ipl-logo

Essay On The Witches In Macbeth

1127 Words5 Pages

In the story of Macbeth, the actuality of there being witches has been a debated question. Although Macbeth “sees” these evil beings he is just seeing them due to his state of mental health. It is due to his poor mental state of being that Macbeth conjures up these witches in his own mind. This is significant because these witches symbolize the dark and demented side of Macbeth’s being.

Macbeth was an incredible warrior with multiple achievements belonging to his name. Macbeth was known to enjoy the brutality of war from the bloodshed to killing his foes. Even his captain was dumbfounded by how vicious Macbeth was on the battlefield. The captain described how bloodthirsty Macbeth was when he said, “Except they meant to bathe in …show more content…

This could be just reasoning as to why he made the hallucinations he listened to be witches. Witches are known to be unhuman evil spirits that do the bidding of Satan and all dark. It adds to the effect of Macbeth being such a corrupt being when the witches even say that “something wicked this way comes” (4.1.45). This is incredible because to have these figments of his imagination to say that he is dark shows how corrupt Macbeth had become. The murders that Macbeth committed not only showed his brutality and ruthlessness but it also showed how twisted is soul is. These murders indicate the darkness of Macbeth because he not only kills the king, but he kills those who love and respect him. It could also be because of how selfish and corrupt Macbeth became from the thirst of power that could never be quenched. Once becoming the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth enjoyed having a title to his name. Sadly, this title was not enough for him so Macbeth’s imagination had the “witches” prophecy be that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor (which he already knew) and a king. The prophecy was an escape route for the little bit of good that he had within him so that the murder of King Duncan would be justifiable because the witches said that he would. All of these sick and demented thoughts drove Macbeth to kill all of those people but there is also another layer on the downfall of

Show More
Related

  • Comparison Of Witchs In Macbeth

    777 Words  | 4 Pages

    For centuries , witches have been stoned to death and burned alive simply for being able to create magic . The notion of witches have been a taboo subject that most people would try to avoid but William Shakespeare did not make their reputation any better by depicting them as malicious and demonic in his famous play ‘ Macbeth’ which a lot of people tried making movies of . Despite bearing some similarities between the three videos in which the witches were in , the differences are profound . To start with , there are quite some similarities between the witches in the three movies . In George Wright’s , Rupert Goold’s , and Kurzel’s movies , all of the witches seemed to say the same lines , despite them being from different timelines .

    Read More

  • Violence In Macbeth's Guilt

    1337 Words  | 6 Pages

    Supernatural elements can be seen in Macbeth through the witches and their unusual powers. The witches appear to be helpful in giving Macbeth his prophecy, but in reality want only to stir up trouble and cause strife throughout the kingdom. Although Macbeth wants the witches to tell him his prophecy, he is also afraid to act on these newly found predictions for fear of the inevitable guilt he will then have to face. Macbeth states that the witches as "Instruments of darkness" in order to explain to readers that even though the witches appear to be helping Macbeth, in reality they are causing more harm than good and creating evil thoughts within the characters minds. Macbeth’s prophecy began his desire for power, which led to his struggle with guilt.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Macbeth And Pablo Escobar

    1288 Words  | 6 Pages

    Macbeth was the Thane of Cawdor but he wanted to be king more than anything. The witches had told him that he would one day be king but he did not know how long that would take so when King Duncan had been invited to stay the night at his house he exclaimed that “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ shakes so my single state of man/ that function is smother 'd in surmise,/ and nothing is but what is not”(1.3.52-55). He felt that if he were to kill King Duncan that he would have a better chance of becoming king. Though the witches had never told him that someone would need to get murdered for him to become king, his ambition tempted him to quicken this process the only way he felt he could. This was the beginning of the murderer that the witches had created with the fortune telling.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Syntax In Macbeth

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Macbeth, Shakespeare writes about a man named Macbeth, who has a very strong ambition to be the the king of Scotland. His credulousness led him into believing the prophecy from the three witches without thinking rigorously. Because of this prophecy, Macbeth is willing to do everything he can to gain the throne, even to the extreme of murdering someone. Shakespeare uses syntax, similes, and personification to convey the evolution of Macbeth’s insanity.

    Read More

  • Lady Macbeth's Strong Character In Act I Scene V

    780 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lady Macbeth is power hungry for the throne and she will do anything to achieve her goal. Her pleasure of having the thought of killing Duncan is revealed. These murderous thoughts that run through her mind shows how desperate she is to acquire power. Although it is the beginning of the play, her dark ambitions sets a dark tone for her character in the play. This coincidentally adds to the assurance of Macbeth’s prophecy which is that Macbeth will become king, but King Duncan is still alive.

    Read More

  • Essay Who Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

    953 Words  | 4 Pages

    Often times, people go through rises and downfalls in their lives that they themselves are responsible for. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, both main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, himself, are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed. However, Shakespeare accomplishes in showing that Macbeth is more responsible for his own downfall than Lady Macbeth because he listens to the witches and follows his ambition rather than his conscience. To begin, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed by insulting him when he changes his mind.

    Read More

  • Motifs Theme In Macbeth

    1525 Words  | 7 Pages

    After hearing the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth only focus on the last part of it which was Macbeth becoming king. This relates to the theme because Macbeth decides to take action and kill Duncan in order to make sure he is king. This also shows his disillusionment as he is doing anything for his fate to be proven true. Macbeth feels threatened by Fleance after the witches told Banquo his prophecy, which was that he will have a line of kings. “Fleance, his son, that keeps him company, / Whose absence is no less material to me / Than is his father’s, must embrace the fate / Of that dark hour” (3.2.134-138).

    Read More

  • Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

    1241 Words  | 5 Pages

    Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).

    Read More

  • Essay On Women In Macbeth

    851 Words  | 4 Pages

    The women in Macbeth are presented by Shakespeare to be powerful and ambitious which was unlike the typical views during Jacobean times. The playwright portrays Lady Macbeth and the witches to be highly influential to male characters in the play, which again contrasts the contemporary views to that time. Their ambition and power are demonstrated through the perversion of nature. This highlights the evil and immoral side, they possess. Shakespeare, however, presented Lady Macbeth and the witches to be manipulative and cunning, rather than violent like Macbeth was during the play.

    Read More

  • Causes Of Macbeth's Downfall

    876 Words  | 4 Pages

    The witches played a colossal role in Macbeth’s downfall and ultimately, his death. Since the first part of the prophecy stated Macbeth as being the new Thane of Cawdor, he believed he could continue to become king as well. In knowing his prediction, Macbeth also realized that since the king was in good health, so he would have to kill the king himself. For the rest of his prophecy to come true he would have to kill the king for himself. “All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter!”

    Read More

  • Supernatural Influence On Macbeth

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    The presence of the witches is the first supernatural element that Macbeth meets. One would assume that the witches could be blamed for influencing Macbeth with their prophecies. The witches are able to make Macbeth acknowledge his own dark desires. In Act I, Scene III, the three witches call out one after the other claiming “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, Thane of Glamis! /

    Read More

  • Macbeth Character Analysis

    976 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth, in many cases, is portrayed as being evil. However, his character is not truly the evil force driving the actions of the play. His wife, Lady Macbeth, as well as the witches and their misleading prophecies, are the real driving forces of Macbeth’s unspeakable actions. Macbeth is driven mad by the evil around him, causing him to turn to the violent behavior displayed throughout the many murders of the play.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Strengths And Weaknesses

    824 Words  | 4 Pages

    At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.

    Read More

  • Macbeth And The Influence Of Witchcraft

    1146 Words  | 5 Pages

    Before the main character has any part in the play the witches start it off in ominous mutterings about wicked acts and the future. The fear among the audience is set before Macbeth even thinks about killing anybody. Macbeth is then told by the witches about things that are supposed to happen in his future, and assuming they are telling the truth he believes them. Not only does he believe them but he himself commits acts that make them come true. This is another representation of how people believed they could be affected by witches.

    Read More

  • Essay On Macbeth Is Evil

    593 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the main character; Macbeth, is seen as an evil character. The play is based off of Macbeth’s decisions and his actions to become King. In the beginning Macbeth starts out as a hero in Scotland’s war with Ireland and towards the end he is transformed into a murderer. Macbeth is not wholly evil because of is heroism in the war, his love for Scotland, and because he didn’t want to kill King Duncan initially. Macbeth was brain washed by his wife and tricked into killing the King.

    Read More

More about Essay On The Witches In Macbeth

Open Document