The Role of the Witches in Macbeth's Downfall

Macbeth Essay

This essay is about the role that the three witches play in Macbeth’s downfall. They are responsible for some of the events but not on there own, because ultimately Macbeth is responsible for his own actions for he had his own free will and a choice about how to conduct his life.

In this essay I will be looking at the historical concert of the play, How the audience responded to the witches dramatic appearance, How the witches help Macbeth to commit murder and how the 3 weird sisters called upon the evil powers by chanting in riddle and rhyme. I will also include a conclusion.

King James the V1 was at the thrown. James enjoyed plays and believed in witches and witchcraft. King James was fond of the play “Macbeth” which was written in the 17th century by the best dramatist of his time William Shakespeare. Shakespeare partly based the play from “The history of Scotland” by Raphel Holinshed, but didn’t just re-write the historical facts; he added many more dramatic scenes and made changes to the storyline.

In Shakespeare’s time a huge amount of people believed in witches and their powers. All over Europe hundreds of thousands of women where accused of witchcraft. They were tortured and evicted. They were blamed for accidents, misfortunes and disasters. Shakespeare used witchcraft in his play possibly because he knew that this subject was both of public interest to the people and personal interest to the king; This might mean that he knew he would have pleased the king and his courtiers by giving them something that they wanted.

There are many ways to respond to the witches’ first appearance. I thought they were mischievous. I further thought they brought out the evil side on people to see how they react with it.

The play starts with a short scene, its main focus is to produce curiosity within the

audience, to capture their attention, to give them excitement.

The scene starts with very gloomy weather and thunder and lightning, it is in the end of a

spiritual meeting between the sisters, before the next one is organized. They proceed in

organizing the second meeting throughout ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

There are many ways to respond to the witches’ first appearance. I thought they were mischievous. I further thought they brought out the evil side on people to see how they react with it.

The play starts with a short scene, its main focus is to produce curiosity within the

audience, to capture their attention, to give them excitement.

The scene starts with very gloomy weather and thunder and lightning, it is in the end of a

spiritual meeting between the sisters, before the next one is organized. They proceed in

organizing the second meeting throughout scene 1 “… where the place?… Upon the

heath?..”

This shows that the evil spirits they call upon power to predict the future. In fact later on

In the play they do meet by the heath, Macbeth and Banquo. The language that they use

In planning the next meeting can give the audience the impression that they are

Rehearsing a script, because they are speaking in rhymes and riddles.

“--- Where the hurly-burly’s done, when the battles is lost and won---that will be ere the

set of sun—“.

In other words, they use this dialogue to make the audience aware that they are used to

these words, which they also use for spells and curses. It’s a warning to the audience that

something else is coming.

In Act I and scene III, the witches speak to each other about winds.

“---I’ll give thee a wind – Th’art kind --- and I another --- I myself have all the others—

and the very ports they blow, all the quarters that they know I’ the shipman’s card.

I’ll drain him dry as hay: Sleep shall neither night nor day Hang upon his pent-house lid;

He shall live a man forbid. Weary sev’n-nights nine times nine shall he dwindle, peak

and pine: Though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tost. Look what I have.

I believe that they were trying to control the weather, especially the winds. In those days

only God was thought to have powers to control the weather. So the witches try to tell the audience that they were just as powerful as God himself was. The witches wanted to make the audience feel scared and tense of them, which is also what the people of the time felt for them. In other words they were trying to re-create the historical context.

Macbeth was a loyal person to the King, he shows this by going to War for him and is willing to give his life, evidence of this is in the following quote “ what he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won”. Here Duncan is saying how Noble Macbeth is.

When Macbeth meets the three weird sisters they give him three prophecies. These get him thinking about his future and also they awaken his ambitious and selfish side. Being ambitious and selfish is not a problem as it is apart of all of us. But with Macbeth as the play progresses he takes them to the extreme and lets them control his life. Macbeth’s attitude towards king Duncan changes rapidly. Before the first prophecy he is very close to Duncan, and would never think of doing something against him. When the thought of murdering Duncan crosses his mind immediately after he finds that he has just been named thane of Cawdor, he cannot believe he “yield to that suggestion/whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/and make my seated heart knock at my ribs”. However his “vaulting ambition” is starting to take over, but partly through his wife’s persuasion.

The witches speak in rhyme and riddle using chanting for great effect “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo”. By speaking in this way they are confusing Macbeth and Banquo. They capture their interest because they don’t understand what’s going on. A further riddle happens is act 1 scene 1 “When the hurlyburly’s done, when the battle’s lost and won” this indicates that Macbeth will win his fight to become king but in the process will loss his soul by killing his friends to achieve his ambition “I’ll go no more: I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not---Infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are not as pictures; tis the eyes of childhood that fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal; for it must seem their guilt. Whence is that knocking how is ‘t with me, when every noise appals me? What hands are here! Ha! They pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red”. Macbeth goes to see the three witch’s again because his three prophecies have come true and he wants know how they know “I conjure you, by that which you profess- Howe’er you come to know it-answer me: Though you untie the winds and let them fight against the churches; though the yesty ways confound and swallow navigation up; though bladed corn be lodg’d, and trees blown down; though the castles topple on their warder’ heads; though palaces do slope their heads to their foundations; though the treasures of natures Germens tumble all together, even til destruction sicken- answer me to what I ask you”. They don’t give Macbeth a straight answer, they ask him a question “Her nine farrow; grease that’s sweaten from the murderer’s gibbet, throw into the flame---Come, high or low; thyself and office deftly show---Tell me, thou unknown power, ---He knows thy thought: hear his speech, but say thou nought---Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff the thane of fire. Dismiss me. Enough”. This shows that the witch’s are calling upon the evil sprits they serve, in the first apparition with represses his dead with Macbeth is unaware of because they are twisting there words to confuse Macbeth.