The Three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. They recount to Macbeth three prophecies. "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" "All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!" These prophecies introduce Macbeth to ideas of greatness. Macbeth will eventually follow through on killing king Duncan. It was sometimes thought that the witches had the ability to reverse the natural order of things.
This brings into the play the idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can ponder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. It is however more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play and in the end it was he who made the final decisions.
The witches can foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own misery when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure as to the reasons for his actions, which in turn causes him to commit more murders. The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, it is the individual's decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth's head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose. She can manipulate Macbeth easily. This is shown in the line "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear". She is saying that she will influence him with evil thoughts and argue away. This must push Macbeth away from her security and leadership leaving him to be guide even more by the witches. Act 1, scene 5
This brings into the play the idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can ponder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. It is however more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play and in the end it was he who made the final decisions.
The witches can foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own misery when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure as to the reasons for his actions, which in turn causes him to commit more murders. The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, it is the individual's decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth's head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose. She can manipulate Macbeth easily. This is shown in the line "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear". She is saying that she will influence him with evil thoughts and argue away. This must push Macbeth away from her security and leadership leaving him to be guide even more by the witches. Act 1, scene 5
