How Did Shakespeare Succeed In Macbeth

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo are visited by the three weird sisters. They both receive a few prophecies about their future, then the sisters leave. Macbeth’s prophecies were that he would become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King. Shortly after he receives these prophecies, he is made Thane of Glamis and then Thane of Cawdor. This is where Macbeth could have chosen to take the prophecies as a crazy coincidence and let fate guide the way. But he became

The Witches go hand- in- hand as an important role in “Macbeth”. Judging from the prologue we can tell that they are up to no good. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair:" (Act 1 scene 1 line 11). You can not tell how evil the witches are until

Automatically the audience views Macbeth’s association with the witches to be an association with the devil. During the time of when this play was written witches were viewed in a totally different light than they are today. Back then witches were viewed as the devils spawn, or a piece of hell on earth. These characters interested the audience in a certain way that they had an evil effect on the play. The people were intrigued by the supernatural beings, they were curious to comprehend these characters. By including witches into the play it could have

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a trusted soldier, who is honest and noble. Unfortunately, he meets three witches who tell him three prophecies; that he will become thane of Cawdor, that he will become king and that Banquo’s sons will become kings. These three prophecies slowly change his opinions on life and turn him into a greedy, dishonest, tyrant, full of ambition. Lady Macbeth’s thoughts change as well when she is told about the three prophecies that were told to Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is

In Act I, the three witches visit Macbeth and Banquo on the heath. The witches make three predictions; Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor, he will be King, and Banquo’s sons will be king but not Banquo. Even though the witches did make these prophecies, Macbeth’s fate was

If Macbeth didn’t know about this prophecy he would have happily took his position as Thane of Cawdor, but knowing he will be King drove him to commit murder. Macbeth was rapidly changed from an honorable general to an evil tyrant. “The witches did not tell him to commit murder; all that was necessary was for them to suggest the fact of the crown, and they could trust Macbeth to overcome the obstacles in his way just as they would have him” (Wiley, 45). This emphasizes the fact that the play is shaped by the supernatural. This lead to the murder of Duncan, then to get rid of his obstacles he kills the guards. The Witches also reveal “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (1.3.67) to Banquo. This knowledge leads Macbeth to send Murderers to kill Banquo and his son. This is more evidence to show that the words of the witches construct the plays events.

When Shakespeare wrote his play, Macbeth in 1606 a large majority of people were interested in witchcraft. This is why Shakespeare made the witches and the witches’ prophecies play a major part in the storyline of the play. In the time of Macbeth witches were not thought to be supernatural beings themselves, but supposedly gained their powers by selling their souls to Satan. There can be little doubt that most of Shakespeare’s audience would have believed in witches, and for the purpose of the play, at least, Shakespeare also accepted their reality.

In the beginning of the play, the witches make three prophecies. First, that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor. The second part of the prophecy is that Macbeth will become King. The third prophecy being that Banquo will be father to future kings. When Macbeth first hears the prophecy, Duncan holds the position as king. King duncan is also a very loved king by his people. Macbeth and Duncan even have a good relationship. Macbeth is Duncan’s greatest war hero and because of Macbeth’s great success in battle, Duncan rewards him by promoting him to the position of Thane of Cawdor. With this promotion, Macbeth realizes that the witches first prophecy was true. With this realization, Macbeth’s head begins to fill with thoughts of killing King Duncan to speed up the process so that he can become king. When he tells his wife of the prophecies and his promotion, she becomes extremely

Macbeth understands that the witches "have more in them than mortal knowledge," and his trust in the witches is made stronger because out of the three prophecies, "two truths are told" (1.5.3) (1.3.140). If it hadn’t been for the prophecy that the witches gives to Banquo and Macbeth, Lady Macbeth would never persuade Macbeth into killing Duncan to become King; and Macbeth never would plot to kill Banquo as a result of jealousy because of Banquo’s prophecy, and mistrust of Banquo after Macbeth kills Duncan. Macbeth relies on the witches throughout the play. Knowing that his sins are so large and he is "in blood / Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more," he knows that he must consult the witches again because he knows they will give him advice, and confidence for him to continue making poor decisions. (3.4.169) Again the witches manipulate Macbeth even more, by showing him three apparitions, that make him feel over confident about his bright future as king. These apparitions give Macbeth false confidence, and will result in him making a decision that leads him to failure. So when he finds out these predictions he damns "all those that trust them", ironically damning him, because he has trust in the witches up until this point. (4.1.158) The only reason why Macbeth ever trusts and wants the witches’ prophecies is so he can gain more confidence and feel more powerful.

The Witches are tempted to mess with people and tell them what they want to hear. Witch's mess with a sailor at the beginning of the book because his wife would not feed them. It was appealing to do this because of his wife. But they don’t stop there, they also tackle Banquo and Macbeth. The Witches tell Banquo and Macbeth about their future and get in there heads. They are tempted to inform them on little pieces so they can decide their own fate. Apparitions were also used to tempt Macbeth into wanting to know more. The Witches show Macbeth the apparitions which twist around the truth to make him feel more confident than he should be. They only let him know a tiny piece and leave the most important part out. Although, cold hearted witches aren't the only ones up to no good.

The witches and their prophecies are the first major influence on Macbeth's actions. Macbeth seems happy and content with himself until the witches tell him he will be king. He begins immediately to consider murdering Duncan. "If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, / Against

They have a malicious attitude towards the human race. The witches themselves believe that they are greater than man, and use each man’s fatal flaw against them. For example, they prey on Macbeth’s ambition. They speak to him in rhyme coupled with foreshadowing to further irritate him: “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to the, Thane of Glamis / . . . Thane of Cawdor / . . . that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53). They confuse Macbeth by giving him pieces of his future; yet let him ponder over the prophecies. They manipulate him by their choice of words and usage of double speak. Though it appears that their rhyming gives them a frivolous tone, it actually intensifies their sinister attitude towards Macbeth. However, their continuous use of rhyme allows them to have the most complex rhetoric of all the characters. Later they further confuse him by sending an apparition in the form of a bloody child who says: “The power of man, for none woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.91-92). The Witches give him false hope, as he believes that no man can kill him. However, they send more apparitions after him, each a mirrored image of Banquo, who has been haunting Macbeth. Therefore, it is obvious that the Witches have no sympathy for humans, especially Macbeth. They enjoy feasting on his defeat. The witches’ attitude towards

Nevertheless, Macbeth quickly discounts these bloody visions of murder and continues to fantasize about his future glories. Furthermore, when Macbeth encounters the witches, we are only told a quick summary of the prophecy, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” (1.3.52).and then, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.53). Yet the witches do not reveal the means by which Macbeth will come about this glory or mention any ill deeds that are to come. This leaves one to believe that the witches knew Macbeth’s fate as Thane and King, yet the other bloody elements of the prophecy are enacted solely through Macbeth’s own will. Macbeth is only prompted in his bloody actions by supernatural forces and of course Lady Macbeth.

will be not so happy because he will have an early death, but he will

After Macbeth and Banquo receive prophecies, the foil characters start to diverge as Banquo’s takes the moral path of goodness while Macbeth takes the immoral path towards his ultimate decline. Banquo and Macbeth have the opportunity to pursue the same path, but because of his unchecked ambition, Macbeth deviates from Banquo's path of good morals. Immediately after the witches tell their prophecies, Banquo’s mindset is wary and rational. He warns Macbeth that, “oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / the instruments of darkness tell us truths...” (1.3.125-126). Banquo is not obsessed with the prophecies and the idea that one day his ancestors will be kings. On the other hand, Macbeth speculates, “Two truths are told, / as happy prologues to the swelling act / of the imperial theme.” (1.3.130-132) Because two of the three prophecies have come true, Macbeth is blinded by his ambition and seems to fantasize about the idea of being king. These contrasting reactions show that Macbeth takes a