The Witches played an important role in the play because their prophecies in Act I, Scene 3 and Act IV, Scene 1 supplied Macbeth with motivation for his actions. They never lied to him but they only told him a part of the truth. Macbeth has comprehended there comments the wrong way, and did actions which were fatal. The witch’s had manipulated him to listen to them carefully and to not ignore their comments. He started to gain their trust after the witches spoke to Macbeth as “thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and king hereafter”. They also tell Banquo that though we will not be king, he will beget kings (i.e., his sons will be kings). Macbeth wonders about this rumours as the king’s messenger arrives. He informs him that he has been chosen as thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is immediately tempted to kill the king in order to fulfil these predictions, but decides not to.
The main characteristic in this play is that while the witch’s can influence Macbeth's actions, they cannot force him to commit the evil acts that he undertakes during the course of the Scottish play. The witches were trying to create chaos by manipulating Macbeth mind in order to get him to act. They filled Macbeths head with evil and were able to control his feelings. But it was Macbeth in the end who chose what actions to take to determined his future. He was not forced to kill King Duncan or any of his other victims. But after he murdered the King, Macbeth lost his innocence. The witch’s made him believe that there wasn’t anyone that could defeat him, and then he willingly continued to fight when he knew that it would mean his death. Macbeth's death was masterminded by the weird sisters, but it was Macbeth's own decisions that lead him to downfall. Shakespeare had used a lots of technique to show us how evil the witch’s were. He describes them as ugly and hideous. Banquo gives a hint as to their appearance when he refers to their chapped fingers, skinny lips, and beards. At the start of the scene they enter with the scene of fog with thunder and lightening effects, to link them to bad weather and the evil of nature.
Shakespeare made the witches speak in rhymes and riddles which are used to confuse the reader. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" sets the tone for the horrid events ahead. Their language changes from when their talking among themselves, and when they speak to Macbeth. They speak to Macbeth in a calm, kind and respectful manner, so that he could pay more attention to what they say. Using such language helps them to manipulate Macbeth and make him believe in what they say. These reinforce the stereotype of witch’s in the late 17th centaury.
Lady Macbeth is the great wife behind her man. As the play progresses one can clearly notice where a wife's ambition force her husband, and leads him to his own downfall. Lady Macbeth, however, asks her husband to kill the king. She has succeeded in persuading him and convinces Macbeth to kill the King. It seems like she doesn’t have a role in planning the whole murder of the King. She uses her cunning sexual teases and persuasion techniques to convince her husband Macbeth that his actions were beyond the shadow of a doubt the right thing to do. Knowing that she had the power in their relationship, she questions Macbeth's manhood, and courage: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you wre you would Be so much more the man”
To conclude, this play clearly shows how the mind of a loyal, trustworthy and brave warrior can be manipulated by the evil sprits of the witch’s and his wife. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s famous and most effective dramas. Its dramatic straightforward plot and its effective characterization make it so appealing and entertaining for modern audiences. We may not believe in witchcraft nowadays, but temptation certainly does help. The witch’s eventually do not gain anything out of this play, but just pure work of evil.
