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The Representation Of Witches In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Decent Essays

Supernatural literature has always been used as a way to voice beliefs about the supernatural world and it’s relation to the human mind. The belief in a supernatural or mythical idea is society’s way of finding a reasonable explanation for natural phenomena before the birth of science. That is why supernatural literature is as appealing as it’s linked to the nature of life, death, and the universe and these are the most controversial topics with the widest range of unanswered questions. The idea of magic, spirits and gods are somewhat real to some people, so where did the thought of witches, vampires and demons come from?
As a genre, supernatural literature is popular as it has provided a vehicle to explore what people cannot see or explain, …show more content…

Some literary work reflects on the beliefs of the ancient Greeks about witches being knowledgeable and wise people, while some literary work reflects on the belief of witches being wicked. An example of witches being portrayed as cruel and evil figures are the three witches in Macbeth which is written by Shakespeare. The play was written in 1606 when witches were thought to be agents of Satan. Shakespeare drew on the popular traditions of his time as witchcraft was a topic of considerable interest at the time and used the idea of witches in his play to foreshadow darkness and death. The witches in Macbeth were portrayed as hideous and evil bearded “creatures” that gathered around a boiling cauldron while casting spells. In this quote from the play, Banquo describes the witches’ appearance when first meeting …show more content…

Frank Baum. In the book, both witches are presented as kind and gentle spirits who stood up against the oppression of their people. The Good Witch of the North is known as being the elderly, mild-mannered ruler of the Oz while Glinda the Good Witch is the most educated and respected sorceress of all. Whenever these two characters would make an appearance in the book, they are describes as delicate and graceful creatures unlike the witches in Macbeth who were describes as very aggressive. These extracts from the book about both witches shows the difference between how witches can be portrayed in different ways; as a malicious witch and as a personable

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