Why Are The Witches Important In Macbeth

Shakespeare often includes scenes or events in his play, Macbeth, that reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they lived in. Macbeth is based on real issues occurring in the time Shakespeare wrote his play, during the late 15th and early 16th centuries; therefore, many similarities can be found between the european society in his time period and the society occurring in his play. Some of the intimations revealing the background of european history can be found in Act 4, scene 1, when Macbeth approaches the three witches to learn how to maintain and secure his kingship. The witches play a significant role in revealing various forms and perspective of the society through their prophecies, and the ingredients they apply in creation of supernaturalistic poison.

As the witches dance around the cauldron while creating mysterious poison, they speak in unison, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble” (4.1.10-11). The witches often appear in mysteriousness along with thunder by setting the dramatic and supernatural mood to the play. This gives the impression that the witches are catalysts for each conflict in the story; giving the audience a negative view towards the witches. Similarly, in the time of Shakespeare, there was a serious belief of witchcraft. People who were accused of being witches usually got blamed for diseases and other unfortunates, eventually leading to persecution. Shakespeare’s usage of witches in the play reflects the aspect of the witches, reminding the audience the beliefs of the witchcraft and