GCSE English
Assignment B-Macbeth
How important are the "Three weird sisters" to the play of "Macbeth"? Comment on their dramatic importance, their contribution to the plot and their connection to the development to themes in the play. How does Shakespeare interest and entertain his Elizabethan audience? Comment on his use of language and theatre in achieving this.
I believe that the "three weird sisters" play a very important role to "Macbeths" play. The witches are the first characters to appear on the stage. They seem harmless when they first appear on stage, but as we get further on into the play we start understanding what role they are playing and it shows that they are an extreme bad influence on "Macbeth". I think they have influenced Macbeth all through the play for his killings
Firstly, the first thing we hear about Macbeth is what a brave warrior he was (Act 1 scene 2 ). He dies bravely too, but he is also a cold calculating killer (act 1 scene 2) he murders Duncan because he wants to be king he also has macduffs family and Banquo killed. Some people think Macbeth must be evil because of all the terrible crimes he commits other think he isn't as bad. Maybe he kills Duncan because he is very ambitious and is persuaded by lady Macbeth or the witches. I believe strongly that the witches persuaded and mixed with Macbeth for his actions. When the witches first appear on the stage, there was a lot of tension from the Elizabethan audience, as they believed very strongly in supernatural. This may seem like a load of rubbish for us but the power to the Elizabethan audience was a very real thing. All over Europe thousands of woman were accused of witch craft and were tortured and burnt. The "hideous women with beards" knew were Macbeth was as they can predict the future. They conjure up visions that warn Macbeth that everything they say comes true.
The audience experience a little of these prophesies almost immediately in the opening scene. When they talk about meeting Macbeth they say they will greet him, "when the battle's lost and won." And " In thunder, lightening, or in rain?" "There to meet with Macbeth" They are talking about Macbeth at the start of they play targeting him . The prophecies use a double meaning to trick Macbeth. We then meet the witches at scene 3 were again they say " A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come" Macbeth then appears saying "So foul and fair a day ...
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The audience experience a little of these prophesies almost immediately in the opening scene. When they talk about meeting Macbeth they say they will greet him, "when the battle's lost and won." And " In thunder, lightening, or in rain?" "There to meet with Macbeth" They are talking about Macbeth at the start of they play targeting him . The prophecies use a double meaning to trick Macbeth. We then meet the witches at scene 3 were again they say " A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come" Macbeth then appears saying "So foul and fair a day I have not seen "Which is what the witches say at the start of the play. This is a connection between them already When they meet Macbeth and Banquo. They greet him with three titles, "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor," and "King hereafter. As he is already Thane of Glamis, he thinking about the last two titles. Which later on in the play he becomes king. The witches then tell Banquo that he will be "Lesser then Macbeth but greater." This again has both Macbeth and Banquo thinking and Macbeth wants to hear more. "Stay you imperfect speakers; tell me more" Macbeth is sceptical about the witches at the start. When he is made Thane of Cawdor he starts to believe them. He still thinks he can alter their prophesies. In the end Macbeth completely trusts their predictions and when they don't happen in the way he would have liked them too he falls too pieces.
Then we see in scene 4 were they are in Forres. The old Thane of Cawdor is dead Macbeth becomes Thane Of Cawdor.Macbeth and Duncan are talking. "Stars' hide your fires! Let not see my black and deep desires," Macbeths greed and impatience take over he releasing the prophecies predictions have came true. He has his mind on his future. It is clear to the audience that Lady Macbeth also uses various strategies for example praise. She plans the murder. She tells him that he is not a man if he does not perform it. She encourages him. From the moment Lady Macbeth receives the letter from Macbeth she begins to plan the murder.- for example she talks about defeminising herself. She paints Macbeth as a weak man. She resolves to persuade Macbeth to do it and asks for the strength to commit the murder.
Secondly, the plays opening scene has a huge impact on the audience. Shakespeare's audience would immediately have seen the witches as a real and terrible source of possession. In 1597, the King himself, James 1st, published his own treatise on witchcraft: Demonology. The powers of the weird sisters would be only too well known and feared. The Supernatural is an important theme in the play of 'Macbeth'. This affects Macbeth the most. He sees a dagger when he is going to kill Duncan. He is the only one that can see Banquos ghost. The witches are involved in a lot of excitement and suspense. In Act 1 scene 1the witches let the audience know that they are evil "foul is fair" and they are going to meet Macbeth..Macbeth also sees an imagery dagger and ghosts.(Act 2 scene 1)( Act 3 scene 4).In Act 3,scene 5 Hecate tells the witches she's is off to make an evil spell to ruin Macbeth. This builds up suspense for the audience. Starting the play with thunder lightening and three weird witches on a heath is a deliberate attempt to make the play seem exciting and intruding from the start.
The witches, apparitions and ghosts all help to spice up Macbeth. As you don't see much of this in everyday life. There are lots of scary parts for the audience which could make the audience shriek or jump. There are murders throughout all the play. Macbeth kills Duncan and his servants off stage, but Banquo and Fleance die on stage. Which would give the audience a little bit of excitement. There's a lot of blood and gore especially after Duncan's murder. (Act 2 scene 2) Macbeth comes on stage with bloodied daggers. The witches also speak in shorter lines that rhyme" trice and bubble" This gives them a spooky side.
Lastly, the themes in the play of Macbeth are nature "Thunder and lightning." This is the description of the scene before Act I, Scene I, line 1. The thunder and lightning represent disturbances in nature. Most people do not think of a great day being filled with thunder and lightning. So the witches are surrounded by a shroud of thunder and lightning. Also, the first witch asks in line 2 about the meeting with Macbeth, "In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" The meeting will also be filled with these disturbances. Manhood To help convince Macbeth not to call the murder off, Lady Macbeth questions his manhood. She says, "When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man" (lines 49 - 51). The sad part is that Lady Macbeth truly does believe that Macbeth wouldn't be a man if he didn't agree to the killing. Blood-"This is a sorry site" says Macbeth, looking at his bloody hands moments after murdering king Duncan.
Language also sets the tone in the play as well. What some characters say gives us direct clues, In act 2 scene 1, you know it is a dark cloudy night from what Banquo says, "Hold take my sword. There's husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out. He is saying that there are no stars (candles) it's cloudy. Other times the language creates an atmosphere of it own." O, full of scorpions is my mind. Dear wife!" Macbeths bursts out with this with gentle talk before with his wife and the atmosphere turns bad again.
In conclusion it is clear that there are many possible reasons why Macbeth may have behaved in the way that he did. I believe this is mainly the witches' fault all along they have set this up. There has been so much information telling us about the witches and their performances to Macbeth. I believe, Even though the witches predictions turn out to be right the witches are often seen as evil as their prediction in act 1, convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. It's when Macbeth meets the witches he is tempted into doing something evil. They say he will become king and immediately he thinks of murdering Duncan. In act 4 they lead Macbeth into a false sense of security by showing visions, which they know he will misinterpret. I also believe Lady Macbeth is also a little part of this as well as persuades Macbeth.
Michelle Wilson