How The Three Witches Affect Macbeth

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Macbeth is the character who is most affected by the prophecies put forth by the three witches in Act I Scene III as they are purposely directed toward him and his downfall. His initial reaction to the revelation that he will be named Thane of Cawdor and be king soon after is one of disbelief intertwined with a strong curiosity fuelled by superstition. This curiosity turns into a fire of ambition immediately following the conversation with the witches, as one of the king’s messengers arrive to inform Macbeth that he has been made the new Thane of Cawdor thus granting truth to the prophecy. This intrigues Macbeth even more, who is still somewhat sceptical of the path he should take, if any, and claims that “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir”. However, this statement is later rebuked after discussing the predictions with Lady Macbeth, who becomes irate at Macbeth’s plan to leave fate in the hands of the supernatural, instead of taking action to assure the success of the witches’…show more content…
Although Macbeth is their king, and they have a certain amount of duty is to him, they feel that, because he has murdered Duncan and many others as well, that showing loyalty to this man would be morally wrong. Also, their duty to Scotland, and to Duncan – who had created many of their titles, and who was the last legitimate king before Macbeth’s rise to power – outweighs their loyalty to the pretender to the Scottish throne. The gentlemen want to restore the prestige of Scotland, which they feel has been badly damaged since Macbeth’s reign of terror. Ross says of Scotland, “Alas, poor country! / Almost afraid to know itself.” Also, when Macduff hears of the murder of his wife and children, his sense of duty to them drives him to seek to kill Macbeth on the field of

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