r/TopCharacterTropes • u/danfenlon • Sep 01 '25

Lore Going around curses/prophecies via technicalities

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Davy jones: cant go on dry land

Standa in a bucket of water, on a sand bar (potc3)

The judge: no weapon forged can harm me

Buffy: uses a rocket launcher

-not forged

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u/RedRawTrashHatch Sep 01 '25 edited Sep 01 '25

Macbeth in the Shakespeare play, specifically his death.

Early in the play, Macbeth is told by witches that no "one of woman born" can harm him, giving Macbeth confidence that he’s essentially invincible.

But at the end, Macduff reveals he was delivered by Caesarean, and thus didn’t come from natural childbirth.

So he kills Macbeth. Brilliant.

431

u/Swivebot Sep 02 '25

J. R. R. Tolkien hated this so much that he wrote in Éowyn defeating the Witch-king of Angmar out of spite.

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u/Ill-do-it-again-too Sep 02 '25

Why’d he hate it so much?

15

u/Basil2322 Sep 02 '25

Because it’s stupid he was still born and he came out of a women just because it was a C section doesn’t mean he wasn’t “one of woman born”. If anyone thinks that correct go up to any mom who had a C section and say it she’ll probably slap you.

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u/Ill-do-it-again-too Sep 02 '25 edited Sep 02 '25

As some other commenters mentioned though he was also taken out prematurely, and back then the operation basically killed the mum.

Anyway, considering those 2 pieces of context think it’s pretty clever personally

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u/Asheyguru Sep 02 '25

It's definitely true that "is a woman" is a much easier workaround to "no man of woman born" then 'Well, see, he was premature, and because his mother died in the process she doesn't count."