The three witches in ‘Macbeth’ are introduced right at the first scene of the first act and the brief opening scene give a sudden sense of horror, ambiguity and mystery. The writer uses this as a sign of things to come later, for witchcraft is one of the major themes of the play. The witches create an atmosphere of disorder, destruction and wickedness.
The weather in the opening scene is thunder and lightening which is a reflection of the way the witches are perceived. When one thinks of thunder and lightening he thinks of evil and destruction and this is exactly how the witches are portrayed in the play. They are evil and cause destruction in Macbeth’s life.
The witches and their prophecies are the first major influence in Macbeth’s evil actions. Macbeth, the thane of Glamis, a noble man of Scotland, a general in the Scotland King’s army and a great warrior is self-satisfied with his position, until the three witches tell him in the third scene of the first act,
“All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.
All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.”
Just after hearing this, Macbeth and Banquo, his noble friend and a general in the King’s army receive a message from Ross that Macbeth has been awarded the title of “Thane of Cawdor” from the king for his bravery in repelling the rebellion. Then Macbeth is conveyed to think about the ideas of “the greatest.” The witches had also told them that Banquo would be the father to a line of kings. So they contemplate about how the rest of the prophecy will come true.
Banquo says in the 124th line (third scene in the first act),
“The instruments of darkness tells us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray ‘s
In deepest consequence.”
In his mind and in his speech witches are portrayed as bad. He calls them instruments of darkness and the devil. He might believe that the witches’ prophecies are aimed at inflicting harm even before anything begins to happen. He sees beyond the witches and can see that their original intention is bad whereas Macbeth is taken in by the witches and this “blindness” is what causes his downward spiral of problems. So he is warned by his best friend, Banquo before Macbeth makes any decision that the witches are wicked and what they suggest is evil and a trap for his ill-future. If Macbeth had considered his friend’s advice seriously then perhaps the tragic events to follow could have been prevented.
Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth explaining what has happened. Lady Macbeth is portrayed early in the play as a woman with high aspiration and single purpose. She is selfless and wants the best for her husband. Lady Macbeth begins to meditate “what impedes from the golden round” (fifth scene in the first act). She desperately wants her husband to be the king (and herself to be the queen) and she calls upon the aids of the evil “spirits” to help her in her quest for the crown. Lady Macbeth obviously has a very different reaction from Macbeth when she hears about the witches’ prophecies. She seems almost more sanguinary and expresses her keenness for Macbeth to fulfil this prophecy. Although desperately wanting the prophecies to become true, she approaches Macbeth who lacks the intensity of feeling as his wife does, to commit regicide. Before speaking with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth never wanted to kill Duncan. But Lady Macbeth can manipulate her husband easily. This is shown in the line “that I may pour my spirit in thine ear” (fifth scene of first act). She handles Macbeth’s self-esteem by challenging on his bravery and manliness. Macbeth, like a child who is easily guided agrees to murder the king Duncan. Lady Macbeth knows this and acts accordingly. Lady Macbeth is the dominating partner in the relationship between herself and her husband and this is shown in the soliloquy in the fifth scene of the first act. Although he can make the final decision in whether or not to kill king Duncan, he loves Lady Macbeth and wants to fulfil her wishes. It is clear that she can convince him on to do anything as long as she pushes the right button in. for example she questions Macbeth as,
“Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act, and valour,
As thou art in desire?”
This is clearly a teasing comment on his manliness.