In the tale Macbeth, there is a diverse array of characters who leave the readers either confused, angered, or amused. While each character plays a vital role, the role of the witches is one that must be present because without them, there practically would not be a story at all. Even though Macbeth is the protagonist of this play, he is not the only character who causes the plot to advance despite his going through trials and troubles. Macbeth has complete authority over his decisions and controls what happens in his life, but a certain set of three sisters impact almost all of his decisions. The three weird sisters are the first characters introduced in the beginning of Macbeth, and that placement is understood due to their enormous roles …show more content…
Their use of foreshadowing utterly begins all of the turmoil that makes up the play. When Macbeth first meets the three witches in Act I Scene 3, he is presented with three different greetings. The first witch greets him by his current title, Thane of Glamis. The second and third witches, though, greet him and call him by rather peculiar titles, calling him the Thane of Cawdor and the “king hereafter.” This is the first instance where Macbeth becomes a victim to the witches’ tool of predicting the future, or foreshadowing. After hearing these titles, Macbeth is truly confused at what the witches are conveying. At this certain time in the play, the Thane of Cawdor is, in fact, still alive and has not yet been executed, so Macbeth does not understand what the witches are insinuating here. The more intriguing of the latter two witches’ greetings is that of the third witch because she refered to Macbeth as “king hereafter.” Macbeth is completely loyal to the king and is one of the best soldiers, but this title presents the idea that Macbeth will eventually be king. After hearing all of these prophecies, these thoughts swirl in Macbeth’s mind until finally, after the seed had been planted in his mind, Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow …show more content…
These witches helped give Macbeth the characteristic of being a dynamic character by turning him from a noble man into a monster. By the end of the play, Macbeth was a man who wanted nothing more than to be on top and eliminate anyone in the way. Even though in Shakespeare’s time witches were written in as “creatures” and foul beings, the witches in Macbeth seem to play a role deemed worthy of a higher title. The witches in Macbeth serve a strong purpose and developed the play through foreshadowing, feeding Macbeth’s ambition, and leading Macbeth to his fate. Without the three weird sisters, Macbeth would have never committed the murders he committed and never would have become king, thus leading to a nonexistent plot and a boring
If anyone is to blame for starting this mess, it should be the Weird Sisters for telling MacBeth prophesies. “They told MacBeth that he would be Thane of Cawdor, and then become king in the future” (Shakespeare 17). After hearing the witches’ prophecy, MacBeth thinks that he must kill the current king, King Duncan, in order to take over the throne. “He writes a letter to his wife saying that he needs to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the witches’ prophesies” (Shakespeare 31). The witches are responsible for introducing the ideas to MacBeth which led to him killing Duncan in order to gain power. The witches had such a strong influence on MacBeth that they became a part of his brain and worked to transform him into this power-hungry monster. It was the killing of King Duncan that caused him to feel the need to kill more people, thinking that they were suspicious. Without the witches there to c...
“The weird sisters are a "supernatural soliciting" that act like a catalyst. They do not plant in Macbeth a desire for the crown. (1)” This statement, while credible and true, holds flaws in the statement of the witches role and purpose at setting the tone and course of the story. The three witches also known as “the weird sisters”, in an act of manipulation, bestow upon Macbeth a prophecy, which gives Macbeth the hope that he could receive power and eventually rule. With this abuse of power the witches create a chain of events for their own amusement which sets a course of travesty for the tragic hero Macbeth. The witches were not only a catalyst, also the planters of the seed that caused Macbeth’s desire for the crown, without the witches Macbeth would have never taken the initiative to gain the throne and he would have remained Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. Luisa Murano justifies this speculation in her statement, “Macbeth, returning victorious from the battlefield where he has risked his life for his king, encounters three witches who inspire in him the idea of taking over the king 's place.(2)” In fact, no inclination is given of Macbeth’s thoughts or intentions of ever overthrowing Duncan until the witches’ prophecy is read. In regards to the statement about the witches being a catalyst that is true in the context of the play. Throughout the play
The Tragedy of Macbeth has many elements that contribute to the overall theme and plot of the play; the leading antagonists of these elements are The Witches. Also known as “The Weird Sisters”, these characters inspire the central action of the play by disturbing Macbeth’s mental state and morality, influencing the creation of themes throughout the play, using their specific characteristics to spread an air of inevitability and terror, and finally, using their magic to disrupt other characters’ lives as well as stirring the audience’s emotions. Historical information is used throughout the play to make The Witches’ magic and reasons for doing so that much more terrifying. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare uses The Witches to further critical components of the story; these characters make the play increasingly more terrifying because their actions reach to the audience’s emotions as they corrupt Macbeth and his principles, use historic evidence to alter the meaning of their actions, summon
This is illustrated by the first prophecy from the three witches. The witches reveal to Macbeth that he will be the thane of Cawdor and the future king of Scotland. They say to Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.49-51) The prophecy from the three witches influences Macbeth, foreseeing that he will become king of Scotland and removing all doubt from his mind. Macbeth believes in the witches’ prophecies, so he asks them for a second vision. Macbeth asks the witches to reveal possible threats, and the prophecy tells him to beware of
The three witches in Macbeth are not the most powerful characters in the play, nor are they the catalyst to all of Macbeth’s crimes. At a first glance, it seems that the witches were the advocators to Macbeth’s actions. However, after another look at the situation, it isn’t hard to see that the witches only pulled out Macbeth’s dark side that was hiding just below the surface, and let him destroy himself. They only
The weird sisters (witches) have a great impact on Macbeths state of mind when he decides to follow through with many of his actions. The witches are responsible for putting the idea of Macbeth becoming king in his head. Faith in the witches compromises his honour since they are believed to be evil however Macbeth
As stated by Frank Kermode in the book Shakespeare for Students, ?Macbeth is a play about the eclipse of civility and manhood, the temporary triumph of evil, when it ends, virtue, and justice are restored.? ?Shakespeare displays a remarkable perception of the human condition by dramatizing not only the way in which evil enters Macbeth?s world, but also the devastating effect it has on those who yield to temptation and sin? (Shakespeare for Students page 238.) Macbeth is merely a victim of his fate. In this case, the weird sisters represent the wrath and cunningness of the various ways fate can play out. Fate has so much power that it can take over a person and leave them feeling almost possessed. If Macbeth were immortal and could understand his fate, he might have saved himself, but because he is mortal he is tricked, and subsequently, destroyed by fate.
These actions highlight the women of the play as the greatest influences on the development of the plot and Macbeth’s demise. The three witches essentially lay out the foundation of the plot of the play in the prophecy that they present to Macbeth. Before their meeting with him, they already know how the Scottish civil war is progressing and how it will conclude. Because of their witchcraft, they know that Macbeth will soon become Thane of Cawdor, and also know how they can use this event to plant a desire for greater power in him, a desire for the throne.
At the start of the play, Macbeth has just returned from war and, unbeknownst to him, has been deemed thane of Cawdor for his valiant efforts. This newly appointed power is revealed to readers through a minor character’s attest to Macbeth’s greatness which is significant because it shows how Macbeth’s constituents revere him in the beginning of the story, a major contrast to how they regard him in the end. This sets the context for the introduction of the three weird sisters in Act 1, Scene 3. They are an allusion which Shakespeare utilizes in order to first bring in the idea of fate, as the weird sisters’ characters allude to the fate sisters in Greek Mythology. Not only do the readers meet the weird sisters in this scene, Macbeth and Banquo do as well. The witches prematurely yet purposefully inform Macbeth of what is to come for him, which includes the titles as thane of Cawdor and King. The witches reveal this to both Macbeth and the readers cryptically; they offer no context of how Macbeth will become these things. In fact, the only way that the audience and Macbeth know that they are referring to Macbeth specifically is that they say “All hail, Macbeth! Thane of Glamis. All hail, Macbeth! Thane
In the play of 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare the witches have an important effect on Macbeth, the characters, the plot, the theme and the audience. They help construct the play and without them it would have been a totally different story line. The three weird sisters influence Macbeth in his acts, they effect characters lives, orientate the plot, they are related to most of the themes and appeal the audience's attention.
...hey ignite reactions that result in fate with an almost good-humored behavior. They give Macbeth knowledge that causes him to make decisions he would not and could not have made without that knowledge. To remove these three characters would remove the origin of the motivations of Macbeth's actions, from his murder of King Duncan to his own tragic defeat. Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macduff, Young Siward, Macbeth himself - they would all still be alive had the witches not awoken ambition and fear in Macbeth's heart. The “audience's [belief] of whether or not the witches actually have power over Macbeth influence their interpretation of whether his actions result from personal choice or from external influence” (Riedel 1). The witches are an important part of Macbeth's plot, as the information they reveal sets things in motion. They are the catalysts of Macbeth’s demise.
The most prophetic statement in the work is given by none other than the witches. As Macbeth approaches the hags, they great him by saying, “All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii. 47-50). The wicked women state the first two correctly; he is the thane of Glamis and the newly appointed thane of Cawdor. The third is correctly stated, yet the audience is unsure of this truth. Macbeth is not the current King, but fittingly all will “Hail him King”. This profound prediction lays the bedrock for the argument of fate. Once again, the witches have a control over Macbeth and merely suggest the possibility and leave the rest up to Macbeth.
...liam Shakespeare: Macbeth, the three witches are used as prophets that convey Macbeth's future fate directly to him. Macbeth detects these prophecies not as absolute truths but as predictions that might come true depending on if he thinks they are good or not. For instance at the beginning when the witches declare that they will meet again with each other "When the battle's lost and won". Also when the three witches meet Macbeth and Banquo, they greet Macbeth as three titles. Finally, when The three witches appear to him again they provide three more prophecies that ring actual truth to what is going to happen. The use of these characters in foreshadowing adds to the "tragedy" of the tragedy. Macbeth was foreshadowed or prophesied to commit these acts and die and he knew some and still failed to see them. This adds to the brilliance of Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth.
The witches are a very important part to this play. The witches are the real trigger to Macbeths deep and hidden desires. The presence of the witches raises the battle between good an evil. The three witches are also known as the three weird sisters and are referred to that throughout the play. They help set the theme of the play and they influence not only Macbeth’s life but some other characters throughout the play.
In the play it can be seen that there are various ways in which the