The Three Witches In Macbeth Analysis

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These Three Witches In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth, a noble thane, is corrupted because of his unchecked ambitions. Macbeth’s ambitious personality is awakened when three witches appear to hail him as the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King. This prophecy convinces Macbeth to murder King Duncan, so he can become King; consequently, he is forced to kill others to cover up his first murder. After so much blood is spilled, Macbeth becomes a barbaric tyrant. Macbeth’s 180-degree transformation is a result of the “weird sisters.” Despite the witches being present in only three scenes of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, they advance the plot by foreshadowing events, generating imagery, and introducing main themes. The three bearded witches …show more content…

For example, the three witches introduce one of the main themes, “fair is foul and foul is fair,” in the beginning of the play. (Macbeth 1.1.10). The witches prophesy what Macbeth sees as fair by saying he will be the Thane of Cawdor and future King of Scotland. Unfortunately, fair is foul. Although becoming King sounds like great news to Macbeth, it corrupts him. Another theme that is introduced through the sisters is the question of fate or free will. The witches prophesy each major event that occurs in Macbeth, but the audience does not know if their prophecies came true because of fate or because of Macbeth’s free-willed bad decisions. Finally, the main theme of the play, as said in “Themes in Macbeth,” is, “Ambition and the devastation which follows when ambition oversteps moral boundaries.” Before Macbeth met the three witches, he was a noble thane, but the witches exposed Macbeth’s overly ambitious and greedy personality. These three main themes enhance the plot line of the play by forcing the reader to contemplate whether one’s life depends on fate or free will; is fair foul? The reader must question where the line should be drawn between ambition and greed. These themes are what develop the plotline of

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