Macbeth

Katie Clifford

Macbeth coursework

In Macbeth, Shakespeare adds a supernatural dimension that purposively conspires against Macbeth and his kingdom.

Shakespeare uses the witches to open his play “Macbeth” who then are then rarely seen throughout the play I think the witches are used to include a supernatural feeling and to represent what people in the 17th century thought witches were like. Even king James I was making accusation against people and accusing them of being witches.

The play opens on eerie, macabre note in "an open place," where we see the three witches, the "weird sisters." In a dozen lines, they announce their evil nature by saying "Fair is foul, and foul is fair/Hover through the fog and the filthy air," and their intention to meet with Macbeth once the "hurly-burly" of a battle between the forces begins. Shakespeare uses the witches in a scene like this as it gives a first impression of them. The impression of the witches is mysterious and evil “when the hurly burly’s done, when the battles lost and won”. From this prospect we find out that the witches will meet at sun set upon the heath with Macbeth. The witches speak in a chant-like rhythm to add more eccentricity to the play. People in the 17th century assumed witches were evil and talked this way.

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The witches question to when they will meet again. The weather they answer in is dark and despondent weather such as rain they don’t mention any sunny or happy weather because this wouldn’t create a wickedness and excitement atmosphere “when shall we three met again? In thunder, lightning or rain?” The witches think that they are so powerful that they can manipulate people and they have chosen Macbeth to see how far they can push him to kill people. All the scenes have they peculiar and oddness parts to them and parts where you have to think to what is going on “but in a sieve I’ll thither sail and like a rat without a tail”. Shakespeare also adds the “instruments of darkness” to set the scene “where has thou been sister? Killing swine”. As Banquo and Macbeth enter the scene Banquo questions to who they are, Shakespeare makes the use of his language “that look not like the inhibitants o’ the earth” Banquo describes the witches “by each at once her choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips” but Banquo is confused to what sex they actually are “you should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so”.

The witches add more perplexity to the play when talking “but in a sieve I’ll thither sail and like a rat without a tail” they use the word rat because people think rats are disgusting the witches say a “rat without a tail” this maybe because they are not that powerful and cannot form a complete rat. Shakespeare adds a lot of different moods, he does keep to discontented moods rather than joyful ones this is because a darker and forlorn atmosphere causes a greater affect on the play. The witches are evil and they prove this “I will drain him as dry as hay” the witches are going to get Macbeth and he doesn’t even know it “he shall live a man forbid”. The witches also try to prophecy for Banquo but he doesn’t react in the same way as Macbeth because Banquo doesn’t have the driving ambition that Macbeth has and he is loyal to his king and isn’t an evil man. Macbeth maybe evil but is loath to kill his king this is because Macbeth knows Duncan is the rightful king and Duncan has been good to Macbeth. I think the main themes of the play are ambition, choice, appearance versus reality, evil, the fall of a great man and deception. The main purpose of act 1 is to introduce us to the characters and themes of the play, it prepares the audience to what is to come, it makes us keen to what is going to happen. We then hear Macbeth repeat the same words as the witches when he enters the scene for the first time he repeats, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”. Why are the witches' words in Macbeth's mouth? By this we associate the witches to be linked with Macbeth. We do not really find out until the end of the play what the’ reasons of the witches being in the play are. When the witches first visit Macbeth, they notify him and that he is going to thane of Glamis, then thane of Cawdor and then king. Macbeth is bemused, intrigued by the witches’ accusations. In the meantime Banquo is appalled by the witches and thinks they are some messengers of the devil. The witches first prophecy comes true, Macbeth is made thane of Cawdor. Macbeth realises that the witches are telling the truth and falls into their trap, believing anything the witches say. So is it a speculate when Macbeth can see a dagger floating in front of his eyes when he is at King Duncan’s castle. He thinks he is going crazy his wife has already gone crazy and killed herself so the audience is now thinking is Macbeth going the same way as she did so hungry to be king, Then it clicks, he ‘really’ has to kill King Duncan now so his victory of becoming king will be complete, and through out this, the witches are mentioned, might not be by name, but by other figures of speech. The influence the witches have on Macbeth also has an effect on the people around him. It is obvious the witches meant to destroy Macbeth but to destroy everyone around him was another story or did they really badly wanted to kill Macbeth that the only way they knew they could definitely get to him was to destroy everything around him. The witches had really thought this out, and were slowly killing Macbeth through their unfathomable, murky and evil powers and through there, which strictly speaking had all come true. So who was responsible for Macbeth’s death? Was it the witches, Macduff, Lady Macbeth or Macbeth himself? Yes it does seem that the witches were to blame, but Macbeth was willing to go along with the prophecies but then also decided to make them come true by killing King Duncan and Banquo, so was it his own fault? The battle between Macduff and Macbeth showed you that the witches had got their way by causing pandemonium and this is exactly what they wanted and so Macduff stood triumphantly over Macbeth.

The question is whether or not Macbeth is independent in his thinking or whether the witches control him, is one that is cause for debate. Witches have long been thought to have power over mere mortals. If the witches did not control him, they did plant the seeds of ideas in his head, and this is what controlled Macbeth.