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
Throughout Scene 1-4 Macbeth is portrayed as a heroic and valiant man, however with sly and manipulative characteristics brought out by the Witches. The use of structure and language allows Shakespeare to present both Macbeths flaws and weaknesses to the audience. Structurally scene 1 opens with the witches gathered together reciting plans about meeting Macbeth, establishing an occult malevolence which permeates the play. The choice of starting with the witches instantly creates a mood of terror and unearthly evil, setting an unnatural and deceptive atmosphere. 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.
As the play begins, Macbeth and Banquo are friends and comrades in arms, both Scottish noblemen and valiant defenders of King Duncan. The first description of them concerns how fiercely they had recently fought together to defeat the forces of the King of Norway and Macdonwald, a traitor to the King. Macbeth and Banquo together encounter the witches on the heath where Macbeth hears their prophecy for the first time. Banquo reacts as a friend would at the sound of Macbeth's good fortune, then seeks to know his own future. Shortly after, Banquo warns Macbeth of danger, explaining that the witches may not be trustworthy: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence.
To what extent can Lady Macbeth and the witches be held accountable for the actions of Macbeth? In the dramatic play ‘Macbeth’, written by William Shakespeare, showed us that the King of Scotland, Macbeth was being played and controlled by the people he trusted the most, his own wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches. His wife, Lady Macbeth was very evil, selfish, cunning and manipulating and the witches misguided him with their prophecies, which resulted him losing his sanity and making very bad choices. Therefore, even though Macbeth was greedy and ambitious himself, Lady Macbeth and the witches were to some extent accountable for Macbeth’s actions. What happened to Macbeth was a combination of events that lead him to believe that one day he would be King.
Change of Heart Shakespeare’s Macbeth really helped me understand the severity that people can change under certain circumstances. The main character, Macbeth, begins as a very respectable and moral person, but by the end of the story he has become a murderous tyrant. It’s hard to tell if Macbeth would have had the same fate if he had never heard the prediction of his future from the three witches. If Macbeth had never heard what the witches had to say, would he have still become king? Or would he have never found the courage to murder for his own personal gain?
Shakespeare has linked scene i and scene ii by having the characters in both scenes discuss a battle and Macbeth. The witches’ discussion about “When the battle’s lost and won” only becomes clarified when the soldier comes to tell of Macbeth’s victory. This gives an effect of mystery and intrigue about Macbeth, for we have only heard about him thus
Macbeth truly debuts the play with auspiciousness, which in a sense, makes his downfall so much more tragic. Macbeth's ambition takes control of his noble qualities however, and creates a destructive path for both himself and Scotland as a whole. The seeds of his ambition are planted even before the Witches's first prophecy. While the Witches are predicting Macbeth's future it is evident that the notion of Duncan's murder has already crossed his mind: MACBETH: [Aside.] This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good.
In Macbeth one of the key themes which Shakespeare shows is Ambition. Ambition is the one thing which turns weak minded people like Macbeth from a loyal, good hearted general to a murderous, cold tyrant. This theme is represented through a variety of dramatic devices and characterisation techniques. Shakespeare makes Macbeth an easy victim of ambition. Macbeth himself quotes, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting Ambition, which o'er-leaps itself and falls in the other."
As the play goes on Macbeth becomes greedy after the mysterious visit of the three witches telling him he will become king. Macbeth becomes the bad guy in this situation when bad thoughts of murder came to mind and started to overcome the good in him. Murder was his intention and for that he killed fellow men who once where in close relation to him and his wife. “I have done the deed.” (Macbeth 2.2) The reason for Macbeth to even believe in himself that he could get away with this is because he was so trustworthy in the beginning by being the good guy and helping out the townspeople rather than being the one to make them need help. Good may be evil hidden so well that there would be no determination if they were actually really good.
After he hears that he will become king he feels the need to make it come true, even if it means killing Duncan. At this point Macbeth is only toying with the idea of murder, showing that he is not completely corrupted by the witches’ evil ways. Darkness, like a disease, spreads quickly throughout Macbeth; the only cure for the disease is a sound