Essay On The Weird Sisters In Macbeth

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The entirety of Macbeth leads up to Macbeth’s demise. One of the more significant themes in the play is the supernatural. These entities and phenomenons are the cataclysms that bring about Macbeth’s downfall. The Weird Sisters are one of the greatest factors of his descent. Along with Banquo’s ghost and the apparitions, these supernatural elements torment Macbeth throughout the play. In Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth sees the Weird Sisters for the first time. This meeting determines the course of the play. The witches give him three prophecies, two have already happened or are about to happen and one consists of Macbeth becoming King of Scotland. The latter prophecy sparks Macbeth’s ambition and leads him forward in the play. Without the Weird Sisters’ divination, Macbeth wouldn’t have felt obligated to fulfill the prophecy. However, towards the end of the scene, Macbeth decides not to do anything drastic when he says, “If chance will have me …show more content…

They conjure four apparitions, each giving Macbeth a prophecy. The first tells him to be wary of Macduff, something Macbeth already knew. The second says, “Laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth.” (4.1.88–89) This prophecy feeds Macbeth’s confidence, as he thinks everyone on Earth is of woman born. The next apparition assures him that he won’t be vanquished unless Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill, where Macbeth resides. These promises are half-truths, designed so Macbeth is mollified, which makes him complacent as he gets ever closer to his downfall. Finally, the fourth apparition is a series of kings followed by Banquo, which Macbeth takes to mean as Banquo’s sons, because Fleance is still alive, replacing him as King. These apparitions, particularly the latter, causes him to act on his worries in the next scene, murdering Macduff’s family and fueling Macduff’s need for

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