prophecy and immediately begins plotting in his mind as soon as he sees part of it has come true. However, as it is seen in Act 4, Scene 1, the witches’ prophecies are a sort of riddle, which true meanings are only discovered after the prophecies have come true. Though Macbeth seems to complete the prophecy by killing Duncan and becoming the king himself, he does so by taking fate into his own hands and forcing the prophecy forward despite being aware that things might fall into place if he sits idly by: “ If chance will have me king, why chance may / crown me, without my stir” (act 1, scene 3, line 146 - 148). My theory is that Macbeth was never meant to become king in the way that he does, and because he does take his own course of action he causes a sort of “disruption of reality” within the play.

Macbeth disrupts the natural course of destiny by 1) hearing the prophecy and 2) deciding to “become king” on his own terms. If Macbeth hadn’t heard the witches’ prophecy, and hadn’t seen part of it come true, he would probably have never had the push to go through with his murderous plans. Macbeth believed the prophecy was his guaranteed ticket to the throne and he wanted to speed up the process. However, after Macbeth murders Duncan, unnatural things began to happen. In the conversation between Ross and the Old Man at the beginning of Act 2, Scene 4, they describe the strange occurrences that began happening after the murder: the sky is dark even though it is daytime (line 6), a falcon was killed by a mousing owl (line 12), and all of Duncan’s horses killed and ate one another (line 18). The Old Man says “‘Tis unnatural, even like the deed that’s done” (line 10), referencing the unnatural incidents and Duncan’s murder. By killing Duncan, Macbeth has messed with destiny in such a way that it has disrupted the natural order of life. This is also supported in the last act of the play when Macduff brings in Macbeth’s head and says: “Hail King, for so thou art. Behold where stands th’usurper’s cursed head: the time is free” (act 5, scene 9, line 20). It seems that even though Macbeth technically became king, he was never considered a “king” by his peers, but a tyrant and “usurper,” which would explain why Banquo’s heir in the witches’ prophesy will be “lesser” (in rank, initially than Macbeth was) and “greater” and why they would be “not so happy” (because they witnessed their father’s murder), “yet much happier” (because they will have a true, loyal kingship). This is why once Macbeth is dead and no longer holding Scotland in a state of threat, the natural order of life, and procession of the throne, is restored and “time is free.”