In the play "Macbeth", there have been numerous of tragic events occurring like Macbeth's dilemma, Lady Macbeth's unwomanly behavior, and the tragic death of Duncan. However, none of these would occur with the Weyard sisters or better know as the three witches. The three witches role in this play is to serve chaos, conflict, and darkness due to being associated with evil and Satan. For instance, in Act 1 Scene 1, the three witches are first introduced while there was thunder and lightning. This gives a dark ominous atmosphere which emphasizes the chaotic impact that the witches have, making them a dangerous force to be reckon with. Continuing on with the scene, the witches talk to each other with weird and distorted languages. For example, …show more content…
This also contributes to the witches' role since they speak in distorted language which is kind of like chanting which is considered satanic and evil. Besides speaking in weird paradoxes, there have been indications which reveals their despicable side. For example, in Act 1 Scene 3, the witches recount their evil deeds with each other. The first witch says to the other two witches, "A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,/ And munched and munched and munched./ 'Give me, quoth I/ 'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed runnion cries./ Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o'th Tiger:/ But in a sieve I'll thither sail,/ And like a rat without a ail,/ I'll do, I'll do and I'll do." (1.3.4-11). In other words, she is so mad at the woman who did not share the chestnuts that made her put a curse on the woman's husband. This relates to the witches' dark role since these lines demonstrate how much despicable they are that they will kill people even if the situation is irrelevant. The withes are the real definition of chaos, however, there is one thing they have done that puts it above the rest of evil deeds they have
The three witches use cleverly chosen words and prophecies to exert control over others. These prophecies seem to be more potent than any action, as they can be interpreted in any number of ways, and have the ability to provoke otherwise hidden thoughts and desires. For instance, upon hearing the first prophecies and seeing the first part come true, Macbeth says, “This supernatural soliciting, cannot be ill, cannot be good … If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs.” This shows the power of the witches, and indeed the supernatural in general. The prophecies, of which Macbeth is convinced are true, have provoked thoughts and ideas, both good and evil.
The Tragedy of Macbeth has many elements that contribute to the overall theme and plot of the play; the leading antagonists of these elements are The Witches. Also known as “The Weird Sisters”, these characters inspire the central action of the play by disturbing Macbeth’s mental state and morality, influencing the creation of themes throughout the play, using their specific characteristics to spread an air of inevitability and terror, and finally, using their magic to disrupt other characters’ lives as well as stirring the audience’s emotions. Historical information is used throughout the play to make The Witches’ magic and reasons for doing so that much more terrifying. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare uses The Witches to further critical components of the story; these characters make the play increasingly more terrifying because their actions reach to the audience’s emotions as they corrupt Macbeth and his principles, use historic evidence to alter the meaning of their actions, summon
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.
if someone was a witch or not, they would tie the woman onto a ducking
on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52. One of these brilliant tragedies was
The witches also kept repeating a quote that has a lot of meaning. They continued to say “foul is fair and fair is foul.” (I.i.12) This means that what seems right isn’t really right and what seems wrong isn’t really wrong. So the whole play is about false faces and how someone who seems normal and innocent isn’t really. The witches also seem to be an illusion. They are in a way human like, but at the same time they are also fake. They talked to Macbeth and told him three prophecies, which caused him to become greedy and kill King Duncan. The first time they told him what they saw was in Act 1. They said
The witches play a highly influential role in Macbeth, and their appearance in Macbeth’s life is uncontrollable. Although Macbeth chooses to believe the witches, they have a plan to destroy Macbeth that is out of Macbeth’s hands. He also cannot help that the witches are evil in nature, as evidenced by a conversation between the witches: “I will dra...
In the story of Macbeth the first three characters to enter are the three witches. They are perceived to have beards and have the ability to shapeshift into animals, specifically rats without tails. They can be thought of as demonic figures from the underworld, or elements of the malicious supernatural. When the three witches are introduced into the story the first words said were “when shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (47). They were also thought the have been able to control the winds and weather. Like demons from the underworld. Throughout the story the three witches seem to stalk around the characters and leech into their minds like nightmares or bad thoughts. Also, whenever they speak they seem to all speak together in horrific tones and rhyme all of their words; like they are conjoined together. Throughout the story the three witches deliver an abundance of quotes that not only help develop themselves, but do introduce and develop other characters.
The Witches and & nbsp; Evil in Macbeth & nbsp; No discussion of evil in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth would be satisfactory without considering its’ most famous symbol of evil: the coven of witches whose interactions with Macbeth play such a vital role in his thinking about his own life. Banquo and Macbeth recognize them as something supernatural, part of the landscape but not fully human inhabitants of it. They have malicious intentions and prophetic powers. And yet they are not active agents in the sense that they do nothing other than talk and offer visions and potions. The witches have no power to compel.
The witches play a very important role in "Macbeth", as they initiate the evil plot. Even from the prologue we can see the witches are evil. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair:" (Act 1 scene 1 line 11). They uphold their evil status throughout the play although their power is not fully demonstrated until the prophecies come true and also later where they conjure up the three apparitions. The witches are truly evil and love evil for its own self unlike Macbeth. "Spiteful and wrathful; who. as others do,/Loves for his own ends, not for you." (Act 3 scene 5 line 12-13). Throughout the play they provide the strongest impression of evil. They are continually committing mischievous deeds, such as, "Killing swine" (Act 1 scene 3 line 2), tormenting sailors and casting spells.
The witches talk to animal sprits and talk about what they have been doing. One says that she was killing swine (Diseases of cattle were believed to be caused by witchcraft in Shakespeare’s day.) Another says that she will punish a sailor. The third witch says that she will help her to do it. They were all doing cruel things. Soon they would do a cruel thing to Macbeth which would end in his ruin and downfall. The witches await Macbeth on the heath, boasting of there powers.
'Fair is foul and foul fair' (1.1.?) This quote spoken by the three witches in the beginning of the story set the theme of the play. There are no rules, no moral guidelines. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play in which the good turn evil. This archetypal transformation from the young, idealistic, promising character to a dark, evil one is apparent in hundreds of plays, novels, and stories throughout history. In this story, the events which begin Macbeth's downfall aren't actions, but words. Simple, mysterious predictions that change Macbeth's life forever. These predictions are made by the three witches, or weird sisters, the three characters who act as one who inflict Macbeth with his eternal pain. The Three Witches have personality traits of mysteriousness, prophetic, and manipulative
The witches also add a sense of evil and of the supernatural. Their chanting, ‘Double, double, toil and trouble: Fire burn and cauldron bubble’ is rhythmic and has an almost hypnotic quality to it. There is a repetition of the magical word ‘thrice’. The fact that there are three witches is emphasised, because in a time where Paganism was feared (three was a magical number in Paganism.), the number three was seen as evil. It was also a magical number because of the holy trinity The ingredients that the witches add to the cauldron are associated with the themes of death: ‘finger of birth-strangled babe.’; crime: ‘grease that’s sweaten from the murderer’s gibbet.’; evil: ‘Tartar’s lips.’; poison ‘adder’s fork’; and damnation: ‘Liver of blaspheming Jew’. These powerful images would have shocked Shakespearean audiences and thus would have thought the witches as overwhelmingly evil. The witches add to this impression of evil by throwing ‘into the flame’ a murderer’s gibbet. This shows that Macbeth will have the same fate as a murderer, being thrown into the flames of hell. There are other images of hell in the play. An example is in Act two, Scene three when the porter imagines himself to be the ‘porter of hell-gate’ when Macduff and Lenox knock on Macbeth’s castle door. Shakespearean audiences would have recognised this as Jesus knocking on the gates of hell. There is also the supernatural element as the witches call up the evil spirits they serve at line 62. This ties in with other supernatural images in the play, such as when Macbeth sees the floating dagger before him before he murders Duncan. This supernatural image adds to the importance of the witches in the play.
The witches are a very important part to this play. The witches are the real trigger to Macbeths deep and hidden desires. The presence of the witches raises the battle between good an evil. The three witches are also known as the three weird sisters and are referred to that throughout the play. They help set the theme of the play and they influence not only Macbeth’s life but some other characters throughout the play.
In the play it can be seen that there are various ways in which the