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. Within the play Macbeth, the Witches have done numerous things to cause the demise of Macbeth; influenced him through prophecies and apparitions, spurred his killing spree and manipulated him. From the outset, the Witches show Macbeth prophecies which lead to his downfall. These prophecies are the root of Macbeth’s misfortunes and evil doings, push Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to act upon their evil thoughts, and alter Macbeth from a loyal soldier to a traitor. First and foremost, the Witches were the root of Macbeth’s misfortunes and evil doings.
During this encounter, the withes praise Macbeth naming him three titles, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland. All three titles hold great honor leaving Macbeth yearning for the positions. By the witch sisters declaring Macbeth will possess these titles plants the thought in Macbeths mind which turns into greed; he would not let anything stand in his way to obtain these titles no matter the consequences. The greed Macbeth has come to have becomes apparent after the witches praising when he begs, “Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (Act l, Scene III pg 307). Greed is the sin that causes Macbeth to commit murder; killing Duncan to secure the crown for his taking.
The following supernatural occurrence that plays an important role in Macbeth is the floating dagger that leads Macbeth into killing Duncan. Macbeth is very well controlled by the supernatural especially by the three witches. The three witches arrive and quickly gain Macbeth’s trust. “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.” (1.3. ) .The witches represent Macbeth’s evil ambitions and make him want to know more about the future disregarding any consequences.
Deceiving Characters In Macbeth: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare there are many characters with appearances that are deceiving. The three characters that are deceiving are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches. Macbeth shows loyalty to King Duncan in the beginning of the play. Macbeth’s appearance is deceiving because later on in the play he ends up killing Duncan. Besides Macbeth, Lady Macbeth also shows her character is deceiving by planning how Duncan will be killed.
Macbeth’s own ambition and inner desires are the internal forces he battles and they act as the deciding power in bringing him to his downfall. The witches played an undoubtedly large role in Macbeth, being the instigators of Macbeth’s actions. In act one scene three, the witches say “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! ... All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” These prophecies throw into his mind the possibility that he could perhaps become King of Scotland.
As the play continues, with the foreseeing witches and the deceptive lady Macbeth, he quickly turns from a courageous strong hearted man, to a tyrant king who is willing to commit the unthinkable to withhold his royal status. In Macbeth, the prophecies foretold by the three witches about future events enflame our protagonist, driving him to make treacherous decisions that impact severely on his downfall. He is immediately taken in as the witches reveal the royal titles. Eager to unlock the secrets of these prophecies, Macbeth questions the witches, demanding them to speak. "And often to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths."
Although positions of power do exist, they are sometimes just a guise for who really holds all the power. In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, there are constant shifts in power between mostly feminine characters. At the beginning, Macbeth’s relationship contains mostly of being controlled and pushed towards objectives that Lady Macbeth desire. She comes off as an extremely corrupt person, wishing for more and more power. As the play goes along, the power moves away from Lady Macbeth and more towards the Witches, who control Macbeth’s actions through paranoia.
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.
Throughout Macbeth there exists confusion as to what is real and what imaginary, and, for the most part, it is Macbeth himself who is confronted with these confusions. The question of whether or not the witches are real must be examined in relation to them. The three sisters are also capable of leading people into danger, often resulting in death as we see in the sailor who was never able to sleep (Act 1, Scene 3). The Witches first appear in the very first scene. They play very prophetic roles, where they predict the past and what the future holds for Macbeth.
Through analysis of Macbeth’s choices in the play, it is evident that his ruthless ambition, blind trust in the witches, cowardice towards his wife’s demands and overconfidence were the key faults that led to his demise. One of the reasons Macbeth meets his untimely tragic defeat is due to his ruthless ambition. From the moment Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy and the first of them is realized (becoming Thane of Cawdor), Macbeth begins to seek out future ambitions: becoming the King. His personal ambition, fortified by his wife’s drive for power makes him blind to the man he was before he met the witches and before he became Thane of Cawdor. When Macbeth debates with himself regarding the pros and cons of killing Duncan he states: “I go, and it is done.