Examine the presentation of the witches in Macbeth.

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Examine the presentation of the witches in Macbeth

Macbeth is one of the better-known plays written by Shakespeare, where the audience are drawn to sympathise with a cold-blooded murderer.  Convinced by his wife and the witches’ prophecies, that he shall become King, Macbeth’s fatal ambition results in his downfall.  

Macbeth was written during a period where many women were tried for witchcraft, and they were subsequently executed.  As well as this, women were persecuted and misogyny was an accepted issue of every day life.  Many Elizabethans believed, that witches controlled almost every aspect of their existence, they were able to predict the future and change the weather Shakespeare took this as his back ground and displays them in Macbeth, making the play very much a product of the time, however, the play still enjoys the same reactions today because of Shakespeare’s use of imagery and themes of which blood and guilt appear frequently.  This allows the modern day audience to find relevance with it, despite the play’s age.

Earlier audiences would describe Macbeth and his Lady as seized by demonic possession.

Amen/ stuck in my throat.

(Act 2 scene 2)

 

Macbeth’s inability to pray shows that he has been ensnared by evil.

Come, you spirits

(Act 1 scene 5)

Here lady Macbeth’s inviting of evil spirits to possess her would also be seen to be abnormal, even in today’s society.  She is inviting the consequences of believing in the witch’s prophecies. In some ways you could see lady Macbeth as the one who began the plot she was quite able to employ the witches to capture Macbeth, this may explain why she persuaded Macbeth to kill Duncan, the king and why Hecate was so annoyed with the witches for helping lady Macbeth and Macbeth fulfil their dreams. Hecate finds in the end that they both were to lose everything and Hecate honours the witches for their evil practices.

When Christianity developed witches began to be associated with the devil, people accepted this as it fell inline with their beliefs.  Further on in the play Lady Macbeth seems to describe the devil’s mark.  As the spot symbolises the area where the devil is said to have taken blood.

Join now!

Out dammed spot!  Out I say!

(Act 5 scene 1)

 

Nowadays filmmakers rely on powerful imagery to make the same threatening statements, to induce the same reaction. The witches’ prophecies bear resemblance to astrology or tarot cards today.  Some people find they have stereotypical beliefs that therefore make the play have some significance that, subconsciously, they cannot escape from. This helps to portray the play as it was recognized in Elizabethan times, as Shakespeare was able to use the belief in and the fear of witches at the time.   What Shakespeare did was physically display the audiences’ fear. ...

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