The plot develops in scene three. The witches meet again but this time with Macbeth and Banquo as well. The witches tell them prophecies of their future success. They predict Macbeth will become thane of Cawdor and also king and that Baquo’s children will become king too. Macbeth is frightened of the witches but yet happy about their prophecies. They are both curious but the witches vanish like air bubbles.
The witches are portrayed as evil, as they cast a spell in scene three on a sea captain and they use a pilot’s thumb for the spell. They also seem unnatural as they have the power to vanish as in scene three when they leave Macbeth and Banquo. Banquo’s description of the witches leaves the reader with a vivid image of withered and ugly women,
“You should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so,”
Macbeth is portrayed by Banquo as a noble man. He seems modest as he questions the witches of their prophecy he cannot see how he could be king. Banquo is calm but curious about the witches. He seems brave as he talks to the witches despite their strange appearance.
Evil is a major theme to the play. In scene one the witches are chanting together, they say,
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair/Hover through this fog and filthy air,”
This is known as a paradox as it contradicts itself. It means that evil is good and good is repulsive. The witches want this evil to spread through the air. The evilness is connected to the witches. It is seen as an illness that can infect people such as Macbeth and spread.
Fate is also another major theme. The witches predict Macbeth’s fate and he becomes interested and curious about it. He does not know if the witches speak the truth and whether he should believe them. Macbeth may become too concerned with these predictions, making them come true through his own actions.
The stage directions make the play easier to understand, as we know exactly when people enter and leave the scene. It sets the scene well and you know exactly what is happening. It also gives a clearer image of the setting of the play for example when the witches vanish.
The language of the scene is very affective throughout both scenes especially with the witches. They talk in verses and this creates a creepy image of them chanting close together for example in scene three when the witches were telling Macbeth’s prophecy,
“All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Glamis/ All hail Macbeth, hail to thee thane of Cawdor/ All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter,”
In Polanski’s realisation of the text the opening scene fades in as an extremely long shot of a moorland landscape. There is a red sky, indicating that it is very early and before sunset. It is a cold, windy and wet day and the moorland is empty. The third scene is set on the side of a mountain, the weather is the same but the sky is dull. It is therefore later into the day.
The first movement is of a stick being poked in the sand. There is a withered hand holding the stick. In both scenes, one and three the witches stay particularly close. The third scene begins with the camera panning around the landscape. They enter and leave both scenes together. In scene one they walk into the distance as the camera stays still ending the scene. In scene three, the scene is ended as the witches walk into a hut.
All three of the witches wear dirty, layered rags of clothing. They were dark, earth-coloured tunics which covered their entire body. There was also no shape to the tunics.
Throughout scene one there was a constant howling in the background, this gave a sense of horror. There was thunder, this symbolises superstitions and is associated with witchcraft. Both scenes are quite dull apart from the red sky at the beginning of scene one.
The third witch looked different compared to the other two. She was definitely younger and she did not seem as old and as withered as them. Also she did not speak as much. In scene three we hear the witches chanting before the camera is actually on them.
There was a wide range of camera shots. The medium shot was used the most. It was very affective when it was used on the witches, as you were able to see clearly the deformed and grotesque nature of them.
I think the film worked extremely well because it only concentrated on realizing the text at the most important points for example in scene three when Banquo and Macbeth meet with the witches. In scene one were they use the pilot’s arm instead of the thumb in the text was particularly affective as it showed how gross this was and how horrible the witches were. If they had used the thumb it would have been too small to have any affect. If I were to change anything in order to reflect the text I would make scene one where they are casting the spell more dramatic. I would rather the witches to hold hands and chant louder in an evil, scarier voice this would have made the witches more terrifying to the viewers.
