...upon others. However, the three witches in the play Macbeth demonstrate a different approach. The Three Witches are depicted as old, ugly women who have beards and scaly fingers. Additionally, they have a critical role in telling the main character, Macbeth, the prophecies and predictions. As a result, the Three Witches play a significant importance to the play Macbeth because they are the ones who instill negative thoughts and ideas into Macbeth’s head with their predictions and emphasize the main theme of evil and darkness. The evil witches are important to the play because they are the ones who instill negative thoughts and ideas into Macbeth’s head with their predictions. First of all, the witches’ predictions give him the idea of killing King Duncan. When the witches first encounter Macbeth, they say, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter” (Shakespeare 1:3 50-53). Macbeth is confused when he hears about the prediction and he is astonished when the prediction regarding Cawdor becomes true. After that, he immediately begins to think about his last prediction and imagines about committing murder. He says, “Two truths are told,/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme./[..] My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ Shakes so my single state of man that function/ Is smothered in surmise, and nothing is/ But what is not” (Shakespeare 1:3...
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...What part does the supernatural play in Macbeth? The word supernatural is defined as ‘Not being able to be explained by the laws of nature’. The majority of us would link the word supernatural to ghosts and paranormal activities, which these days can be proved by using complex technology. However if we look back at Shakespeare’s era in around 1606 the majority of the people there completely believed in the supernatural. Their main belief was that witches existed and had great power to change what ever they wanted. It was believed so much in this time that even King James believed that these supernatural beings existed. Although nowadays it is completely the opposite, most of us believe that these supernatural beings are just mythological. The play Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare during the time that probably he himself and the rest of the population believed in the supernatural, it includes several supernatural events and the general atmosphere is a sinister one. The very first part of the play Macbeth includes three witches other wise described by Shakespeare as the weird sisters. These three witches plan to meet Macbeth upon a heath in the storm which is surrounding them. The effect of this automatically gives the reader the feeling that the play is a sinister one. The witches communicate to each other by speaking in riddles, such as “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. We learn two things from this first part of speech from the witches, firstly we can see that...
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...play, Macbeth, the three weird sisters, otherwise known as the witches, merely report what is destined to be for Macbeth. I believe that Macbeth would not have taken part in the same actions, if the witches hadn’t given him any predictions. He would not have had any reason to commit murder if he hadn’t known that he may become king. Throughout the play, there several instances where Macbeth approaches the witches to receive future predictions for his life. Some of the predictions may still have come true without Macbeth doing the things he did, but most of them would have been false without the murders. In Act I, Scene III, Banquo and Macbeth meet the three witches for the first time. In this scene, the witches give predictions...
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...Ms. Palleschi World LIterature 14 May, 2012 Shakespeare expresses different sorts of imagery throughout his play written play, “Macbeth.” Macbeth encounters illusions, hallucinations and apparitions throughout the play that symbolize other meaning and have an affect on later events that lead him to his downfall. He had an illusion of a dagger pointing to King Duncans’ room before he murdered him. He had a hallucination about his friend Banquo after he had murdered him. Macbeth was told three apparitions by witches about how he would die which weren’t meant to be true but happened in ways he didn’t fully expect. “Is this a dagger which I see before me/The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee/I have thee not, and yet I see thee still/Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible/ To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but/A dagger of the mind, a false creation/Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?/I see thee yet, in form as palpable/As this which now i draw/Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going/And such an instrument I was to use/Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ other senses/Or else worth all the rest. I see thee still/And on thy blade the dudgeon gouts of blood/Which was not so before. There’s no such thing/It is the bloody business which informs/Thus to mine eyes." (2.1.33-48). Macbeth is getting prepared to commit the crime of murdering King Duncan. He gets so nervous and overwhelmed by the situation that he has an illusion of a dagger. He can see it but...
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...Shakespeare’s Macbeth is regarded as a tragedy. It is considered one not because of Macbeth’s ruthless killings of innocent victims, but because it portrays Macbeth’s transformation from a brave, dutiful soldier, to a backstabbing, greedy villain. It is all thanks to the three witches, who ruin Macbeth with their snippets of lies and truth. The presence of the witches adds a supernatural tone to the tale and is the crucial factor influencing Macbeth’s actions, and therefore, the storyline. The three mysterious beings can be accredited with telling Macbeth their prophecies, making him see Banquo’s ghost, as well as making him see the three apparitions. At the very beginning of the story, Macbeth would never think of wronging his king in any way. He is a loyal general and is perfectly content with his position of Thane of Glamis. Upon meeting the witches for the first time, he hears their three prophecies. The last statement, “All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king thereafter!”(I, iii,), seems so unrealistic that he almost immediately dismisses it from his memory. However, it is just enough to tip him over the edge. It plants a seed of doubt in his mind, and more and more, Macbeth finds himself thinking about what it means. That little sentence is what ultimately causes Macbeth, along with Lady Macbeth, to corrupt and murder his beloved King Duncan. Macbeth also learns from the witches that Banquo “shall get kings, though [he] be none”(I, iii,). This leads to Macbeth’s...
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...In William Shakespeare's Macbeth the witches play an important role throughout the play. Although it may seem that their part is small, without them there would simply be no theme and storyline in this play. The witches provide readers with a theme, foreshadowing, overall mood and also the evolution of Macbeth’s character which are all crucial in the play. The witches believe that, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (I.I.XII), stating that what may seem normal or ordinary on the outside may not be the same on the inside. This quote is repeated throughout Macbeth and presents itself as a major theme in the play. It shows that what seems normal or ordinary on the outside may not be the same on the inside. The prophecies that the witches tell Macbeth...
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...Themes in Macbeth Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is the story of a murder and a usurper. Macbeth is a noble man. Unfortunately, he chooses betrayal and crime, knows them for what they are, and is completely aware he is doing evil. Evil is consistently distributed throughout the play, and plays a large role in each character. However, there are more themes portrayed all through Macbeth. Three of the main themes found in Macbeth are, appearance versus reality, gender expectations, and guilt. To begin, a theme found in Macbeth is appearance versus reality. Appearance versus reality is portrayed when Macbeth sees a virtual dagger floating in front of him just before he is due to murder King Duncan. Macbeth is hallucinating and cannot believe what he sees as he says, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, /the handle toward my hand?” (II.i.33-34). The dagger, covered in blood and pointing towards the king’s chamber, represents the bloody deed on which Macbeth is about to embark on. Although Macbeth is not physically capable of grasping the dagger, it leads him to think that he must kill the king. Another time appearance versus reality is demonstrated, is when Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth to give their guests a warm welcome to their feast, hiding their rugged looks of murder and evil. Lady Macbeth informs Macbeth to act without a worry by saying, “And make our faces vizards to our hearts, /Disguising what they are” (III.ii.34-35). In reality, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth use their appearances...
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...Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare and is about the tragic downfall of a Scottish lord who committed multiple murders. Macbeth, the protagonist of the play, killed numerous people to get what he wanted; however some of the murders were unavoidable. Although some of the murders were unavoidable, Macbeth is still guilty for the wrongful murders of Banquo and the Macduff family. He killed his fellow countrymen for power, which is unacceptable in any circumstances, but in Duncan’s case Macbeth was pressured by others to commit the deed. Macbeth is personally responsible for the death of Banquo, but he is not responsible for Duncan’s and the Macduff family’s deaths. To begin with, Macbeth is not responsible for Duncan’s death as Macbeth was pressured to kill him. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, pressured him into killing Duncan. Macbeth is innocent in this murder as he was being emasculated and used by his own wife. The guilt should be on Lady Macbeth as it was her that told Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth. Was the hope drunk/...
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...The Natural Un-Unnatural William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play about a man whose ambition deems him insane. Through certain acts that Macbeth, the main character, disrupts the balance of nature and the unnatural. The actions that breed from Macbeth’s actions, due to his ambitions, cause unnatural things to occur. Throughout the play, the natural and unnatural balance of nature is thrown off, creating an unnatural atmosphere. Throughout William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, an atmosphere that is unnatural is created through imagery of unnatural birth, animal motifs, and the actions of Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, images of unnatural births help fuel an unnatural atmosphere. In act four the witches brew up a potion consisting of different parts of living things. One of those things is a “Finger of birth-strangled babe/ Ditch-delivered by a drab” (IV,i,30-31). This contributes to the atmosphere of the play because during the Elizabethan time period, grueling births were not common. The fact that a prostitute gives birth to a baby on the side of the road, foreshadows that the baby will bring evil upon society; ultimately creating an unnatural and eerie atmosphere. Also, the fact that Macduff is “…from his mother’s womb/ Untimely ripped” (V,viii,15-16) plays a role as to how an unnatural atmosphere comes about. Imagery of Macduff’s birth causes a dark and unnatural atmosphere. Macduff is born from a sea section because Shakespeare tries to appeal to the...
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...Macbeth: The Tragic Hero By: Daniel Chekole 2012 Macbeth: The Tragic Hero By: Daniel. C "Any art worthy of its name should address 'life', 'man', 'nature', 'death' and 'tragedy'.” (Barnett Newman, BrainQuote) In a tragedy the main character rises to greatness showing characteristics above normality while repeatedly showing proof to the audience about his or her tragic flaw which later on leads to the character’s downfall. Macbeth created tragedy in the lives of his loved ones and peers as well as a monumental tragic fate onto himself during his reversion from being a decent and moral man to someone similar to a devil who had paranoia and couldn’t differentiate between good and evil. Furthermore, Macbeth became detached from the feelings and thoughts of the people around him as he became so engaged in himself as well as the three witches and their prophecies. When Shakespeare wrote this play he slowed down the process of the tragedy so that the audience would acknowledge and experience Macbeth’s success and happiness; slowing signs appeared with foreshadowing techniques leading to the climax of the play as Macbeth headed to his tragic flaw. In the process of the tragedy Macbeth starts as a brave respected warrior, then later is fooled by the witches with prophecies, and sadly becomes lifeless. In the beginning of the play as we first hear of Macbeth from a wounded captain who...
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...blamed on only one. If one goes in, the other one will follow, whether it’s good or bad. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is supported by his wife, Lady Macbeth to kill the king, Duncan and grab the royalty for themselves. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have many similar and different characteristics. This couple ate both egotistical, see things from face-value, and very power-hungry. While they are both very manipulative, Macbeth is easier to manipulate. Lady Macbeth is eventually guilt-ridden, while guilt never affects Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is also fine with only killing Duncan, whereas Macbeth murders everyone who he feels will take his royalty from him. The witches tell Macbeth the first three prophecies; Thane of Glams, Thane of Cawdor, and The future King. He is confused at first, but then called the witches to come back, and tell him more, this is his ego growing. He wanted to know, “to be King stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor”. When news came that the Thane of Cawdor is now Macbeth, fuels the fire, his ego starts to build even more. “Glams and Thane of Cawdor! The greatest is behind,” Macbeth says aside. Once he is king, to be sure he hangs on to his power, Macbeth visits the witches again for a second time, asks for prophecies. One of the four apparitions was that, “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” This apparition also contributes to Macbeth being egotistical, because it...
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...Shawn M. Henry Mrs. Berger The play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare takes place mainly in Scotland, this is the place in which the late King Duncan ruled and he was killed by his former general Macbeth, over power to rise as king of Scotland. Macbeth however was never intending to kill the king, it all started when Macbeth and his good friend Banquo meet three strange women who they later found out to be witches, they told Macbeth of a prophesy that he will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and soon after be crowned king of Scotland, and as for Banquo his children will become kings. Even though the two wish to hear more the three witches disappear and as predicted King Duncan proclaimed Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth hears the news of her husband becoming the Thane of Cawdor, when Macbeth reaches home he tells his wife of the prophesy of the three witches and this enables the wife to produce a plan in order to kill the king in their own home and make it look as if they were the witnesses to the crime rather than the doers of the crime by framing the kings guards and claiming it on the fact that they had too much to drink making Macbeth the King of Scotland and making Lady Macbeth Queen of Scotland. This however introduces the themes of the play which is corrupting power and destiny/ prophesies. Lady Macbeth elaborates on corrupting power when she speaks to the doctor “I still have the smell of blood on my hand. All the perfumes of Arabia couldn’t make my little hand...
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...manipulative wife, a pushover husband, and a treacherous plan to be king into the mix, it can lead to divorce…or in this case, death. In the play Macbeth, gender roles and relations are a prominent theme throughout the play. This recurring thematic element is especially illustrated in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's actions as individuals as well as a couple. Their perception of gender specific roles for male and females, as well as their personal adaptation to unforeseen situations in the play, caused them to reexamine the preconceived notions of acceptable male - female relations and ultimately led to their demise both as individuals and as a couple. During the opening acts of the play, specifically acts I and II, Macbeth’s persona could be described as timid and humble; on the other hand, his counterpart -Lady Macbeth, had ruthless, devious, and manipulative character traits. From the beginning, Lady Macbeth was undoubtedly not a typical wife. She broke the status quo of the stereotypical 11th century wife of the soon-to-be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. She did not stay in her castle and perform mundane wifely duties; on the contrary, she was a go-getter, and her robust nature often made her seem more manly than her husband. In fact, she wanted to become a man, so she could do the things her timid husband would not. She knows Macbeth is ambitious, but fears he is too “full o th’ milk of human kindness” to take the necessary steps to make himself king. “...come you spirits...
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...In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, a trio of witches reveals a prophecy to the protagonist, Macbeth that he will be promoted to a higher rank, but is destined to become the King of Scotland. Macbeth was a general for Scotland and was eventually promoted to a higher position, known as Cawdor. Although Macbeth was skeptical of the prophecy, he soon believed it to be true as time moved along. It is seen that time has a tremendous role in the play, whether it is the past, present, or future. The witches foretelling Macbeth his prophecy led to the chronological events, which also led to a vast amount of death and tragedy. The future and past help shape events in The Tragedy of Macbeth as it is a play that is solely based on the death...
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...Common Themes in Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet Shakespeare utilizes the supernatural and fate to pave the destiny of some of his characters in his tragedies. Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet appear to have a common novel theme of fate, betrayal to supremacy, and the struggle to restore providential power. Shakespeare uses rhetoric to effectively convey the idea of fate and the struggle against it. In all three of these Shakespearian tragedies characters encounter the emotion of disbelief and the struggle to seek refuge from fate and to ultimately live life as if it were their free will. In Macbeth and Hamlet, Shakespeare appears to use apparitions early in the play to effectively establish mysteriousness of the paths of these characters. By using apparitions Shakespeare clearly makes a distinction of the supernatural and reality. In these moments of these confrontations Shakespeare successfully establishes Hamlet and Macbeth’s mortality and their inevitability to succumbing to their fate. But were Hamlet and Macbeth actually doomed right away or were they in a situation where poor choices caused their downfall? H.B. Charlton thinks that Hamlet being that type of man he is, fails to kill Claudius right after King Hamlet has been murdered causing him to succumb to his fate (83). Also Julius Caesar and Duncan’s ghost appear in their plays. In each of these tragedies the main character has one emotion when he encounters fate, disbelief. Disbelief in the potential...
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