In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, The Audience Recogise The Dramatic Importance Of The Weird Sisters. Discuss And Evaluate How Shakespeare Achieves This And How He Influences Directors.

IN SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH, THE AUDIENCE RECOGISE THE DRAMATIC IMPORTANCE OF THE WEIRD SISTERS. DISCUSS AND EVALUATE HOW SHAKESPEARE ACHIEVES THIS AND HOW HE INFLUENCES DIRECTORS.

The play works on many levels, a historical thriller: fast-moving action packed murder story showing that crime does not pay. A psychological study of a murderer’s mind: Macbeth constantly reveals his inner thoughts through his soliloquies. A play of political and social realism: showing how an oppressive hierarchical society systematically corrupts individuals. It may also be considered to be a play of illusions: showing the effect of human beings of the mysterious or the supernatural: the witches.

First of all Act 1 scene 1 is very short, but full of impact which sets the tone for the rest of the play. The thunder and lightning give the scene a dramatic opening, which engages the interest of the audience, as it is showing the witches evil. The dramatic sound effects help to set the supernatural atmosphere that Shakespeare wanted to create along with the witches. Instead of seeing Macbeth, Shakespeare’s audience is faced with three weird-looking women. The witches introduce us to a dark, dangerous play, in which the theme of evil is the main point. The witches say little but we learn a lot about them.

The mood of the play is set here; even though the action doesn’t start until the next scene. The supernatural forces in the opening of ‘Macbeth’ provides for much of the play’s dramatic tension and the mounting suspense. ‘When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or rain?’ This is the opening line. It immediately catches the audience’s attention and captures their imagination, as the supernatural world fascinated people in Elizabethan England. When the play was first performed and at the time that Shakespeare was writing it, witchcraft was a great enemy, people became captivated by these peculiar, suspicious witches. The new king of England, James 1st had become intrigued and had written a book about Demonology Witch – hunts took place and many people were convicted of being witches and were executed. The witches fit in with the stereotype of witches in that time, including use of familiars like Graymalkin and Paddock.

The use of the supernatural happens at the beginning, with three witches explaining that they will meet Macbeth. ‘When the battle’s lost and won.’ The audience have still to find out whether the battle is lost or won, however they know that the battle is won by one side and lost by another. Macbeth’s fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose the battle for his soul. The audience have almost interpreted the witches meeting, just as they are arranging their next appointment before their familiar spirits call them into the fog and filthy air.

From the beginning we can tell that the witches can foretell the future, and are creating some unpleasant magic, which is to involve Macbeth. This creates suspense for the audience, wondering what is going to happen next; also we do not immediately encounter our tragic hero who is first acknowledged as a noble warrior. The fact that the witches want to meet Macbeth should raise some suspicion in the audience. The witches first mention Macbeth in the eighth line, when they explain that they will meet Macbeth upon the heath; a bleak and rugged landscape in keeping with their manner ...

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When the witches chant: ‘ Fair is foul, and foul is fair’, this is telling us that it is a paradoxical warning that things are not what they appear to be, as if they are referring to people, explaining that not everybody should be trusted. This adds to our fear about what will happen to Macbeth.

In Macbeth the witches lines are short and cryptic, this adds and tension and excitement. The whole speech is written in rhyme, with short seven or eight syllable lines, which sounds like a chant. It is obvious to them that the witches are chanting a magical spell throughout the speech. Shakespeare uses iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets to suggest incantation.

The Polanski version of Macbeth is similar to Shakespeare’s but has a few changes to it. At the beginning of the scene there is a long shot of the background, which is a red sunset, which then cuts to a beach where it is dark blue, showing the contrast between the scenes. The witches are then seen with a stick drawing a circle in the sand and then digging in the sand with their bare hands. They are wearing old drably clothes which are darkly coloured and have holes on them too. Into the whole the witches place a human hand with a dagger in its grasp, which is covered in an ointment and then covered in sand. All the way through this the witches are chanting making the atmosphere of this scene very evil. Once covered over with sand blood is dripped on top of the covered hole whilst the witches say their lines, this add more affect of evil. Once the witches had sad their lines they spat on the covered hole and walked away into the distance, 1 witch was walking to one side and the other two witches were walking together one helping the other to walk along; this shows that the witches are as one and cannot be separated. As they walk away into the distance fog covers their path that can relate to what the witches were saying before, “fog and filthy air” which implies they are never completely invisible.

Secondly in Act 1 scene 3 is much longer compared to Act 1 scene 1 and also contains the witches and also Macbeth, Banquo and others. The main characters are the three witches, Macbeth and Banquo as they have a lot of dramatic importance in this scene. The witches conversation emphasises their wickedness, evil and vindictive spirit which cannot be crushed by men. Their curse on the sea captain emphasises and predicts what could happen to Macbeth.

A scene of malice and superstitious numbers of three as three is an evil number, which can be portrayed towards the witches as being evil. The first witch is going to put a spell on the captain’s wife because the captain’s wife was rude to her. The second witch then says, “I’ll give thee a wind” which shows that the witches can change the weather, therefore showing the can exert an immense amount of power. It also shows that the witches are unified for exerting so much power and shows they are supernatural for controlling the wind and the sea.

“ Sleep shall neither night nor day

Hang upon his penthouse lid.” These lines supposed by the first with are telling the audience that they are going to destroy the natural function of sleep, which brings strength and peace. Dramatically the witches can see into the future “show me, show me”. They can see the sea captain coming back into port with a wrecked ship “ wrecked and homeward he did come”. Their simultaneous talk emphasises how evil and unified in their approach to Macbeth, the witches will be.

Macbeth and Banquo now enter the scene and start talking about the strange surroundings proving to the audience that everything isn’t normal. Then the witches speak the three apparitions, the first which saying “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!” second witch saying “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cowdor!” and the third witch saying “All hail Macbeth, That shalt be king here-after!” Once all of these lines were said Banquo replies astonished “Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things that do sound so fair? I’ th’ name of truth are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?” Then Macbeth slightly confused thinking that the witches had got it wrong asks more but the witches vanish. When the witches vanish it shows the audience that they are supernatural and cannot be stopped or reasoned with.

Penny woodcock’s version of act 1 scene 3 is an urban view of Macbeth and is set in a estate with high rise buildings which have been run down and look deserted just like in the play where the landscape is deserted. As Macbeth and Banquo walk through the estate they hear the witches calling “Macbeth” repeatedly, and the camera angles are in unusual angels and cut to many other camera angles. In the background scary music is played with high-pitched screeches and echoes. All of these sound and camera angles give the affect of the witches playing mind games on Macbeth. We then see the children standing at the top of the building staring down at Macbeth and then they disappear into the building. Macbeth then enters the rat ridden alien building and walks up stairs. Macbeth walks into the room through a half door resembling a trap door, which is a metaphor to show that the witches are trapped. Macbeth notices many objects on a table which all coincide to witches like voodoo dolls, candles and masks and show that the witches know what they are doing and aren’t just children. The witches then say their lines with no expressions on their faces and looking straight at Macbeth tying to scare him showing that if they can scare him they must be real witches.

Polanski takes a different approach at it as he uses a more aged approach to it, which adds more affect of evil, as it is more unhealthy and foul. The scene starts with Macbeth riding his horse and stop as he hears high pitched singing and whining, he goes to investigate and sees the witches dressed as before sitting under a leafy shelter. Macbeth starts talking to the witches but the witches have their backs turned to him. The then run down a small tunnel under ground and the last witch to get into the tunnel lifts up her skirt to show that this is a joke in a sense it isn’t real. Macbeth doesn’t really believe the witches now because they didn’t use any of their powers.

Thirdly in act 4 scene 1 where the witches gather on the moor to meet Macbeth. Macbeth makes them promise to answer his all of his questions, which he has been trying to ask them. The witches summon up magic apparitions who at first comfort Macbeth but then later he realises their significance. The setting is a cove on the moor and in the middle is a boiling cauldron, which has foul ingredients, which look obnoxious. The witches sometimes speak in union to show how intent and unified they are. When Macbeth enters he address the witches familiarly which shows how close he has got to the witches, but then he becomes desperate and defiant in his style and challenges them. The witches then create a potion, which summons the three apparitions. Macbeth accepts the favourable predictions and believes in the witches and rejects any thing that is awkward.

Before the witches vanish the first asks “but why stands Macbeth thus amazed?” this shows that the witches have answer all of Macbeth’s questions and also have tricked him at the same time. “That this great king may kindly say out duties did his welcome pay.” The flight of Mucduff, once the witches have vanished seems to confirm their prophecies. Macbeth is already demented and frantic at “this pernicious hour” by the end of the scene Macbeth has allied himself with evil and he is full of impotent rage. In his mind he has set out what he has to do and nobody is going to stop him from doing it.

Penny woodcock’s version of act 4 scene 1 starts with the witches walking past the public and hen Macbeth following them whilst the public stare with amazement Macbeth carries on walking past. Macbeth enters into the same building to see the children sitting down and the stand up and enter a room with a net covering its entrance. Through the net, which shows there are only half-truths, Macbeth can only see the figures of the three children and few candles. The children then start to say their lines in half-truths with the camera cutting to shots of each child. This is not stereotypical of witches and shows how urban settings change everything and that the witches are in the daylight shows that even more. In the three equivocations Macbeth thinks that he is hallucinating. Once the witches have finished the vanish and Macbeth rips down the netting to find a bare and open room except for a window straight in front of him.

Overall I think that it is a tragedy of ‘vaulting ambition’ leads t downfall of previous good character. The wired sisters are the controllers of destiny and cannot be stopped which gives it the play of illusions. I think Shakespeare influenced the directors a lot and without the influence the ply wouldn’t be the same and wouldn’t have the same meanings and give the same effect. The main message that Shakespeare was trying to put across is that crime doesn’t pay and that good always triumphs over evil. Shakespeare tried and did achieve a play of tragedy and how vaulting ambitions can lead to much pain and downfall as we can tell from Macbeth’s occurrences and previous good character becomes and evil one and the weird sisters are allowed to control Macbeth’s destiny.