The Role of Witches in Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth

The Role of Witches in Act 1 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth

The people of England endured a lot during its vindictive and powerful

history. Reformation both in politics, economy and especially in

religion had created a more independent England.

Henry VIII had broken away from the disintegrating yet more prevailing

and orthodox Catholic Church, for his desire to gain a divorce from

his current wife. It was customary in the Catholic Church that only

the Pope could grant a divorce, and so the Pope refused to bestow one.

The breakaway created an independent Church of England with a new

state religion adopted called "Protestant", in which the king was the

head of the Church. There were significant amendments in types of

worship, but both Catholics and Protestants worshipped the same God

and utilised the Bible as its prayer book. One factor that created

unity between the two Churches was the Christian belief of heaven and

hell. Of all the beliefs, this was the only one that kept the local

population religious and law-abiding. The belief was that anybody who

led a good Christian life would be awarded with heaven for eternity,

and individuals who didn't would proceed to hell for eternity. The

basis of Christians going to hell was sin, and the devil was the

master and performer of sins. The people of England held the

superstition that witches were the agents of the devil, and created

evil upon the nation and caused sin.

By 1606, people believed in witchcraft because it elucidated things

they had little knowledge of and which could not be explained by

rational thought at that time; factors such as why people became ill

or why storms s...

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between good and evil means that as soon as he meets the witches they

influence him. However, If Macbeth had listened to Banquo then perhaps

the tragic events to follow could have been stopped.

The witches in the play are really important in terms of politics,

because they support the beliefs of James I, who took a keen interest

in the play. This would eventually provide an income to the actors and

the theatre company. This play not only benefited the actors but also

provided entertainment that no one could provide. "Macbeth" is one of

Shakespeare's greatest tragedies: a drama of crime and punishment, of

temptation, guilt, remorse and retribution.

The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, each

individual's decision to fall for the temptation, or be strong enough

to resist their captivation.