This creates a mysterious and mystical atmosphere, which creates suspicion as to why they are using their powers. The scene starts off with the witches being in a deserted place with thunder and lightning. The sound effects of these elements set the strange atmosphere of the play that Shakespeare wanted to achieve. All these elements give a huge dramatic effect that grabs the reader’s attention making them wonder; what are these witches doing. The presence of the witches introduces us to a dangerous and dark play.
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, light and dark play a big role in the dualities of the characters, the setting and the imagery throughout the play. Macbeth begins with three witches talking about when to meet again. These witches are evil by nature and represent evil throughout the book. The head of these witches states in her first line, “When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lighting or in rain?” (I. i.
Significantly, the witches open the play, a further indication of their importance to the plot. The first thing that we notice is that they are being identified with dark powers and chaos. The stage directions tell us that they meet during a storm. In order to make them seem particularly powerful and different from other characters, Shakespeare has them speaking in rhyming couplets, “When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain.” Not only do these opening lines introduce the witches’ speech patterns, they also establish their powers as they can predict the weather and control it. The weather conditions when they meet can all be linked with the theme of chaos and disorder, which foreshadows their role within the play as it is their predictions which awaken the seeds of ambition within Macbeth.
The first scene of Macbeth strikes the keynote of the play. The deserted and mysterious location, the wild storm, the appearance of the witches, all help to prepare the audience for a drama in which a human soul succumbs to the supernatural suggestions of evil and ranges itself along with the witches on the devil's side. In the opening scene of the play, thunder and lightning occur when the three infamous witches show up. This suggests that the three devilish creatures bring stormy weather with them, which causes disorder in the atmosphere. Already there is an implication of supernatural powers and evilness from the witches’ behalf, since they have the power to create storms and other gloomy atmospheric disturbances.
He created the mark by raking his claws across their flesh, or by making a red or blue bump using a hot iron; sometimes the mark was believed to have been left by the Devil licking them. To some extent witches are seen as significant within Shakespeare’s Macbeth for many different reasons; the core reason is due to their direct link with the gothic which is portrayed by the witches through supernatural means such as curses and spells. One reason as to why the witches are significant is due to their representation of the gothic. They can be seen as representing forces of evil, supernatural elements and manifestation of human desires; all of which are typical gothic conventions. The idea of the witches representing manifestation of human desires is a key element as they can be seen as the “alcohol” that “hinders performance”; they stimulate Macbeths desire to be king to such an extent that his own “black” desires cause his ultimate demise.
Presence of Evil Between the Lines When evil is presented in a fashion that is quite simple to manipulate to satisfy one’s needs, it is usually taken advantage of. Although Macbeth and the remainder of the characters only existed within the invented pages of William Shakespeare’s book Macbeth, they still fell into the trap of allowing the evil around them to take over their lives. The three witches and Hecate, the act of murder, the murder of King Duncan the slaying of Banquo and the presence of his ghost, Lady Macbeth and her sleepwalking all signify different aspect of evil. The presence of evil in Macbeth affected the characters within the play, how they carried about their lives, and the total outcome of the play. By creating a false sense of destiny within Macbeth, the three witches are considered as a significant role portraying evil within the play.
As I have stated one of the fundamental elements dictating whether we should look at Macbeth as a tyrant or tragic hero is based around the role played by the witches. Although their actual time in the play is short their impact on the plot, characterization and themes of Shakespeare’s tragedy are enormous. When
Shakespeare immediately started Macbeth with a supernatural scene. The three witches set the somber and evil tone of the plot. In Hamlet, Shakespeare also presented a supernatural occurrence close to the opening. The ghost of Hamlet's father presented
The witches add a touch of evil and the supernatural to the play. We know they will be involved every step of the way. The opening scene is paramount for setting us up for all the cool stuff that's coming... 1. In the play as a whole, people are tossed about by forces that they cannot control, and so it is in the opening scene. 1.
Albeit Macbeth may seem as a strong and independent character his actions are substantially influenced by the female characters of the play. In addition, the leading female characters of the play are essentially portrayed as evil and their actions lead the play’s tragic development. The premise of the play is revealed at the very beginning of the play. The three witches awaken Macbeth’s ambition when they call him “thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor and king hereafter” (I.iii. 48-50) and present the main characters and their relationships.