The Dramatic Impact of The Witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Not surprisingly, Macbeth has received volumes of critical commentary over the years. Not only is the play an audience favorite, but its complex characterization, deeply woven themes, and characteristic Shakespearean style make it rich ground for scholarly inquiry. Critics such as Harold Bloom have remarked on the importance of Macbeth in the context of Shakespeare 's works. In Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human, Bloom writes, ' 'The rough magic in Macbeth is wholly Shakespeare 's; he indulges his own imagination as never before, seeking to find its moral limits (if any). ' ' Bloom also remarks, ' 'Macbeth is an uncanny unity of setting, plot, and characters, fused together beyond comparison with any other play of Shakespeare 's. '

Topic: How important are the witches to Macbeth? Discuss the effects of the witches on character, plot, themes and audience.

  The tragedy of Macbeth comes about because of a single event in his life. If that one moment, the meeting with the witches on the heath, had not happened then Macbeth would no doubt have gone on to be a loyal and respected subject of King Duncan and, later, King Malcolm. However, the meeting did happen and the powerful force of ambition was unleashed within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It is the combination of these two factors, the meeting with the witches and Macbeth's own inner demons, that lead to tragedy, and make the play 'terrifying' in the Aristotelian sense.

In Macbeth the witches have an evil effect on Macbeth, other characters, the plot, the theme, and the audience. They contribute to the play, and without them the plot would be greatly altered. The three witches have an evil effect on Macbeth and how he makes his actions throughout the play.

Whenever there is a mass murder and dozens of innocent people die the world wants to know why the murderer would do such a thing. Sometimes, the murderer is acting under the influence of someone else. This is the case in William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth, where the titular character commits multiple crimes after hearing three witches predict his future. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, the witches are the catalyst to all of Macbeth’s crimes. This can be seen when they convince Macbeth that he will become king, they motivate him to kill Banquo and they inform him that he is virtually unkillable and should fear MacDuff.

laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none born of woman / Shall harm Macbeth."

The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. The scene opens with the witches chanting three prophesies: Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophesies introduce Macbeth to his plan of defeat and to over power. Macbeth will eventually follow through in killing king Duncan. Some people believe that the witches had the ability to reverse the order of things. This brings into the play idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can only wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. It is however, more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play and in the end,

It is also clear who is to be the target for the forces of evil; the

After analyzing the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare readers came to the conclusion that The Witches were most responsible for the events that happened in Macbeth. Readers found that without the actions the witches took, nothing would have happened and the characters would still have the good life they had before they appeared. The reasons why readers believe The Witches hold primary responsibility for the events in Macbeth is because they have paranormal powers and The witches equivocate to Macbeth.

The strive and ambition for power can seem to be utter perfection, but one should be careful what they wish for because that power and ambition may cause their eventual downfall. An example of this would be shown in Lady Macbeth’s character in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. Lady Macbeth’s strive for power leads her into a dark tunnel of guilt and a battle with herself subconsciously and consciously.

The play “Macbeth” written by Shakespeare is about an ambitious man who will do anything to get what he wants. The main character Macbeth, murders the king so he will become king. He murders anyone who seems to know what he is doing, so he will be safe. There are three witches who prophesy to Macbeth and make him think about killing. These three witches are a controversial part of the play. The originality of the four scenes with witches has been questioned. Three of these four scenes were original the other was added later for the play and was mostly unnecessary. The scene should still be performed because it is a play and not a historical account.

At the very beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is provoked by the letter she receives by Macbeth and starts plotting the murder of Duncan. She also wishes she were a man such that she could commit the murder all by herself saying so in Act 1 Scene 5, “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (Macbeth 1.5.36-52). She appeals to these spirits to remove all aspects of her femininity and seeks to gain power through the prophecy of the witches. Her fear about the ability of her husband to commit the murder is subdued in her designated gender. Lady Macbeth manages her feminine power through her sensuality and pretended weakness through her fainting streak at the notice of Duncan’s death. Manipulation, usually through sexuality is often depicted as the source of women’s power still Lady Macbeth uses this power of hers to commit murder, a masculine demonstration of power. Lady Macbeth in her soliloquy about the planning of Duncan’s death refers to her husband as an individual who plays honestly and does not engage in wrongdoing.

Macduff enters Holding Macbeth's Lifeless head. “Hail King of Scotland!”, Cheer the people. How did it get to this? How did a soft-hearted and honest noble like Macbeth get into this position? The quick and easy answer is that it was the work of the three witches.

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

Talking about a future event. ‘The present simple is used for ‘timetabled’ future events’ .