Belief in witchcraft was wide spread. In 1604 it became punishable by death, this was to try and attempt to subvert god’s natural order. We see clearly the witches have beards. They substituted death at the point of birth; their major achievement is leading Macbeth to destruction.
In act 1 scene 1 this scene sets an atmosphere, it gives more detail about the characters. Its very important dramatically as Shakespeare set the atmosphere for the whole play: at the beginning the atmosphere is full of weirdness, horror, and superstition and evil. The witches almost always speak in four beat rhythms. This is what makes their chanting of the spells so strange and so very effective.
In the middle of a storm the three witches meet. Their rhymes indicate that shortly intend to meet Macbeth. The witches seem to be very ambiguous creatures a sense of mystery when they meet “when the battle is lost and won” which seems to be a contradiction. The thing is that they show there evil in the final moments. According to them “fair is foul and foul is fair”. The some people say that they are changing god’s natural order.
Act1 scene 3 opens very dramatically when the three witches are talking about what they have been doing. One of the witches says how she saw a sailor’s wife with chestnuts in her lap and she was munching away at them. So the witch asked if she could have some but the sailor’s wife say’s “Arioint three”. So the witch casts a spell on the woman’s husband. As he is a sailor she makes him sail into a storm for 81 weeks and he can’t leave and where ever he goes the storm will go to.
In Act 1 scene 3 the witches meet Macbeth for the first time with Banquo. The storm arrives just like the witches predicted, they gather to boast about their plans. Before they actually meet Macbeth they cast a spell. When Macbeth and Banquo come across the witches they seem very shocked about their appearance. When they meet Macbeth they tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor and will be King of Scotland. Macbeth is shock by what they tell him but at the same time Banquo demands they tell him of what this future is. He is told that he will not be king of Scotland but his children will be. Then Macbeth insists that they explain what how they know his information but the witches then vanish as they did as they came before meeting Macbeth at the beginning of the Scene. What they do to him is significant of Macbeth’s future state of mind.
Macbeth and Banquo briefly discuss the insane revelations that they have just heard from the witches. When Macbeth is told that he will be Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and Banquo are stunted by what they have just be told amazed by what they have just been told Macbeth starts to see the ambition unfolding. Banquo warns Macbeth of the dangers of trusting such supernatural messages, bu8t Macbeth doesn’t listen to Banquo and says in this own thoughts. Macbeth then makes up his mind on going towards being King of Scotland. In private to Banquo that they speak about the revelations at a future data, which Banquo agrees to do.
Banquo warning to Macbeth concerning the “instruments of darkness” might also be miss construed. Macbeth is betrayed as a result of believing these truths and he comes to realise this in the final moments of the last scene with Macduff. At the start of the play shows that Macbeth believes that he will be Thane of Cawdor and he begins to imagining what he needs to do so he can murder King Duncan so he can become king.
During the production clothing was significant because clothing is a powerful image like disguise. Macbeth hides behind his clothes of kingship. During Act1 scene 3 the actors would have used trap doors for the witches to appear and disappear. They would probably position themselves so that they would impress the audience with their disappearing act.
In Act 3 scenes 5. The three witches and their leader Hecate are preparing a strong spell for deluding Macbeth “wayward” suggests that Macbeth is no longer a victim of the witch’s evil but more a partner on of them in their world. By the end of the play Macbeth has become full of evil and he has destroyed him self. Macbeth wants to show his strength and the witches let him by offering to let Macbeth see their Master. Many people believe that Macbeth didn’t write this scene. The speakers don’t speak like they do in the other scene and the witches don’t speak in a four beat rhythm.
