We see in another way that they have a connection to Satan. Their familiars call out for them and they reply. This adds to the eerie feeling we receive from the witches. Familiars were spirits from Satan’s behalf. Despite not being as intelligent as their masters, they were known to be as smart as a human being. This is what many people believed if they accepted the idea of witchcraft.
For the second time in the first scene, we see that there will always be a divide between appearance and reality. The witches plan to hover over the ‘fog and filthy air,’ which was the battle-front. The hovering insinuates that they are going to fly and further makes the audience unveil their true powers. The idea of ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ again shows that appearance and the actual truth isn’t the same thing. This ties in with the theme of appearance versus reality and that all that you see is not always real. This is also a reflection on Lady Macbeth, further into the novel when she wishes for him look fair and the outside in order to hide his foul intentions. The alliteration of the ‘f’ sounds also adds dramatic affect to the chant and adds a beat to it. Shakespeare is already establishing a link between Lady Macbeth and the three witches. The idea of confusion and contradiction again arises. The idea of chaos and mixing the natural order are presented very early in the play.
The last line of Act 1 Scene 1 is chanted by all the witches. The aggression and beat re-appears along with the rhyming couplets. At this point, the witches seem very forceful and cunning with their spell or ritual type chant. The witches speak together to show their unity, enough to frighten any Shakespearean audience.
Macbeth’s first actual words of the play show exactly how much he is influenced by the witches. He is literally reciting the words that the words have previously said in unison. All the witches and Macbeth have now said this in the play, to show that they are all on the same wavelength, so to speak. Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s first words of the play as they are the most memorable and his first words echo those of the witches to show that he is under some sort of trance by them.
The witches are described in an unearthly way. Banquo describes them as “So wither'd and so wild in their attire, that look not like the inhabitants o' the earth.” They are not seen as conventional human beings and they look strange. They are portrayed in this manner to show the audience that these so-called witches are not accepted into society.
When Shakespeare gives the witches masculine qualities such as beards, he is proving a point about women in his time. Shakespeare is showing that for a woman to have power in those times, they must be masculine. Authority was a male responsibility and for the witches to have this characteristic, they have to be manly. These women have subverted gender stereotypes and thus must be portrayed in this way. Shakespeare is showing that women had no power at the time unless they acted like men.
We can see that Macbeth has no power over these witches as he tries to take control but fails. From seeing him as a merciless warrior who ‘carved his own passage through the battlefield,’ we know see him as weak and tamed by the witches influence. He uses an imperative verb like “Speak” to try and dominate and regain some power. He then realises that this will have no effect on the witches and then pleads them to by saying “If you can,” showing that they should only speak if they want to. Shakespeare is showing that these powerful women have too much control over the others and, if agitated, they can cause a lot of trouble. The witches use the ‘rule of three’ as a persuasive device to convince Macbeth that they are right and to come to their side. From Shakespeare’s description, they are manipulative and strong-willed, as a man would be at the time. The witches also aim at his weakness, which is power, and they use personal pronouns such as ‘hail,’ and ‘thee’ several times in those lines to show that they respect him. They are inducing him with the idea of power to show that they, themselves, are very shrewd.
The witches then disappear as quickly as they arrived. The fact that they disappear instead of just walk away adds to the supernatural effect. It makes an effect on the audience who see the witches one second and then not the next. From our first impressions from the witches, we see that they have been sidelined from society due to the power that they possess. These women are very powerful and thus are envied by the men of society. The ‘Weird Sisters’ use their powers for evil and we realise that if this evil is used for Macbeth, then he is in trouble. The first time we see a woman in the play, is out shadowed by her maliciousness and malice. Hitherto, Shakespeare has made a negative point about women in the play.
From the representation of Macbeth that we get even before we meet him, we see that he is a much respected character in this play. He is called ‘brave Macbeth’ for ruthlessly slaughtering a Norwegian soldier. Shakespeare is showing that with the ability to kill, in wartime comes respect and that taking lives is considered very respectable. However, killing in peacetime, as we see later in the play, is considered disdainful.
We also see that Macbeth is very violent because of the way in which he executes the enemy. He cuts the enemy from the stomach to the face and this shows us that he is very brutal and unforgiving. The fact that he is callous shows a link between him and the witches. The witches are similar to him because they refused to forget about the sailor’s wife who never gave her chestnuts.
We learn that Macbeth has built a reputation with the King as well. King Duncan calls him ‘valiant cousin,’ which shows that the King has high regards of him. To be called that by the King would be such a great honour for Macbeth. King Duncan uses lots of masculine words such as ‘valiant,’ ‘worthy’ and ‘gentleman’ to describe Macbeth which shows that to get respect by the King, you needed to be manly.
From the letter that Macbeth sends to his wife, we can learn a lot about their relationship.
Macbeths finds it in himself to tell his wife about the witches’ prophecies first. He says ‘good to deliver thee,’ showing how important she is in the relationship and how Macbeth can’t do anything secretly and must tell his wife about everything that happens.
Macbeth calls his wife his ‘dearest partner’ showing how close they are together and the love that they share. This is quite unusual for a woman to be on the same level as a man because at the time women were regarded as insignificant. He later calls her his ‘dearest love’ which reiterates how much she means to him. The word ‘partner’ shows that their relationship is structured around equality and no one has all the power.
Macbeth doesn’t care about what the future holds for him, but instead wishes to make Lady Macbeth happy. “What greatness is promised thee” shows that he puts his wife before himself and cares for her. A soliloquy is used when one person is speaking directly to the audience; to create empathy for the character. A soliloquy makes the audience feel more involved in the play and this will make them not lose interest as it grabs their attention as they reveal their thoughts to solely the audience. Soliloquies are used many times in this play and are a fundamental part for the audience to understand what is really going on. It helps the audience understand things that the actors on stage do not know, adding dramatic irony as the audience are more informed than the other characters.
Macbeths writes the letter in prose but the switch from prose to verse by Lady Macbeth shows that she is also similar to the witches as they often speak in verse when planning a spiteful act. Shakespeare has used this quick switch to show the difference between good and bad, with Macbeth representing the innocent and Lady Macbeth representing the malevolent.
The first soliloquy that Lady Macbeth uses is the word after she receives this letter from Macbeth. She says that Macbeth is too full of human kindness and saying that because of this, he won’t achieve what he strives for. Shakespeare uses a type of dehumanisation to portray Macbeth as this sort of character. To say that he is ‘too full of milk’ also links in when Lady Macbeth later says to the spirits that she wants to get rid of her milk in place of poison. Here we see a role reversal and that Macbeth is the one carrying the milk or kindness and caring that a mother should ideally have.
During all his life, Macbeth has kept his ambition to be the King under ethical control. When the witches come to him and say that he will be King, he is startled and his fantasies come to light. Lady Macbeth is saying that he does have ambition but not enough malevolence in him to take advantage of it. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition will be fulfilled if they become King and Queen.
Lady Macbeth uses repetition of the word ‘thou’ to show that she is respecting Macbeth. She is flattering him with her respect to encourage him to do the murder. The word ‘thou’ shows his Macbeth’s respect and manliness and Lady Macbeth plays on this to change his mind into committing the crime of regicide.
When Lady Macbeth says that she will ‘pour her spirits into Macbeth’s ear,’ she sounds like a witch. The metaphor she uses sounds almost mystical and unworldly. The word ‘pour’ sounds like a witch who is concocting a potion, which links her to the witches. It also sounds as if she can morph shape and practically ooze into his mind. She also uses the word ‘spirit’ which adds a dark and fiendish imagery. The fact that she is scheming to influence Macbeth shows that she is similar to one of the witches. The connection between her and the witches is strengthened as we see more and more comparables with them.
She sounds more like the witches when she knows that the Weird Sisters will help them in the form of metaphysical aid. She is relying on their assistance to help get what she wants. This brings back the idea of the witches uniting to help each other in times of need. Now the witches are uniting to help Lady Macbeth in her ways.
Lady Macbeth makes another soliloquy prior to King Duncan’s arrival to her abode. This time she calls upon the Devil and his spirits to help her become less feminine. The fact that she calls the spirits for help shows that she has a link to the Devil and thus the witches. She then says ‘unsex me here’ so that she is able to kill King Duncan. She wants to become a man to commit this crime and this again shows that manliness comes with murder, as it did in the battle against the Norwegians.
She then pleads for the spirits to stop her feeling guilty. That means that she is not totally courageous herself, as she promised she would be. She wishes to become ruthless and the witches are when they are giving their deadly sanctions. This call to the spirits is a way for her to plug in her feminine feelings and womanly instincts.
She doesn’t want to be feminine any more and wishes to be able produce poison. As I mentioned before, she doesn’t want the ability to care for the baby and says that Macbeth now has that role. She wants to become more feminine and wants to prove herself as such by helping to commit this murder.
She doesn’t even want God to stop her now and wishes only for the assistance of the Devil. She is not longer reliant on God and now and, like the witches, the devil can aid her. She wants the devil to overpower God so that nobody can stop her from doing what she plans to do. Her ambition to become this powerful woman, which is not usual, has lead her to switch to the dark side.
Lady Macbeth has many ways to persuade Macbeth onto her train of thought. When Macbeth says that they shall ‘proceed no further in this business’ of murder, Lady Macbeth has other ideas.
Firstly, she tries to make him feel like less of a man by accusing him of cowardice. She says he’s scared of killing his King and emasculates him by doing so. She is using a form of blackmail and making Macbeth think of himself as less of a man, so that he is willing to do as she wishes.
Macbeth is asked some rhetorical questions which make him think about what he wants to do. These questions are used as a persuasive device to make Macbeth reconsider.
She uses his love for her as a weapon to assure that he will do it. She knows that because Macbeth loves her so much, he might change his mind. Shakespeare is showing how low Lady Macbeth was willing to go just to accomplish her needs.
Macbeth feels so overwhelmed by her that he has to beg her to calm down. His power in this relationship is no longer there and now has to beg to her if he wants something done.
By the end, Macbeth is so convinced by Lady Macbeth, that he believes that he was the one who initially wanted to do it. He says “my mind is made up” and Lady Macbeth lets him have this authority, for a while, so that she can get her way. This shows how cunning and sly she really is.
This dark side is shown to us in several ways when King Duncan arrives. Her sentences have double meanings, such as when she says she has checked everything over and over again. King Duncan thinks that this is because his arrival but it is really for the murder that she and her husband have been planning.
She also uses flattery which she doesn’t mean in order to make the King feel secure about where he is. Really he is in grave danger but he doesn’t realise it because of the way Lady Macbeth is speaking to him.
Duncan often calls her a ‘noble hostess’ and believes that Lady Macbeth is trying her hardest to keep him safe. This is an example of dramatic irony as we, the audience, knows that this is not Lady Macbeth’s aim, and is the total opposite. This tag of hostess is accepted by Lady Macbeth and it helps her to dupe King Duncan as she has lured his trust.
She also persuades Macbeth to hide his true personality by saying this phrase. They are going to play on King Duncan’s weakness of judging by the face as he has said before “There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face.”
This quote also has biblical allusions because it refers to Adam and Eve and how Eve was convinced to eat a fruit that would supposedly make them wise but never. Here, Macbeth is convinced by Lady Macbeth to play this part of this serpent that was harmless on the outside but hateful on the inside.
A flower is a signal of beauty and peace and Macbeth is told to play this role. But really he has to be powerful and full of malice underneath. They are opposite extremes and Macbeth has to do this in order to trap King Duncan, then man that he will be murdering.
To conclude about Lady Macbeth, we see that she is a spiteful and ambitious character. In many aspects she can be considered the 4th witch of the play. She and the witches shared many attributes in order for them to be classified together, such as their ability to deceive people. They are both also very manipulative as well as brave.
Like the witches used their femininity to trap the sailor, Lady Macbeth uses hers to get Duncan’s attendants drunk and frame them for murder. The witches and Lady Macbeth both, by the end, have talked to the devil, which is the main element to look at when categorizing them together. Her strength and willpower is the drive behind their ambitions and this is what Macbeth lacks to control the relationship. Macbeths considers her so manly, that he implies that she shall only give birth to men-children only because of her ‘undaunted mettle.’ Her ambitiousness eventually leads to her death and her guilty conscience lead her to commit suicide.
This lack of manliness along with many other factors leads to Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth is a great example of a tragic hero, because his own weaknesses and faults lead to him being brought to ruins.
Firstly, he was over ambitious along with his wife. They both wanted to become King and Queen straightaway and didn’t want fate to take its course. They took their destiny into their own hands and died because of this.
The influence of the women in his life eventually leads to his death. First he is teased by the witches and immediately wants power. Then with the pressure from Lady Macbeth, he is lead to kill Duncan. This leaves him wrapped in repent and sin and from then onwards, his life is downhill.
Macbeth is also a victim of gullibility unlike Banquo. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were quick to believe the witches prophecies and Shakespeare is proving a point that listening to this powerful women can lead to defeat.
Throughout this play, there are many significant themes which run through it.
Because of the fact that the King is troubled by the witches, there will be the idea of good versus evil. The king, a representative of God and the witches, a representative of the Devil are against each other, which also provides the theme of God versus the Devil. In the end God wins because the devils teachings lead to the death of Banquo, Fleance, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This kept people’s trust in God because in the end he overcomes the devil
Then there is the theme of appearance versus reality. King Duncan firstly says that ‘there is no art to judging from the face’ but his trust in Macbeth eventually was what killed him. Appearance and reality merge together and this is shown when the witches say ‘fair is foul, and foul is fair.’ The message being portrayed is that ‘never judge a book by its cover’ as in this case it may lead to your own death.
There are also several types of murder which are explored by this play. The most obvious one is homicide with Macbeth killing Banquo. Another kind is regicide when Macbeth kills the King. Lady Macbeth threatens to commit infanticide just to prove how much she is willing to keep her promise, further showing how unlike a caring and loving mother she is. Here, she is going against her maternal instincts and not nurturing like a normal mother. When compared to other females in the play, like Lady Macduff, Lady Macbeth is not seen as a motherly figure at all and instead a cold-blooded murderer. In the end, Lady Macbeths commits suicide because her conscience gets the better of her. There will always be an imagery of death and murder which floats around the play Macbeth.
Another theme is the natural order of society. Lady Macbeth tries to cheat the natural order of society by trying to become more powerful than her husband but eventually dies. Macbeth tries to dupe the natural order by trying to become King, but this also leads to his downfall. Shakespeare is showing not to cheat the natural order otherwise is will not be advantageous for you. This is mainly because James I was his patron and he wanted to get the idea across that anyone who tried to kill him and get to the throne would suffer. Despite, there was still a gunpowder plot two years after this play was written in an attempt to kill the King. Shakespeare was also passing a message to James I here. When Macbeth decided to kill people under his own rule, hate grew for him so Shakespeare is showing that the King has a duty to his people and if not fulfilled then he may encounter trouble.
The idea of supernatural beings is a running theme throughout the whole of the play. From the first scene until the witches gradually disappear, a supernatural feeling remains in all the acts. The witches, later joined by Lady Macbeth both emit feelings of supernatural powers. During this play, the witches are never referred to as witches by any of the characters but only as ‘Weird Sisters.’ Shakespeare has probably used this to leave the meaning ambiguous. The name ‘Weird Sisters’ is vague and Shakespeare implies that they can obviously be witches, or more uncommonly just women, who use their humanly powers such as listening and seeing to their advantage to scare people into believing they have supernatural powers.
Fate and destiny is another theme present in the play. At the beginning we see that Macbeth marks his own fate and destiny, but when he meets the witches and they tempt him with the idea of power, he is under their control. The witches predict that he will naturally come into power, but again he decides to take fate into his own hands and kills King Duncan. We realise that this is not a knowledgeable decision as Banquo realises and Macbeths murdering spree begins. Shakespeare is showing that we, as humans, create our own destiny and often taking fate into our own hands can have perilous effects.
In conclusion, it is clear that Shakespeare has made the women play an evil influence in Macbeth’s life and they play a significant part in the plot of the play. The women in this play are seen to be very domineering and cunning, unlike most of the women at the time. The women in this play lead to his downfall as he is motivated by his wife and the witches. Clearly, Shakespeare is showing that powerful women always lead to their downfall as well as the collapse of others. Women should stay in their lowly ranks or the natural order of the universe will be upset. The influence of women should be ignored is the overall message that Shakespeare’s most dramatic and powerful play is trying to bring forward.