The witches god is saying that why are they putting up with Macbeth and that he only cares for himself. She wants the witches to teach him a lesson which will betray Macbeth because he thinks that they are loyal to him. The three witches create an illusion that is like a hint to Macbeth but he takes it a different way, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
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.
In this quote Macbeth is saying why should he stop with just being the thane of Cawdor, why not achieve even more greatness; the greatness that the witches promised him. This quote gives us the first glimpse into Macbeth’s goals and thoughts. Macbeth doesn’t just stop with hearing the witch’s prophecies once; instead he seeks out their advice again and tries to learn more about his future. This helps to assure him that the goals he’s achieved will be safe and won’t be taken from him. When Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth he says, “I will, to the weird sisters: / More shall they speak,” (3.5.134-135).
Once I gave him the title of Cawdor, he so thoughtlessly believed in the witches' power and fell willingly under their spell. What an ignorant fool! Also responsible would have to be Lady Macbeth. Once she learns of the prophecy, she is all too ready for Macbeth to become king, no matter what evil deeds had to be done to ensure he would attain the throne, including the quickest route to the crown, my crown! Even when Macbeth does have second thoughts, Lady Macbeth is there, insulting his manhood and shaming him into action.
(1.3.71)” Banquo also doubts the intension of the witches, he believes that evil always tells one part of the truth in order to earn one’s trust and lead him to destruction. Banquo warns Macbeth, ”But ‘tis strange./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. (1.3.124-128)” On the other hand, Macbeth ignored his friends warning and believes in what the witches say. He is over whelmed by his ambition to be king, he said to himself,”Glamis, and the thane of Cawfor!/The greatest is behind. (1.3.118-119).””Two truths are told/,as happy prologues to the swelling act/of the imperial theme.
Macbeth desire to be king causes him to believe the witches for their prophesies have come true before. He is unable to see the witches as the most dangerous characters in the play. Without the witches playing upon Macbeth’s ambitions, it is doubtful that Macbeth would have committed the murders. The witches play the part of the instigators, and help Macbeth to continue his acts of violence. Even though they are able to see that his acts will lead him to his downfall, they continue to let him kill others.
25-26) Banquo sees the opportunity to figure out the dream that fate has given him and takes it, illustrating his free will in life trying to make sense of the fate he was given. I. iii. 154-155 “If chance will have me King, why,/ chance may crown me,/ Without my stir.” After encountering the Weird Sisters with Banquo, Banquo cautions him not to give the creatures’ words much credence. Though, within minutes Ross arrives to tell Macbeth that the king has bestowed the title Thane of Cawdor upon him as the witches had predicted. Macbeth then begins to ponder the power of fate.
Shakespeare shows through Duncan, who carries a legitimate power, that only direct threats to the kingdom are punished accordingly. Illegitimate power is also shown to result in manipulated relationships. Macbeth’s relationship with Lady Macbeth is evidence of this. They were both madly in love with each other in the beginning, Macbeth greeting his mistress tenderly and saying that she is his “dearest love” (1-6-57). However as the events unfold, they become allies more than lovers in their quest to claim the throne, and Macbeth is manipulated and encouraged to do wrong.
The quote shows how Banquo cares about Macbeth, as he warns him about the prophecies. It is also important to note that the quote reveals Banquo's intelligence as well. Shakespeare shows Banquo taking a minute to reflect on the witches prophecies. He does not do this with Macbeth, instead he shows Macbeth jumping to conclusions and immediately thinking about killing the king. In this way, the quote helps the audience understand Banquo's character in relation to
Where there is a positive figure there will always be a negative mocking the good. During the act, Macbeth, Shakespeare uses contrasting images of lightness and darkness to express the differences of powers used amongst two different characters. The character Macbeth is a very important aspect of the play because his is referred to as the tyrant: a dark, evil and violent dictator that does nothing, but tries and destroys other around him. Duncan on the behalf is a loyal king to the people of Scotland. Duncan tries to praise the people around him and honor them for the good that they instill.