Preview

The Role of Witches in Macbeth Essay Example

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
474 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Role of Witches in Macbeth Essay Example
There are three witches introduced in the beginning of Macbeth. They are there to foretell to Macbeth three prophecies. The prophecies are Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glams and King. These prophecies help to boost up Macbeth's head. The eventually to causes Macbeth to kill king Duncan. The prophecies bring the idea of fate into the play.
The witches had the ability to foreshadow the future. Although they could only tell the future they couldn't control it. This causes Macbeth to create his own destiny. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an influence over Macbeth, not the witches. Lady Macbeth had the power to manipulate Macbeth into doing whatever it is that she wanted. This is shown in the line "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear". (Act I, Scene V, 26). Before Lady Macbeth gives the speech in act one scene five, Macbeth doesn't want to go through with the killing of the king. Lady Macbeth knows that she has the power and acts on it. Although Macbeth has the final say in whether or not to go through with the initial killing, he loves Lady Macbeth and wants to make her happy. Ambition plays a large role in this tragedy. Macbeth's ambition is present before the witch's prophesies. Macbeth would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches. But with the combination of his wife, his ambitious nature, and the initial prophecies he is led to kill the king. Lady Macbeth says "Thou wouldst be great/ Art not without ambition." Macbeth states that it is "his besetting sin: I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition." Macbeth's continued ambition is present in his wanting to have a succession of kings after him. Macbeth's ambition is deep within him and because of this,
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    How did lady Macbeth and witches changed the Macbeth into bad person?
    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How did lady Macbeth and witches changed the Macbeth into bad person?

    They persauded Macbeth to kill people only because they wanted to be benefited. they were selfish and not worrying that they would soon turn Macbeth into a crazed lunatic The witches delighted in chaos and toil. They did not tell Macbeth what to do but they simply showed him what can happen through their prophecies and the apparitions they showed to Macbeth. Macbeth could've been a perfect target for them to bring about this chaos. Macbeth is a strong soldier, he has killed enemies in war, and perhaps the witches knew his true nature("by the prickling of my thumb, something wicked this way comes..."). The extent of their influenced is demonstrated through their predictions, they are temptations and a form of flattery which Macbeth eventually gave into. On one hand, Lady Macbeth has the far greater influence because she is Macbeth's wife and they share a passionate relationship together. Just like the witches she flatters him, but this time it is a direct flattery and a direct temptation towards him. As far as Macbeth being changed into a diffrent person, he himself is responsible for his own actions. The final decision lies within him and this was demonstrated when he carried out the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth acts as the catalyst for Macbeth. Macbeth realised that he would have to commit regicide (stars, hide your fires; let light not see my deep and black desires), but he was unwilling to do so. Lady Macbeth changes his mind by attacking his manhood, despite the brave acts he has commited as a soldier. She also flatters him shamelessly. The murder of Duncan sets Macbeth on the trail of evil, as he didn't consult his wife when he killed Banquo and Macduff's family. He didn't even care when she commited suicide. The witches represent the Three Fates in Greek Mythology. they connotate destiny, fate, etc. They delight and thrive in chaos and toil. In my opinion, the witches represent the primeval human emotions of hate and wickedness. They are all that is…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    How Did The Witches Influence Macbeth
    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How Did The Witches Influence Macbeth

    Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare’s witches, or the “three weird sisters” (1.3.32) serve several purposes. With their persuasive techniques and ability to either see or influence the future, their most important role seems to be their power to influence decision-making and cause the initial deterioration of Macbeth. By providing five prophecies, the witches “provide Macbeth’s ‘call to action’ and drive his thirst for power”, (Jamieson). However, by not telling Macbeth the full truth, they give him false hope, and expectations that ultimately lead to his demise. The witches influence him so greatly, that without their presence, it is possible that Macbeth would never have even committed the murder of King Duncan.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Witches Role In Macbeth
    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page

    Witches Role In Macbeth

    Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth has been edited by numerous editors and Shakespearian enthusiasts. But the one thing that is prominent in all works of the play is that they all mostly have the very same beginning. In a desolate place blasted by thunderstorms, three witches meet to predict the future. The witches don’t only come out once or twice during the play but instead are far more frequent. The witches play a far more important role in the play than being these ugly, old hags that tell the future. They aren’t your regular broomstick flying witches they are, “The Weird Sisters, hand in hand, posters of the sea and land.”(1.3; 32-33) possible the most powerful creatures we’ve read about. Yes, the title of the play is Macbeth, but…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Family Ambition Analysis
    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth Family Ambition Analysis

    For starters Macbeth eager desire to be king causes him to kill King Duncan. Macbeth killing the king shows his ambition because he keeps enduring with the process of killing the King Duncan even though he had doubts. With the many doubts that Macbeth had such as he would not be loyal or he would be caught and killed he reassured himself and persevered through his thoughts to accomplish killing the king. Lady Macbeth has a variety of events that shows her ambition in this play. In the play Lady Macbeth prays to invite spirts to help prepare her for the actions that she has commit. Lady Macbeth shows how ambitious she is because she prays asking for her emotions to be removed and to be filled with cruel spirts to help her accomplish planning for the event of killing the King so that Macbeth can become…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Fate And Free Will Essay
    • 3357 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Macbeth Fate And Free Will Essay

    The three witches are the catalyst of the play and they promote the theme-Fate and Free will, they set up the dark mysterious tone in the play. First of all, the witches accurately predict significant events in Macbeth’s life: they hail Macbeth as three things: Thane of Glamis, thane of Cowdor and “king hereafter”(pg 18), which represent past, present, and future. Macbeth is already the thane of Glamis and Duncan is sending Ross and Angus to make him Thane of Cowdor at that time. In this way, the three witches have established themselves as the struggle between nature and super nature, how can three strangers know you better than yourself? So When Macbeth becomes the Thane of Cowdor, he begins to believe in the prophecy and that’s…

    • 3357 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Role Of The Witches In Macbeth
    • 118 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Role Of The Witches In Macbeth

    Like snakes, the witches of Macbeth poison Macbeth's mind and spread illness upon him. The tragic events in Macbeth are not primarily Macbeth's or Lady Macbeth's fault but rather the responsibility of the witches. They infect Macbeth with wickedness, send evil spirits to Lady Macbeth, and manipulate Macbeth with ambiguous prophecies. Shunned by society and living in solitude, these three weird sisters hide in the background using Macbeth as their puppet. Unbeknownst to all, Macbeth was not the root cause of the tragic events and time will never be free as long as these witches have the ability to influence whomever they choose. Perhaps that is the reason instability continues in the throne for the years that follow.…

    • 118 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper
    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

    One’s ambition can over power them and cause them to act differently. Macbeths ambition over powers him and controls who he really is not. “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on…the eye fears when it is done, to see.” (1.4.311) Macbeth knows that killing Duncan is not right because he states, “…it’s necessary to hide his black and deep desires.” The ambition that Macbeth is portraying is careless. Macbeth’s ambition led him to only focusing on one thing and it was the throne. He became…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall
    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

    Macbeth’s ambition is a reason he is accountable for the death of the King and his downfall. In the beginning, Macbeth runs into three witches and they tell him “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (Act 1, scene 3) Macbeth blindly believes the prophecy without any proof instead of forgetting it like Banquo did. He thinks he will become King but instead of waiting to see if it comes true he takes matters into his own hands. “My thought, whose murder is yet…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Ambition Research Paper
    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Macbeth Ambition Research Paper

    In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays the theme of ambition within the story. Ambition can be shown in many different ways, many of them being good. But Shakespeare showed it differently in Macbeth, a more murderous way. It can be argued though that his ambition to become king is caused by different people. Once the three weird witches tell Macbeth his future, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53), he got the taste of power and had a motive to kill whomever got in his way of becoming king.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Fate Vs Free Will In Macbeth
    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Fate Vs Free Will In Macbeth

    The three witches seems like they sometimes foreshadowing Macbeth’s fate, or sometimes they manipulate all events. After they gave some prophecies to Macbeth and Banquo, He pointed out that “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me/ Without my stir” (I, iii, 143-144) This quote shows his free will. As seen as the words, he thought he can be the king without murder someone, and decided not to kill Duncan. Also, “O, yet I do repeat me of my fury./That I did kill them.” (II, iii, 100-101) Reveals his own decision. However, this also can be understanded as setted fate, because he had to kill the servants to hide what he had done and justify himself, even he didn’t want to kill them. Act I and II, the theme mostly shown as Macbeth’s actions that follow the prophecies witches given to him, such as hesitating murder.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Macbeth A Tyrant?
    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Is Macbeth A Tyrant?

    Shakespeare wrote many works of literature that covered many different topics. In Macbeth, one of his main topics was ambition. Macbeth was driven by ambition causing him to commit his first murder. He then begins to commit other crimes including murder again in order to cover up for his other crimes. Eventually, Macbeth is seen as a tyrant that loses his life for it. We assume that Lady Macbeth also goes crazy but in reality she is plotting and calculating. Her greed and conscious begin to weigh heavy on her and she ends up committing suicide. Proof of this is when Lady Macbeth says, “It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should accompany it.” (N.p., n.d. Web Dec 2015). Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to become king so badly that she pushes him to commit murder so that he may become king. He ends up giving in to their ambition by killing Duncan after Lady Macbeth belittles him and makes him believe she will leave him. Although…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth- Thing's Are Not What They Seem.
    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth- Thing's Are Not What They Seem.

    In the very beginning of the play Macbeth, Act I Scene I, we are introduced by three witches talking amongst one another during the middle of a storm. Whilst talking, they are portrayed as dark, eccentric, dreary creatures mumbling about the future. It doesn't seem as if they serve much importance then, but as the novel progresses we can see that all of the events that took place revolved around the nonsense in Act I Scene I. This is one of the many examples of how some things not being what they seem in Macbeth. Macbeth also received a prophecy from the three witches stating that he will become king. Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, took matters into their own hands and thought the only way to fulfill the prophecy was the murder the king themselves. This was very strange and ironic because King Duncan thought were highly of Macbeth and honored him and his wife. Later on as the novel progressed and Macbeth became king, he received another prophecy from the three witches. They told him that no man born from a woman can kill him. Once Macbeth heard this he thought he was invincible and couldn't be harmed by anyone. But once again, things weren't exactly as they seemed and the prophecy had a loophole. Macduff was able to kill Macbeth because he was ripped from his mother's womb during birth instead of being naturally born. Therefore, making him defy the prophecy the witches told.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Is a Helpless Victim of Supernatural and Evil Forces, Hence Hid Downfall and Destrution.
    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth Is a Helpless Victim of Supernatural and Evil Forces, Hence Hid Downfall and Destrution.

    The witches and their prophecies are the first major influence on Macbeth’s actions. The three witches planted the seed of ambition within Macbeth. They were the driving force behind Banquo and King Duncan's killing. The witches prophesized that his life would completely change, by becoming thane of Cawdor, then king of Scotland. At first, Macbeth dismissed their prophecies, but after he was promoted to Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth wondered if he will be King, too. "If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir." Another prophecy made by the witches was that Banquo's son will be king. Fuelled by paranoia, lack of sleep and visions, Macbeth was thrown into a state of confusion and a belief that the prophecies were inevitable.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Supernatural Essay Example
    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Macbeth Supernatural Essay Example

    Macbeth having ambitious thoughts is an affect that the supernatural had in the story. The three witches were the first supernatural occurrences in the story. Macbeth started to get thoughts of killing the king when the witches said “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth… thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3. 51-53). Macbeth is getting these thoughts because when he got the news from Ross that he would be thane of Cawdor then he started to think if the witches were right and if he was really going to be king. Macbeth then has doubts about killing Duncan, but Lady Macbeth convinces him to follow through on the plan. Macbeth’s driving force is ambition.…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Three Forces Acting Against Macbeth
    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Three Forces Acting Against Macbeth

    The first forces of evil acting on Macbeth are the three Weird Sisters. They provide the initial nail that gets hammered into Macbeths head; they lead him to believe that he will be King of Scotland. This prophecy gets Macbeth thinking, but not wildly enough to do anything about it. The Weird Sisters, without Macbeth knowing, persuade him to kill the current King of Scotland, Duncan. In telling Banquo his own prophecy, it eventually leads to Macbeth’s betrayal of Banquo, and Macbeth kills Banquo. Later in the play, the witches tell Macbeth three more prophecies. These new prophecies lead him to betray Macduff, and also to believe that he is ultimately immortal. So, covertly the witches play a major role in the downfall of Macbeth.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More