Explore the ways that witchcraft is presented in ''Macbeth'' and compare the way we may wish to present it today

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Explore the ways that witchcraft is presented in ‘‘Macbeth’’ and compare the way we may wish to present it today

In the play ‘Macbeth’ Shakespeare uses witchcraft and witches as dramatic and thematic devices. Witchcraft was considered a serious evil presence throughout Europe during the 16th and 17th Centuries, which meant that Shakespeare’s original witches would have had a great effect on the original audience, and they would have feared them.

Also, by using the theme of witchcraft, Shakespeare flatters James I, as it was a widely known fact that he was extremely interested in the study of demonology and had written a book on it called Demonology published in 1597.

Shakespeare’s witches in ‘Macbeth’ conform to the contemporary beliefs; this makes them even more powerful and greatly feared. They were considered to be part of the devil himself and their power was thought to be even more dominating then any human power. As the witches enter Act I scene I in a 3 it is as if they are the opposite of the holy trinity, also when the witches make a prophecy about Macbeth it is chanted in threes -Act I Scene3 ‘Thane of Glamis’, ‘Thane of Cawdor’, ‘that shalt be king hereafter’ this puts emphasis on the prophecies and makes them seem to be evil and powerful. The number three was seen to have magical powers, “And thrice again, to make up nine.”  This shows us that the spell the witches are concocting is going to be almost indestructible because it is three times three, which makes nine; therefore, the spell is going to be three times as powerful.

The thematic effect that the witches have on the play is that they create a conflict between good and evil, and they relate disorder to witchcraft, which then contrasts to the order and goodness of the natural world. Elizabethan England was a strictly ordered society so, when the witches came on stage disorder came about and corrupted the orderly atmosphere, which the audience were accustomed to. This, in turn, allows Shakespeare to create disorder.

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Act I Scene I is held in ‘a desolate place’, this conveys the witches as being outside of society. Whenever the witches enter there is always a pathetic fallacy of thunder and lightening indicating that something is wrong, and disorder rules.  Every time the witches enter we are faced with this pathetic fallacy Act I scene 3 ‘Thunder. Enter the three witches’, Act 3 Scene 5 ‘a desolate place’, and ‘thunder’ as the three witches enter. The use of pathetic fallacy every time the witches enter conveys that like the setting and weather something unpredictable and unnatural is about ...

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