None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.

To remember this quote use the following mnemonic.

None of the babies from any woman, ever born, shall harm Macbeth.

"None of woman born shall harm Macbeth." Spoken by the second apparition - a vision conjured by the witches to give Macbeth a false sense of security. Act 4, scene 1, line 79.

Meaning

• "None of woman born shall harm Macbeth." - The prophecy seems to say that no one born from a woman can harm Macbeth, so he believes he's invincible. 

• Reality - It's misleading. Later, we learn Macduff was born by caesarean section (i.e. "from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd" Act 5, scene 8, line 15) and then Macduff does kill Macbeth at the end of this scene. This means that Macduff was not born of woman in the traditional sense. 

Exam Advice 

• Context - Macbeth is consulting the witches again, desperate to know if he's safe in his power. 

• Theme of fate vs free will - This prophecy manipulates Macbeth into feeling invulnerable, which fuels his recklessness. 

• Dramatic irony - The audience sees how Macbeth is misinterpreting the prophecy. It sets up the twist with Macduff. 

• False security - The witches use ambiguous language to deceive Macbeth. He believes he's untouchable, which leads to his downfall. 

• Hamartia (a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine) Macbeth's overconfidence and misreading of fate are key parts of his tragic downfall.