Arthur Millers play The Crucible and William Shakespeares play Macbeth portray witchcraft to showcase the descent of humanity through manipulation of innocent individuals.

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The Portrayal of Witches

Witchcraft is a veritable and ill-natured force and the creator has given power to every individual to break free from its deceiving clutch. Thus, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible and William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth portray witchcraft to showcase the descent of humanity through manipulation of innocent individuals. For instance, witchcraft is depicted as a powerful dark art, with the potential to commit incredible feats. Furthermore the witches use the element of deception to achieve their ill-fated goals, often leading vulnerable individuals astray. Moreover, the witches’ victims eventually find their state beyond redemption leading the witches’ influential and efficient plans. Therefore, characters fall victim to the witches’ power deceptive and influential schemes that lead to the eventual humiliation of human society.

To begin with, individuals perceive that witches’ posses the power to commit incredible feats, portraying witchcraft as a powerful art. Witchcraft is perceived by many individuals as extremely powerful and potent, capable of great evil. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is overjoyed with Macbeth’s news concerning the three prophecies. She expresses her thoughts in a swirling tempest.

Come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty’ make thick my blood, stop up th”access and passage to remorse...come to my woman’s breast and take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers, wherever in you sightless substances you wait on nature’s mischief (1.5.39-49)

Lady Macbeth summons the witches’ powers to aid her in the quest for supremacy. Lady Macbeth is under the impression the witches’ possess the power to make her unremorseful in the pursuit of her dreams. While the witches’ invasion evil intents, they are also capable of infiltrating human minds and transforming their personalities. Lady Macbeth abandons her moral values in her willingness to embrace an unremorseful personality. She places her fair in witchcraft to achieve this feat. Likewise, in The Crucible Mrs. Putnam shares Mr. Collin’s perspective of Betty Paris supernatural experience. “Mr.Collins saw her goin over Ingersoll’s barn, and come down light as bird, he says”(Miller 13).Mrs. Putnam believes witches’ cause the propelling of Betty Paris’s body into the air, proving the witches’ ability to possess their victims. Misrepresentation in witchcraft lures Macbeth towards evil, forsaking righteousness. “Your children shall be kings”(1.3.90-91).Misrepresentation and the belief of witchcraft manifests Macbeth and compels Macbeth to believe the witches’ because of the rewards Macbeth can obtain if he compels with the witches’ 3 apparitions. Therefore, this marks the beginning of the downfall of humanity. Witches’ can focus on manipulating ones actions that is capable of physically influencing their victim’s actions and making them perform super humans feats. Hence, witches’ are perceived to perform extraordinary actions, consequently witchcraft is considered a dark art.

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In addition, the witches’ implement deceptive strategies to exploit individuals’ weakness leading vulnerable characters astray. Witches’ lure their victims with confections of misleading truths and deceits. In Macbeth, Banquo warns Macbeth after their encounter with the witches’. “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betrays in deepest consequence”(1.3.132-135).Banquo advices Macbeth to remain alert and attempt to discern the true intentions of the witches'. However, with the fulfillment of two prophecies, Macbeth is blinded by ambition and remains oblivious to the witches’ deceptive maneuver. Macbeths’ gullibility to ...

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