The third witch says, ‘There to meet Macbeth’, this intertwining of Macbeth reflects the relationship which will be made between him and the witches, and the evil which is going to be involved in Macbeth’s life. The arrangement of meeting place shows their target for the forces of evil, and their thorough planning of making an appointment to lure Macbeth to destruction. This scene symbolises the witches as a representation for temptation, therefore foreshadowing Macbeth’s potential human weakness to be susceptible to temptation, before we are even introduced to Macbeth himself. Shakespeare presents Macbeths character as brave and fearless in Scene 2; without Macbeth being present. “Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps and fixed his head upon our battlements”, this quotation is said by the captain, who is commending Macbeth for defeating the leader of the rebel army.
His decisions are, however, to some extent, made under the influence of Lady Macbeth, who manipulates him in every way to guide him to success. The witches and their prophecies play a significant role in Macbeth’s downfall. Throughout the play, the witches deceive and fool Macbeth by giving equivocal prophecies, evoking his inner desire for power and swaying him to take evil action. They exploit his ambition from the very beginning, telling Macbeth he will be “Thane of Cawdor” and “King of Scotland” without specifying when or how. This, along with the proven credibility of their first prophecy – Thane of Cawdor – awakens Macbeth’s hidden ambition and triggers his desire to fulfill the last prophecy – King of Scotland, giving him the thought of killing Duncan, “Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair” (Macbeth, I,III, 45) and thus, providing the first stepping stone towards his demise.
They both have various similarities and differences and these comparisons say a great deal about both of their characters. Now, a key difference between Banquo and Macbeth is that Macbeth is already obviously a representation of the Machiavellian concept. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, in this case, the prestigious title, King. As soon as the three witches give him his prophecy, he is engulfed with the hunger, the desire of power. Due to this unrestrained burst of ambition, Macbeth turns to darkness and he begins to act on his thoughts even though when Banquo asks if he ever thinks about the witches’ prophecy, he denies it all.
“(1.3.47-49) These three lines are extremely crucial to the play because it gives Macbeth his beginning thoughts toward receiving the throne. Shakespeare made the witches deceive Macbeth and Banquo who begin to believe they are invincible and have much to look forward to. This proves misogyny in Shakespeare because it ultimately put the witches to blame for all the horrible events in the play. Shakespeare also portrays his misogyny through Macbeth as he belittles the witches by saying, “How now, you secret, black and midnight hags.” (4.1.47) In Shakespeare’s era, chivalry and respect toward women was big. By having a character in his play say this to three so called women, seems
From the very beginning of the play, suspense was already introduced. The opening scene of Macbeth was with the three witches. This scene is very short but that is what fills it with excitement and tension. The whole scene is written in rhyme which suggests that the witches are chanting. This creates a mysterious and mystical atmosphere, which creates suspicion as to why they are using their powers.
The three witches started the catalyst for Macbeth's ambition with their predictions of promotions to Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland. However Banquo was sceptical, suggesting that they must have gone a little bit crazy to be seeing the witches and believing in their existence and their predictions. He accepted that if they really had seen the witches, then they needed to be suspicious of the reasons. He cut right to the chase when he suggested that the forces of evil made their presence and powers known only to the detriment of
Character Analysis: Abigail Williams Arthur Miller The Crucible Abigail Williams is the vehicle that drives the play. She bears most of the responsibility for the girls meeting with Tituba in the woods, and once Parris discovers them, she attempts to conceal her behavior because it will reveal her affair with Proctor if she confesses to casting a spell on Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail lies to conceal her affair, and to prevent charges of witchcraft. To avoid severe punishment Abigail shifts the focus away from herself by incriminating others of witchcraft. This frantic act of self-preservation soon becomes Abigail's way of influence.
Shakespeare used the knowledge of the public’s fear and interest in the supernatural to his advantage with casting the 3 witches in the play. This drew the Elizabethan audience in. There foul and evilness added mystery and curiosity to the play for the audience as most of what they were seeing on stage was believed to be real..The fear created by the 3 witches engaged the audience and questioned the thoughts on what is real and what is supernatural. Also King James 1st was interested in demonology and Shakespeare could have made the witches to please the king. The king would also have liked the play as it was showing treachery towards the king will end in death one way or another.
By creating a false sense of destiny within Macbeth, the three witches are considered as a significant role portraying evil within the play. After the first two predictions made by the witches, they were discovered to be true, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee thane of Cawdor!” (Shakespeare, 1, II, 51-52). Macbeth’s instincts drove him to believe the third would come true as well.
The witches gave him the idea that he would become king “Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter.” (Shakespeare, 23) which made him think about it. After he was announced Thane of Cawder, he realized maybe the witched were right, that maybe someday he will become king. After Macbeth wrote a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth and told her about what the witches had told him, she started thinking of a plan and putting it into action. “The Witches are the most evil in the entire play.