Homework Question on Inquiry into Literary Prophecy
- Thesis: “Shakespeare’s Macbeth is based on historical figures in the medieval period and his inclusion of prophecy makes the story into the story of a tragic hero which otherwise would have been considered the story of power-hungry person” .
- Write an essay about the role of prophecy in a work of literature – specifically Macbeth by Shakespeare, or the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty” (or another fairy tale that employs a prophecy motif). Your job will be to trace the story back to its earliest iterations, and determine if prophecy was an element of the story from the beginning, or if the prophecy motif appeared only in later re-tellings.
- REQUIRED ELEMENTS :Research the history of the story Citations from at least two peer-reviewed, scholarly sources using correct in-text citations according to MLA format.
- Textual evidence from primary sources (at least 3) Clearly stated, arguable thesis Essay structure supports, and is built upon the thesis Transitions guide the reader smoothly from point to point, and show the relationships between the ideas presented.
Homework Answer on Inquiry into Literary Prophecy
Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are various motifs that have been used; however, the most significant is the motif of prophecy. This motif has a significant role in the development of the play. Prophecy has been used in the story for setting the play in motion, and it can also be considered as the reason why Macbeth is overly overconfident in all his doings. This is because prophecy tells him what he wants to hear, which is a flaw in character and leads to his tragic death.
This study will trace the story back to its earliest iteration and determine if the prophecy was an element of the story from the beginning, or if the prophecy motif appeared only in later retelling.By tracing back the story to its earliest iterations, it is evident that prophecy has been used as an element of the story from the beginning; it does not appear only in later retelling. Macbeth creates a complex elaboration of time multilayered character and an ambiguous concept of direction (Berry 372).
In the opening scene of the play, we find the weird sisters who prophesy about the fate of Macbeth, and they contend that after the civil war has ended, they will be able to meet Macbeth, who is one of the king’s generals, the prophecy in this part of the play has been used to demonstrate the supernatural powers of the witches over the human beings; they are depicted as having special abilities that set them apart from the other characters in the play.