Greenblatt's Use Of Witchcraft In Macbeth

Greenblatt is correct in claiming that Shakespeare used witchcraft as a means of creating drama in his play. The “imaginative energy” of witchcraft produced “powerful theatrical effects” when combined with an important concept called enargeia, which is “the liveliness that comes when metaphors are set in action, when things are put vividly before the mind’s eye, when language achieves visibility” (Greenblatt 122). According to Greenblatt, Shakespeare mastered the art of enargeia through the use of witchcraft in Macbeth in order to evoke a powerful effect in the reader. Such an effect is produced through imagery and dialogue in the play. Dialogue comes into play when the three witches speak. They often speak in riddles and rhymes, and this contributes to their mysterious and supernatural nature. It is as though the witches are saying a spell, and the audience does not know exactly what it means, which makes them more threatening. An example of these riddles is “fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the

fog and filthy air” (Shakespeare 1.1.9-10). Here, the audience does not know exactly what is meant by “fair is foul, and foul is fair” because the statement is very vague and involves two contradictory ideas. To the audience, the idea of something being fair and foul at the same time is very perplexing. Therefore, the use of this riddle contributes to the ominous nature of the witches, and the audience imagines three very mysterious witches. This is one example of language achieving visibility.
Another example of language achieving visibility occurs in Act 4 Scene 1, when the three witches convene to make some sort of potion.

They repeat “double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble” (Shakespeare 4.1.35-6). Like the first example, this one also evokes the demonic nature of the witches. The audience is able to visualize the witches crouched over cauldrons in this scene uttering this spell, and they are clearly able to see witchcraft in action. The witches are also given “a vital theatrical enargeia” when they repeat “I’ll do, I’ll do, I’ll do” (Shakespeare 1.3.10). Here, the audience believes that the witches are capable of causing harm when they repeat this. According to Greenblatt, there hold a “malevolent energy” here, which is supported throughout the play by the ominous language of the witches (Greenblatt 124). The witches’ dialogue adds to their foreboding nature and allows the audience to visualize a very supernatural

entity.
Besides dialogue, Shakespeare also uses imagery as a means of visibility achieved through language. According to Sandra Clark and Pamela Mason, Act 4 Scene 1 can be considered the most spectacular in the play. This is due to the intense imagery that the scene invokes: the setting is oftentimes in a dark cove, and in this place, the witches are concocting a potion to conjure apparitions that occur later on in the scene (234N1). The imagery of this scene gives the audience something to visualize: the witches sitting in a dark, mysterious place making some sort of potion with animals. Additionally, this scene features many objects such as cats, toads, snakes, bats, lizards, and various other animals. These animals were typically thought to be used by witches. The setting, dialogue, and imagery of this scene all capture key elements of witchcraft, which Shakespeare uses to make the audience believe that real witchcraft is occurring. Throughout the play, Shakespeare utilizes the witches and many symbols associated with witchcraft to convince the audience that something truly demonic is happening. This ultimately supports Greenblatt’s claim that Shakespeare used witchcraft as a means of creating drama in the play.