The Witches That Led To The Downfall Of Macbeth

The Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “The battle line between good and evil runs through the heart of every man”. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespear, a brave and devoted warrior is tempted by his ambition and eventually loses his honor. The three witches who first appear at the beginning of the play exert a powerful impact that ultimately leads to Macbeth's downfall.

Macbeth reaches his downfall after he encounters three witches who prophesied his future. The witches' prophecies provided Macbeth with the intention that he was destined to rule. He killed several people who stood in his path. The witches' predictions lead Macbeth to believe that he was invincible and that nothing could harm him. This false sense of security that he felt led him to make reckless decisions and eventually led the way to his downfall. In Act 1, Scene 3, the witches say to Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail,

They use the phrase “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of women born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.79-81). This feeds Macbeth's desires even more, which causes him to make snap judgements. The witches' impact is also apparent when Macbeth consults them once more for assurance. They present him with three ghostly images that further confuse and control him. A floating head appears as the first apparition, warning him to avoid Macduff. He is informed that he cannot be harmed a male who was born of a woman by a bloody child. The third ghost is a young child wearing a crown who informs him that he won't be vanquished until Birnam Wood visits Dunsinane. Due to these apparitions, Macbeth interprets the witches’ prophecy incorrectly and starts to think he is invincible. He becomes more and more careless, which brings about his