The Role of the Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth Essay examples

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

  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.

the power to over turn the boat one of them casts a spell which will

The three witches bring on prophecies , these put a big role on macbeth . The witches represent evil, darkness, chaos and conflict . The witches set the theme for the whole play, which is : fair is foul , and foul is fair.”

we see of Lady Macbeth is in the opening of Act 1, Scene 5, where she

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

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

(“Macbeth”) The next words to come are more ingredients going into their pot. The interesting thing here is that Shakespeare really did his research so that he could properly portray these witches to be realistic. We see the use of animals that to most people still are associated to be gross and somewhat supernatural, snakes, toads, newts, bats, etc. If we really analyze the speech of the witches within each scene, we notice the same pattern, the same type of language even, that was commonly associated with witches during the 1600’s.

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.

The witches speak in rhyming couplets which makes them different than all other characters in the play. The witches are always accompanied by storms and bad weather. Ultimately, the three witches predictions lead Macbeth to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The witches take delight in using their knowledge of the future to tease and destroy human beings. the witches in Macbeth are to blame for his downfall.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are different themes that occur in the play. Two important themes that take place in Macbeth are the supernatural and prophecy. The supernatural and the prophecy are essential to Macbeth because it carries the atmosphere of how the play is presented through the book. In essence by using the supernatural and prophecy in the play, we see how it affects Macbeth and the decisions he elects that is his freewill.

They give the play a dramatic, dangerous, and supernatural mood. In the beginning scene, the witches are conversing about a battle that is in progress. They further discuss when they will meet Macbeth and give us a glimpse into Macbeth's future when they say, “Fair is foul, and foul is

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

     Lady Macbeth is a central character in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth; she provides a link between the unnatural realm of the witches and reality. Lady Macbeth appears to become the catalyst for the predictions of the witches. Perhaps the witches planted the seeds of dreams, desire and destiny but it is the unrelenting drive of Lady Macbeth that finally cajoles Macbeth into murdering the king.

The Roles of Witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In the Elizabethan times, the people believed in witches and witchcraft. They were described as ugly and evil. Nowadays the people would not believe in them. The people in the Elizabethan times would be very scared of witches.