Shakespeare's Presentation of Witches in Macbeth
When Shakespeare was writing plays in the 17TH Century many people had
strong beliefs in witches and other supernatural creatures. The play
Macbeth is written for King James, he employed Macbeth to write plays
and other forms of entertainment for him. Seeing that supernatural
beings and witches were very relevant and to the fore in the 17th
Century, Shakespeare's Macbeth would have interested King James and
other audiences.
Shakespeare includes the witches, as they are known to be a physical
embodiment of evil in the play and around this period of time. The
witches give the impression that they represent temptation, an example
of this is when they (the witches) tell Macbeth he will become King,
leading him on to carry out severe acts of evil. Witches were a
representation of Supernaturalism and evil and it the 17th Century
they didn't raise any questions over reality vs. appearance. We are
told of the witches' wickedness when we are initially presented with a
picture of Macbeth being " Full of the milk o' human kindness" but
this is presented with a moral challenge or blemish. The witches
posses ambiguous powers which prove important and manifest in the
play.
Our first acquaintance with the witches is in Act 1 scene 1 of the
play. Shakespeare makes it apparent that the witches are obviously
going to play a major role in the play by opening it with them. It is
also made evident that Macbeth will be the witches target for evil as
the third witch says "There to meet with Macbeth" The witches chant
"Fair is foul, and foul is fair" this is an oxymoron, i.e. a figure of
speech c...
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...e that without the witches and other
forms of supernaturalism the play would pan out very differently.
The witches decide what happens the whole way through the play, and
they are responsible for the storyline in its entirety. The witches,
throughout the play, cause characters to have many different
reactions, some good, others leading to acts of evil. When Macbeth was
written in the 17th Century it was directed at a 17th Century
audience. Nowadays the play is still relevant in many people's lives,
showing us that we should value life and not seek material goods. It
is important that we know the witches were not the only form of
supernaturalism, Banqos' ghost a prime example.
Obviously, the colour, mood, language and characters (e.g. the
witches) all contribute to making this play very effective
dramatically.
seems to set them apart from the rest of the characters of the play -
is what the play is trying to show and prove that point. The play is
The Dramatic Impact of Witches on William Shakespeare's Macbeth The inclusion of witches in Macbeth heightens the dramatic impact of the play because in the time William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth many of the general public did not know to much about witches, so when witches were included in Macbeth many people were shocked which made the play more dramatic because many people did not expect witches to be included in the play. Also witches in Shakespeare's time were treated very poorly In some cases witches were pricked with a special needle to see if they were immune from pain so these type of cases heighten the dramatic impact of the play because the general public knew how witches were treated and how powerful they were. The introduction of witches at this time was particularly dramatic because people knew how vicious they were because at that time pamphlets were put on sale describing the lurid details of witchcraft trials, so people knew how vile witches were. This made it particularly dramatic because witches were really the centre of attention at that time as convicted witches were being executed so putting witches in a play would have been very dramatic.
if someone was a witch or not, they would tie the woman onto a ducking
The Role of Witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In Macbeth the witches make a huge contribution to the play and the way it comes across to an audience. The witches portray many themes in Macbeth, such as the theme of fate, and the way that they are supposed to have the power of changing someone's fate, and the way they can control people using their power. The witches also depict a theme of pure evil, and the way they treat others in the play shows this. Religion also is a big theme in Macbeth, references to the trinity, whether it is the unholy, or the holy trinity.
Oxymoron is defined as a figure of speech in which contradictory terms appear in conjunction. In the poem “Common Magic”, Wallace used oxymoron as a means to link extraordinary gratitude with the most mundane occurrences. The title of the poem is an oxymoron itself, yet somehow it sums up the text beautifully and efficiently. Common refers to the everyday
Also the play would not get anywhere else. No one would watch it. The use of the prologue in giving an introduction and background to the conflict is a wise one. As it was certain phrases and words, to show how. the families are in anguish and don’t like each other.
All throughout the play, you see the characters at the mercy of
Overall time helped demonstrated the masses’ movement unity as they moved with the time and the individual’s struggle as she moved contrary to the group’s time. The dance began with a lively Bach movement, which created a feeling of excitement as the mass of dancers moved with increasing speed. The short duration needed to complete movements, regularity of the music, and repetition of dance patterns of the group established their synchronization with time. In contrast, this allegro tempo created a nervous, rushed feeling for the individual woman, which established her contradiction to the groups perception of time. The sharp, sudden adagio tempo change in Part 2 created an uneasy mood, while establishing distrust and tension between the individual woman and the masses. The stillness of the mass dancers in response to the woman in Part 2 exemplified this segregation. As the tempo slowed in Part 4, an element of sadness and isolation was apparent in the individual woman’s movement. In contrast, this tempo change for the group created an intimacy between the individual heterosexual couples. This intimacy further isolated the individual women and demonstrated her movement against groups perception of time. The changes in tempo of music and dance movement complimented the third element of dance, dynamics or
foul is fair," is a paradox. It is also a prophecy, where one thing seems
Topic: How important are the witches to Macbeth? Discuss the effects of the witches on character, plot, themes and audience.
Macbeth: Appearance and Reality. The theme of appearance versus reality is very important in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The characters of Duncan, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth are unable to differentiate between appearance and reality, resulting in tragic consequences. Poor judgment is evidenced by Duncan, who trusts Macbeth too much; Lady Macbeth, who is fooled by the witches; and Macbeth, who is tricked repeatedly by others.
Powerful in nature and curious to the eye, the witches in Macbeth were hooks of fascination. One never knew what would come next when it came to the witches. They possessed a dark authority and supremacy unlike any other and the temptation to ignore them was unfeasible. They brought with them gloomy days and evil thoughts. The witches could draw you in and begin to almost play with your mind if you let them. This is what ultimately led to the down fall of Macbeth. Collectively, the witches in Macbeth acted as a catalyst for all of Macbeth’s actions.
fair can be foul when fair is equal or mild and foul is gross and rotten. Its
In the play it can be seen that there are various ways in which the