“All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.52-53) Macbeth would have never thought of killing Duncan if the Witches had never given him the idea of him being King. The Witches plan an evil atmosphere every time they show up. They gave Macbeth the temptation of being something above everyone else, and gave him the ideas of betraying his surroundings. After Macbeth when to go see the Witches for them to tell him his future from the apparitions, it showed Macbeth’s downfall.
The witches are shown as figures that seem to trigger Macbeths murderous ambition, as their prophesy leads Macbeth to first consider killing Duncan, to gain power. But the witches never actually say anything about murder; all they do is tell Macbeth he s going to be King. Macbeth himself as man, questions how, and makes the evil plot, leaving the witches looking as if they are the evil figure. Is there a reason that witchcraft is only represented as evil women? Sexism is displayed through the witches in “Macbeth”.
The truth is that many of these decisions that Macbeth makes or follows is based on what the witches told him. One example of this is when Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill Duncan in order to become king. She specifically says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature / … / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, / and chastise with the valor of my tongue” (1.5.16-17, 27-28). In this quote Lady Macbeth is thinking about the witches prophecy and how she can make it come true.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, light and dark play a big role in the dualities of the characters, the setting and the imagery throughout the play. Macbeth begins with three witches talking about when to meet again. These witches are evil by nature and represent evil throughout the book. The head of these witches states in her first line, “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lighting or in rain?” (I. i.
Structure Intro Paragraph 1 – Macbeth’s desire/ambition for power (triggered by witches) Paragraph 2 – Jack’s desire/ambition for power Paragraph 3 – Macbeth, once power is achieved (corruption) Paragraph 4 – Jack, once power is achieved Paragraph 5 – Summary/Comparision Intro: Power and the desire for power are key themes in both Macbeth and Lord of the Flies. In the beginning of both texts, Macbeth and Jack are introduced by images of darkness and ill omens. In Macbeth in Act I scene i, darkness is presented through the witches and the thunder and lightning. It is as if the natural order is being disrupted by unnatural elements. Macbeth is associated with the witches as they are waiting for him and their riddles mirror his opening remark to Banquo.
This creates a mysterious and mystical atmosphere, which creates suspicion as to why they are using their powers. The scene starts off with the witches being in a deserted place with thunder and lightning. The sound effects of these elements set the strange atmosphere of the play that Shakespeare wanted to achieve. All these elements give a huge dramatic effect that grabs the reader’s attention making them wonder; what are these witches doing. The presence of the witches introduces us to a dangerous and dark play.
She is annoying Macbeth until he gives in and commits the murder. Shakespeare is writing his play as the Witches being the tormentors and the evil ones thinking of the king special in mind. This is because the king and people in those times believed that witches causes every bad thing. The king also believes that the witches also killed his mother and his father. Also because of making witches being the evil people in the play he would get more funding for his theatre.
We are unaware of the witches plans regarding Macbeth but it is clear that they are planning to meet him to unleash evil in the play at that is what witches do. King James was particularly interested in Witches and even wrote a book on it. Shakespeare opens Macbeth with a scene that introduces the witches
This illusion is one of the witches, sowing the seeds of murder in Macbeth, and ultimately, immediately after he murders Duncan. Further, Macbeth again visits the witches, this time in a plead for further knowledge and is met with additional illusions. Before though, Hecate meets with the witches and states, “Shall raise such artificial sprites / As by the strength of their illusion / Shall draw him on to his confusion: / He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear”(Shakespeare 3.6.26-29). The witches use apparitions to further influence Macbeth this time leading him down a false path. By doing this, Macbeth becomes arrogant and feels invincible.
Imagery of Light & Darkness in Macbeth The contrast between light and dark in Macbeth can best be seen through the dialogue of the characters and the ambiance of scenes in the play. The characters in Macbeth make several references to light and darkness throughout the play. In act 1, scene 1 the three witches are talking and the first witch says "When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" This is a good example of darkness imagery because when crashing thunder, lightning and rain come to mind, they all remind you of evil and ominous things.