What part do the witches and the supernatural play in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” ?

The witches bring in three main themes to the play: the power of evil; fate and destiny; disorder and turmoil.

They bring the power of evil because witches are notoriously evil throughout history and are generally associated with wrong doings.

They bring idea of fate and destiny into the play because they alter Macbeth's destiny and put evil ideas into his head.

The witches disorder and turmoil because they influence Macbeth's decisions that often lead to disorder and to people getting killed.

The events that happen in the play make you ask yourself questions. Questions like, was Banquo's ghost really there in Act III Scene 4 or was it Macbeth's mind playing tricks on him. These questions can't really be answered and I think Shakespeare put these types of events in to keep the reader or audience guessing what is going to happen.

The three witches lure Macbeth into killing his king. This shows how powerful and persuasive the witches are because Macbeth committed treason, which is a capital offence. The witches put the idea of becoming king in Macbeth's head and he passes this onto Lady Macbeth, who asks "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty. I think that if the witches had not given Macbeth any of these thoughts then none of this would have happened.

This is why the witches play such an important part in the play. They control what happens in the play to a certain extent.

Macbeth was like a puppet on a string and the witches pulled whichever string they wanted to.

As we know the image of the withes that Shakespeare created for his audience was very gruesome, but it was not just their personal appearances that made them scary. The scenery they were surrounded by when on stage made them very eerie. For example, in the very first scene of the play they meet in a storm while a battle is being fought, and amongst their riddles they set the story for the play by indicating they are shortly going to encounter Macbeth, "Upon the heath," "There to meet with Macbeth." The image of the dark, frightening storm makes the witches even more terrifying. This pathetic fallacy is used often throughout "Macbeth" and Shakespeare uses it in a lot of his other plays.

Whether or not the witches are human is debatable and this creates a sense of mystery. The riddles they talk in also makes them seem weird and abnormal. For example, they will meet again when 'the battle is lost and won.' This seems a total contradiction but is actually an intelligent statement because in a battle there is always a loser and a winner, so the battle is lost, and won.

After their meeting in Act I Scene1 the next time the witches meet is in act I scene 3 and again the storm is still present as they gather to discuss their exploits. This time they cast a spell as they prepare to encounter Macbeth.

When Macbeth first encounters the witches, the two of them are extremely shocked and intimidated by the witches. The witches greet Macbeth and tell him of their visions. They tell him he will become Thane of Cawdor and will eventually be king of Scotland. This stuns Macbeth but Banquo is anxious to here what is in store for him and insists to know his future. They tell him he will not be king but his offspring will. Macbeth demands that these prophecies be explained but the witches are gone as quickly as they arrive. During the play the witches never stay for long and the audience doesn't get time to get to know them. This keeps them more mysterious.

The supernatural theme that runs constantly through the play does not only include the witches. There are supernatural powers that urge Macbeth on to killing his king, for instance, the dagger that appears in act II scene 1, is leading Macbeth on.

The witches' prophecies perplex Macbeth and he tries to kill Fleance and Banquo so that Fleance cannot become king after Macbeth and so Banquo cant have any more sons. Also Banquo suspected that Macbeth was involved in the killing of the king.

In Act IV Scene 1, Macbeth seeks out the witches to find out what is going on. They give him three new prophecies: "None of woman born shall harm Macbeth;" "Then live Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted Fear it lies. And sleep in spite of thunder;" and "Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.

Macbeth now thinks he is invincible because no one born from a woman can harm him and he shall not be killed until Great Birnam wood comes up to his castle. He is later proved wrong, he is mislead into thinking that no one can hurt him until he finds out that Macduff was born of caesarean operation, This frightens Macbeth but in one final act of courage he carries on fighting and does not give up until he is slain by Macduff. He is not just trying to prove the witches wrong; he is fighting for his life.

On the whole the witches and the supernatural play an extremely important part in Shakespeare's "Macbeth." The witches control the play and without them I don't think the play would be as exciting as it is. They embody a few important themes of the play and they themselves, along with the supernatural are an extremely major theme. Also they are important because they are a main reason for attracting such interest from King James I of England. The witches and supernatural are thematically important and are a contributory factor to the plays overwhelming popularity, especially in Shakespeare's time.