Who is responsible for the evil in 'MacBeth'?

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Monday 19th January

Who is responsible for the evil in 'MacBeth'?

During this essay I am going to discuss the actions of MacBeth, Lady MacBeth and the Witches. I am going to take into consideration the way that Shakesphere presents them and the drama he creates in their characterisation.

As the play starts, the audience are immediately introduced to the witches who are talking in riddles and rhymes. They mention MacBeth's name before the audience have even been introduced to him. Shakesphere intentionally does this so that it hints to the audience that the witches have something against MacBeth. The witches use words like "fair is foul and foul is fair" and "Hover through the fog and filthy air." Shakesphere does this to show the audience that the witches are nasty and full of evil.

The second time the audience meets the witches, they are meeting with MacBeth. First though they are on their own talking about MacBeth and then he arrives. MacBeth uses the same words that the witches use in the first scene to describe the day that they will meet. MacBeth proclaims, "So foul and fair a day I have not seen." Shakesphere does this so that the audience can see that they are making correct predictions about the future before they even know what is going to happen in the play. The witches greet MacBeth by saying "Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis" which he knows he is. Then the next witch calls, "Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor". This is called dramatic irony when the audience knows more than a character in the play. This is very strange to MacBeth because he doesn't know that he has just been crowned this title in the previous scene. Even stranger though when the third witch proclaims "All hail MacBeth, that shalt be King hereafter". This amazes both MacBeth and Banquo, who then calls to the witches jealously "To me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time. And say, which grain will grow and, and which will not."
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The witches try to pit Banquo against MacBeth by telling him he will be "Lesser than MacBeth, and greater", "not so happier, yet much happier" and "Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none". Basically they tell Banquo that he will be less than MacBeth and not so happy but eventually he will be greater and happier. Also he wont be King but his children will be.

In the next scene, MacBeth is crowned Thane of Cawdor and it is announced that Malcolm will be next in line to the throne. What the witches have said to ...

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