Macbeth is feeling confident because he has been given the
prophecy that man born of woman cannot kill him. This prophecy gives Macbeth the courage
to go to battle against Malcolm and macduff. Macbeth even brags or boasts to Macduff
that man born of woman cannot kill him:
You’re wasting your efforts.
You may as
easily slice the air that cannot be cut
With your keen sword as make me
bleed.
Let your blade fall on weaker heads;
I have a charmed life,
which must not yield
To one given birth to by a
woman.
Upon hearing
this, Macduff becomes a bit boastful himself. Macduff reveals in a triumphant manner
that he himself was not born of woman:
Lose hope of your charm;
And let the
genius whom you still have served
Tell you, Macduff was from his mother's
womb
Delivered by caesarean
section.
When Macduff reveals
this bit of information to Macbeth, one can imagine all the color flowing out of
Macbeth's face. He is immediately in fear of Macduff. He had not thought about the
possibility of Macduff being born of cesarean birth.
Macbeth loses his confidence. He realizes he is about to
die at the hand of Macduff. Macduff will have his revenge for Macbeth killing or
having Macduff's family killed. Macbeth's courage fled as he faced combat with Macduff.
Macbeth became a coward. He lost all confidence in the prophecies that actually
destroyed him. Macbeth declares he will not
fight Macduff:
Curse you for telling me that,
Because
it has intimidated my better part of man!
And let these deceitful fiends be
believed no more,
That trick us with double meanings,
That keep the
word of promise to our ears,
And break it to our hopes! I will not fight with
you.
Macduff will not take no
for an answer. He will have his revenge. He separates Macbeth's head from his shoulders
and carries the head triumphantly to show it to Malcolm.
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