Let every soldier hew him down a bough, / And bear’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow / The numbers of our host, and make discovery / Err in report of us.
Act V, Scene 4 · Malcolm
Context
Malcolm commands his approaching army to cut branches from Birnam Wood and carry them as camouflage, so that scouts will misjudge the size of his forces advancing on Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane.
Analysis
Malcolm's order is framed as a tactical trick—'shadow' suggests mere disguise—yet it unwittingly fulfills the witches' prophecy that Macbeth cannot be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. The verb 'hew' makes the soldiers active agents in moving the forest, collapsing the gap between impossible prophecy and human action. Shakespeare thus shows that fate operates not through magic but through ordinary military decisions, forcing the audience to reconsider whether prophecy controls events or simply describes what free human choices will bring about.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that the witches' prophecies don't override human agency—Malcolm's practical military strategy coincidentally brings the 'impossible' prediction to life, suggesting fate and free will may be the same thing seen from different angles.