Witchcraft In The Production Of William Shakespeare's Macbeth

The witches in Macbeth would have been especially scary and mysterious to the audience it was originally written for: the people living in England in the early 1600s, including the king himself. Most of the audience at the time would have believed in witches, and would therefore be afraid of them. The idea that there were crazy killers out there, being controlled by witches that could see the future, create scary potions, and recite spells would have

In the modern 21sr century, the roles and behaviors expected of individuals remains analogous despite gender. This ideology stems from the preceding movement in equality, which preaches that differences of sex appear insignificant. Despite this notion, there remains distinct differences in the physical and psychological makeups of both men and women. In most cultures, certain duties remain associated with specific genders. With this in mind, Shakespeare’s Macbeth heightens the supernatural evil possessing Lady Macbeth as she condones murder for her own selfish ambition, while in Shakespeare’s time women were regarded as peaceful and full of feminine sympathies. This anachronism with the reality of Shakespeare’s day, illustrates the immense sense of wickedness and abnormality emphasizing her character’s influence on her husband and the plot of the play. In contrast, Macbeth appears to some extent a more acceptable evil due to a greater compliance with the gender standards and moral transition during the Shakespearean era. Shakespeare utilizes numerous literary intentions in order to express these diverse levels of evil to provide an element of depth behind the mental reactions and deteriorations of the characters until their final decease into the complete darkness of death.

  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.

Macbeth, a tragedy, a well-known work of Shakespeare filled with physiological challenges, supernatural events, and even death, is a part of many superstitions. There is a theatrical superstition, called the Scottish Curse that says it is considered bad luck to say the name Macbeth inside a theater because it will cause the performance to end in disaster. Some people say that the supernatural events in the play Macbeth can only truly be seen as supernatural; others say the events are just a product of insanity. Many supernatural events in Macbeth such as his encounter with the witches, are a product of the insanity of the one and only Macbeth, himself. The results of Macbeth’s insanity originate from the true supernatural events, the actions of his wife, Lady Macbeth, and all of the murder he commits.

There are many differences between interpretations of William Shakespeare's MacBeth. This essay wall contrast Shakespeare's original version and a movie version by Roman Polanski produced in 1970. Three major differences will be discussed.

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

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.

Firstly, the use of the witches in the play is a key element in the

Thunder and lightning is used once again to open Act I Scene 3. As the

Macbeth was set around 1040s, during this era, Elizabethan and Jacobean times, the traditional theory of witches was widely accepted; and anyone who questioned it was believed to be a witch themselves; if there was suspicion of a person being a witch, prosecution was most likely made.

Today I will be analysing and comparing one of the greatest literatures of all time produced by William Shakespeare. Macbeth, was first performed in 1606. This play details a Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prediction from a trio of witches that believes in the future he will become the king of Scotland. Disbursed by political ambition and urged to action by his wife, Grouch, Macbeth murders king Duncan and takes over the throne himself. Yet, in return Macbeth then suffers from liability and paranoia. Copious amounts of adaptations have been made to modernise the 16th Century play. Rupert Goold’s adaptation was broadcasted in 2010 on BBC Four to suit the modern spectators and adapt the

    William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth shows the gradual descent of the character Macbeth into the moral abyss.   Macbeth's yearning for power draws him to the murder of King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff's family. It is difficult to understand how a courageous, gentle man such as Macbeth, could be involved in such villainous activities. In truth, it was the witches and Lady Macbeth that transformed into evil Macbeth's natural desire for control and authority.  The play, Macbeth clearly illustrates that wicked intention must, in the end, produce wicked action.

Watching a theater performance allows one to escape reality for a short period of time and delve into a world full of humor, clever banter, and tragedy. William Shakespeare’s plays are no exception to this. His plays cover a spectrum of interests which attracts a wide variety of people. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was performed with its audience as its primary concern; it pays almost no attention to historical accuracy or scenic realism due to an impatient audience, and because it was written during the early Jacobean Period, it reflects

  A notable point within Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is the use of the three witches in the opening scene.  The number of witches for a contemporary audience can go unnoticed.  However in the time that Shakespeare the symbolic meaning of the number three was important, as it symbolized unluckiness and when remembering the fear of the unnatural and being unlucky (epitomized by such historical events as the rage of witch trials within Britain).  This is not the only symbolism within the play, the use of the disparity between light and dark is an important concept.  We can perhaps see the parallel between the horror movies of today, and the images of witchcraft, murder and ghosts of the past.

with the power of the audience in the play as well as the story seems