In Macbeth, the darkness in the hearts of the characters either disappear or the characters realize what the darkness had done to them. When the images of witches are brought up in any piece of literature, they are usually associated with darkness and/or evil. This is also the case in Macbeth. Shakespeare uses many techniques to enforce this stereotype of witches. He uses pathetic fallacy to convey the dark surroundings as they “Hover through the fog and filthy air” (1 .
This is riddle and the witches speak in riddles and paradoxes as they are mysterious beings of the universe. In the very opening of the play the witches appear in storm and rain and plan to have the rendezvous with Macbeth. As the three witches leave, they chant a witchly chant: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: / Hover through the fog and filthy air" (1.1.11-12). As creatures of the night and the devil, they like whatever is "foul" and hate the "fair." So they will "hover" in the fog, and in the dust and dirt of battle, waiting for the chance to do evil.
,1 ENG 3U104 December 3, 2013 Macbeth Essay: Macbeth By William Shakespeare Shakespeare’s Three Witches, or Weird Sisters, are very important characters within his timeless tale of Macbeth. The Witches answer to the “fates of mythology” (Dover Wilson) by showing people prophecies and apparitions. These Witches are more important within the play than people understand. They have a calamitous affect on the protagonist within Macbeth, and all the characters associated with him. After a protracted discussion of the topic of who is to blame for the demise of Macbeth, the blame has come to rest upon the Three Witches.
The witches In the beginning scenes of Macbeth, the witches are seen as mysterious. This is shown when in act 1 scene 1 they plot to do something later on. Stage directions showed thunder and lightning which Shakespeare intended to make the atmosphere of the audience mysterious and dark, which gives the audience an impression that the witches are up to no good. The first witch says "when shall we three meet again" "In thunder, lightning or in rain?" Another mysterious scene is where they meet Macbeth and disappear into the air.
Tragedy is marked by the choices which the main character makes. Throughout this story, Macbeth's decisions are greatly influenced by many elements of the unexplainable supernatural world, causing his actions to be somewhat unpredictable majority of the time. The first major scene involving the supernatural world begin with the introduction to the three witches, this appeared in Act 1 Scene 1. The witches meet on a moor and they discussed their plans of where to meet Macbeth.  Webster defines witches as, "1: one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers; especially: a woman practicing usually black witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or familiar : sorceress — compare warlock 2: an ugly old woman : hag 3: a charming or alluring girl or woman 4: a practitioner of Wicca." The supernatural was mentioned in definition 1, therefore, the three witches were also part of the supernatural elements in the play Macbeth.
ENGLISH PREP-MACBETH COMPARISON In the BBC animated version of Macbeth, it is set in the 17th Century, where Shakespeare intended it to be. The story is extremely simplified without any real depth to the characters due to the length (for example, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as completely unfeeling at the beginning of the play, whereas in Trevor Nunn’s version she is far more apprehensive, despite her hunger for power). In this production, the witches bear no resemblance to human beings, let alone women-they are supernatural, mystic creatures that shift shape and speak in cackles and shrieks. Because of the animation, the darkness and true obscurity of the play is not accentuated in the way it is in Trevor Nunn’s or Rupert Goold’s interpretations. Rupert Goold’s interpretation of ‘Macbeth’ is very stylised; the set and costumes are key to creating the defined gothic horror of the production.
This in turn makes the reader feel apprehensive and afraid of the supernatural beings corrupting Macbeth, as it gives a feeling that they are always watching, and also highlights the mystical powers they seem to have. In reference to them, Macbeth speaks about Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft and the moon, and how ‘witchcraft celebrates’, to show that he is a pawn in their game and they have won. Witchcraft can also influence dreams, by which ‘wicked dreams abuse the curtain’d sleep’, to suggest that sleep is to be disturbed
• Supernatural World – the Witches and their prophecies. • The dark and stormy weather at the commencement of the play foreshadows terror. • The reign of King Duncan was prosperous with maintenance of order. Macbeth’s reign as King had turned Scotland upside down, driving it to chaos and subsequently, to war with England. • Macbeth’s insecurity drives him to see the Witches, which in turn divert his psychological state.
Although it is true that Lady Macbeth is a big part of the play and adds a lot of interest, her character is revealed through her unkind attitude with Macbeth, careless feelings towards the lives of others, and her guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth is very pushy when it comes to the murder of Duncan and Macbeth’s hesitations towards it. She gives this comment to Macbeth, “Oh, never shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my Thane, is as a book where men may ready strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time, bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue.
Throughout the play, the three witches along with Hecate are always on the audience and character’s minds even when they aren’t present. The witches are central to the action in Macbeth, they represent the temptations we’re all faced with at some time. Temptations that we see through Macbeth when he gives in to them and completely flips his manner. The witches are the characters seen first, setting the tone of the play. While waiting for Macbeth, they torment a sailor whose wife refused to give them chestnuts, just for the pure pleasure of it all.