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The moral is that there are no shortcuts in life. In the eleventh century Scotland was a violent and troubled country. Families and clans fought for any sort of territory. Macbeth was born in 1005, son of the great family that ruled Moray and Ross. Throughout Shakespeare’s life, witches and witchcraft were the article of morbid fascination. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, 16,000 people were killed burned to death (nearly all women) were convicted of being witches. There were hundreds of pamphlets describing the lurid details of witchcraft trails. These were women who were convicted. The function of the witches is to introduce uncertainty in to the play. We are never really sure what they are able to do, how strong their influence on Macbeth is, for example. The witches open the play with great dramatic force- this is something which would certainly shame late comers to the seat. There is thunder, there is lightening- things are not right in the world of nature, and then there are some weird, hag like creature say they come to meet Macbeth. This would make our full attention on the women, as they have named the person who the play is about. We as the audience think what are they? What can they want from Macbeth? Where have they come form? The witches are also part of the play because of the social history of the time. The King of Scotland-James was himself interested in witches (his wife had been practised against, and he wrote his own treatise on witchcraft.) Shakespeare was the sort of playwright whom liked a full hose at his plays: making sure you dealt with a topic which you known your king was interested in, guaranteed this. He actually went further than this and included the King in the play. The witches’ influence or the potential of their influence upon Macbeth is also part of their role. Although, at times, we see limitations of their power- they can not do, for instance, sink the boat the Captain of Tiger is sailing in, but they can toss it about a lot in a storm, (as they have power to central weather). There are lots of other times when we see their power, e.g. they are able to disappear in to thin air; they look into Macbeth’s future and greet him before his time with ‘Thane of Cawdor’ When Macbeth allows himself to be influenced by them, when evil has its foothold in the door, then everything becomes topsy-turvy and things fall into chaos- the heavens are unhappy animals attack one another, and nobody knows who to trust. “There’s dagger in men’s smiles: the near blood, The nearer bloody.” From the moment the play begins we are introduced to 3 witches. Any Jacobean would have had a terrible fright when they would see such evil creatures, which in that time were thought to be true. The witches made an even bigger impression to us when they name Macbeth. This would of out us on the edge of our seats, as the forces of evil and darkness have a relationship with the person the play is written about. The first scene is merely to announce the time of their next meeting, to create a sinister atmosphere. This would have pleased King James. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” Is a very important line the witches use, as Macbeth himself ends up using it? The witches are probably trying to say that good things come from bad and evil things. “Hover through the fog and filthy air” The things that a person, i.e. Macbeth might think is true, it is possible that it may not be clear to others. It is covered by ‘fog and filthy air’ as a form of deception and things not being what they seem. The way the witches are seen in this scene can vary with each film/theatre production. For instance, a BBC production in 1996 was very modern, and Macbeth was a soldier returning from the Gulf War, and the witches too being modern. A 1970 production was much more realistic but there were only 2 witches that spoke, rather than 3. We saw that Macbeth is a hero before he saw the witches, but there was a sudden change in him, after he found out that he was the Thane of Cawdor. This was an evil effect, but with a good outcome. Banquo on the other hand seems to be much more careful about the fact the unknown women’s prediction came true. “What, can the devils speck true” Banquo knew that it couldn’t be good that the evil women can speck the ‘seeds of time’ When Macbeth found out that he was the Thane of Cawdor, this built a desire for more. When Malcom was pronounced heir to the throne, Macbeth had a sudden change of heart. “Stars hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires.” This speech he gave aside was reviewing his true thoughts and feelings. The Macbeth that we heard of at the beginning of the play was different to the Macbeth, which was seen now. The evil ambition of becoming King was becoming so desireful, so much that he knew that he had to kill Duncan for the crown. This was all because of the fact the witches wanted to cause harm. They were targeting Macbeth to cause harm to other people, such as Duncan. Lady Macbeth on the other hand was the most shocking character in terms of evil. She plans everything, knowing what she has to do, and how she is going to kill Duncan. Her speech on procession of evil as very important. The mood of the play suddenly changes; we are revived to the true Lady Macbeth. “The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan. Under my battlement. Come you spirits. That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.” This need for procession is very powerful, as it describes her character greatly. She to me is a very strong ad capable woman. Her thoughts are not like normal women, as a normal woman would not call upon the evil spirits. The language she uses is very fierce an evil. Her purpose is very clear, she knows what she is going to do, but he is not sure. On the other hand Lady Macbeth is very sure on her purpose. Macbeth doesn’t know that she is processed by evil. Her own witchcraft and sorcery is very unnoticeable. The witches influenced Macbeth, but it is a mystery to know what influenced Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is very practical and expedient, she has a really big appeal to the ‘spirits that tend on mortal thoughts’. When we are introduced to her she seemed to be single minded. Her mind is only set on becoming queen. Probably at this point we feel that Lady Macbeth is the most influenced by evil. After the procession speech, he forced Macbeth to murder Duncan. The murder of Duncan made Macbeth very nervous. Any sound he heard was like the evil sin he committed. “Whence is that knocking? How is ‘t with me, when every noise appals me?” The killing of Duncan had no effect on Lady Macbeth, as she was diabolical in every way. At this time Macbeth was not as evil as Lady Macbeth was, as he did have some regret. During the time when Macbeth was King and Lady Macbeth was Queen there was a change in them. They reacted to people more cautiously and carefully. Macbeth knowing that he killed for the crown so could anybody else. The evil thoughts were starting to drive them crazy. As he could not rest without feeling insecure he had to do something. He remembers that the witches had told him that Banqou’s son would be King. Still that evil ambition of succeeding was coming in to play again. The evil was making him commit a hellsome crime. He had already committed a sinful crime he was sure to be going to hell, so it would not really matter if he committed another murder. “To leave no rubs nor batches in the work 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. Resolve yourself apart, I’ll come to you anon.” Banquo who was Macbeth’s best friend was dead because of the evil ambition, and eagerness of denying the future. But to his disappointment Fleance got away, but Banquo was dead. In Act 3 Scene 4, the scene of the banquet. It is seen the evil displayed physically. The ghost of Banquo comes back to haunt Macbeth, as his plan backfired. This makes Macbeth wonder what else the future holds for him… The first thing to realise is that in Shakespeare's time women were still being burned for witchcraft. Although the idea of witches may seem funny to us they would have been pretty disturbing to Shakespeare's audience. The mere fact that the play starts with witches would have given it a worrying feel. At first they do not seem evil. They give Macbeth good news - they tell him he will become king. When they reappear in Act Four, though, things have changed. Macbeth has become a bloody murderer and the witches are his accomplices. The spell they chant round their cauldron is pretty gruesome and designed to make your stomach turn. Some of these may no longer seem very dreadful to us many still do - look in particular at what the third witch puts in. Which of those items do you think is the most revolting? By associating with these foul hags Macbeth has become part of their evil work. “Then live Macduff, what need I fear of thee?” They give a supernatural edge to the play. Macbeth is destroyed by the combination of the evil forces around him and the potential evil in his own character. The witches in 'Macbeth' serve a variety of purposes: Their most obvious role is to give Macbeth big ideas about his future and to create ambitions within him. They also make him believe that he is invincible: none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth. It is because of this belief that Macbeth is willing to take ever- greater risks. In this course work my points I have to get across are basically who is more evil, Lady Macbeth or Macbeth? Is the person who thought up the deed evil, or the person who actually “commits the deed”? We must know that Lady Macbeth is the force behind the murder of King Duncan, which lead Macbeth to killing him. The first time we meet her she is practising a mock murder scene, where she is the one stabbing the dagger into the King. Not a normal woman you would find everyday! Her thoughts are dark thoughts; her imagination is filled with evil, but she never actually murders anybody. Does this make her more or less evil than Macbeth? When we first meet Macbeth, we hear only good things about him. He's a worthy soldier and is greatly respected by all. The King (his cousin) thinks most highly of him and promotes him to Thane of Cawdor. How does such a good man suddenly become evil? Was his wife to blame or was it his own ambition and need for power? Did he have to murder the King? He also murdered his best friend, Banquo and had Macduff's wife and children slain. But for what? What drove him to this? Did his wife know about these murders? To my point of view Lady Macbeth is much more evil than Macbeth. This is because she was the driving force, and when Macbeth wasn’t sure if he should murder, Lady Macbeth still forces. The witches help to chart the changes that occur in Macbeth's character. Look at how they refer to him each time he arrives in their presence (by the end they refer to him as 'something evil'). Macbeth's relationship with the witches also helps the reader to see the changes in him, initially they find him, by the end he is calling to them. You could also look at how he speaks to them; he gets more and more familiar and even rude as he gets further away from the usual constraints of human society. Finally, on a more practical level, they literally provide a change of scene and of tempo to keep the audience interested. People in Shakespeare's time would view them quite differently to a modern audience because most people believed in witches. You ask if they are to blame for what happens to Macbeth. He is the one who listens to and acts on their advice so he is partly to blame for his own downfall. Lady Macbeth really encourages Macbeth to kill Duncan and she actively helps him to cover his tracks so she is partly responsible for starting him on the path of evil too. Bibliography: Word Count: 2259
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