Comparison Of Macbeth, Banquo, And The Witches

Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the story of Macbeth, Thane of Glamis and friend to the King. After a battle, Macbeth (and Banquo, but who ever remembers him?) comes across three witches, who give him his prophecy. He is told that he will Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King. Though he doesn’t believe this prophecy at first, when he is announced Thane of Cawdor by the King, he realizes that it will indeed come true. There have been many interpretations of Macbeth in terms of plays, movie adaptations, and paintings. One famous painting depicting the scene with Macbeth, Banquo, and the witches is Macbeth and the Witches by Joseph Anton Koch. However, Koch chose the omit and add several details in his painting, all of which show that he interpreted this scene as very dramatic, important to the overall plot of the play, and symbolic.

Though omission of details can oftentimes be easily brushed aside in movie adaptations as ‘irrelevant’ or ‘taking up too much time’, the same

cannot be said for paintings, which leaves the audience only to suspect that the painter had a specific motive in these omissions. For example, Banquo describes the witches, upon first seeing them, by stating, “You should be women,/ And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/ That you are so” (I.3.47-49). However, in the painting, the witches do not have the aforementioned beards, and they look more like women than supernatural beings, which directly contradicts the text. This omission could be an attempt to make them, and subsequently the painting and story, more realistic and important. An unrealistic depiction could allow the audience to easily brush the characters, and therefore the scene, off, so the realism shows how important Koch thought this scene to Macbeth, since he wanted to emphasize it to his audience. Another omission Koch made was in the setting of the painting. It is clearly stated that the witches will meet Macbeth “Upon the heath” (I.1.7). However, the painting’s setting is a rocky area of land next to the sea with a mountain in the background, nothing like a heath. The sea, along with the dark colors of the rest of the setting, set a very ominous mood, which is confirmed by the dialogue in the scene, and is more visually pleasing to the audience than a heath would be, which is likely why Koch chose to make this omission.
Additions in depictions of literature are rarer than omissions, and typically occur in order to clarify certain things (though it appears Koch only wanted to make them more confusing).

The main addition in the painting is the presence of angels in the background, who symbolize the dead, both current and future according to the prophecy, since Macbeth would have to kill to become King. They also symbolize fate, which aligns with the scene since the prophecy told by the witches reveals Macbeth’s destiny. The addition of such symbolic angels can only mean that Koch thought the scene symbolic. There is also symbolism in the painting with the colors, since the witches and Macbeth are both wearing bright red, which draws the audience’s attention and makes them seem more important. (Of course, Banquo is not wearing red, so the audience does not even see that he is there). This symbolism is true to the scene, since Macbeth and the witches are the most important characters in the scene as

well.
Though Koch’s Macbeth and the Witches does remain true to the text in terms of content, the details reveal subtle hints to the audience telling them to pay attention, since it will greatly impact the plot. It also builds a bit on the religious symbolism already present in Macbeth, as well as the ominous tone of the scene (because what is more ominous than waves crashing on the shore?). Though omissions and additions are typically ridiculed in adaptations of a text, in this case they add to the overall scene and enhance the details the are already present in Shakespeare’s work.