Role of the Witches in Macbeth
The three Weird Sisters play a major role in the play Macbeth. They cause both Macbeth’s rise to power and the fall to his death. Through the influence of the Weird Sisters’ prophecies, Macbeth transforms from a noble military general into a ruthless tyrant overcome with madness for power, eventually leading to the death of Macbeth.
The Weird Sisters indirectly control Macbeth and his actions in his play. They may not actually be forcing Macbeth to do certain actions, but their prophecies have a great impact on him. The Weird Sisters appear in Scene 1 of Macbeth, the first characters to appear in this play. The scene ends with the witches planning to meet with Macbeth and sharing with him his fate. This scene is important because it establishes the role of the witches as major characters in this play and their role to manipulate Macbeth into madness and performing gruesome crimes.
The first time that the Weird Sisters encounter Macbeth is on his journey home from battle against the Irish. Macbeth, along with his comrade Banquo, was a brave general in the war who led the Scots to victory. When Macbeth and Banquo meet the Weird Sisters, the three witches reveal to the generals their fates. They tell Macbeth that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and soon after, king of Scotland. They also prophesize that Banquo’s descendants would reign as kings. Macbeth is at first skeptical of the witches’ prophecies. However, after being informed by King Duncan that he would become the new Thane of Cawdor after the other had betrayed Scotland and would be sentenced to death, Macbeth begins to believe that what the witches said might be true. Influenced by the witches’ prophesy, Macbeth forms an intense passion and ambition to become the new king of Scotland. This ambition would become so strong that he would go through extreme measures to achieve what he wanted.
Before meeting the witches, Macbeth is an honorable man who won favor from King Duncan for his courage in fighting in battle. However, after the witches introduce him to the idea of being king, Macbeth becomes ambitious and mad for power, and kills anyone who gets in his way. His first obstacle is the current king, Duncan. With his ambition and a little influence from his wife, Macbeth kills Duncan and frames the murder on Duncan’s son Malcolm, who fled Scotland in fear of his own life. After becoming king, Macbeth feels threatened by Banquo. Banquo was present with Macbeth when they met with the witches and Banquo becomes suspicious that Macbeth was the murderer of Duncan. Macbeth also remembers the witches’ prophesy that Banquo’s descendants would rule as kings of Scotland. To cease Banquo’s suspicion and ensure that his descendants never become king, Macbeth’s hires three murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The murderers succeed in killing Banquo, but fail to kill Fleance. This murder arranged by Macbeth proves his madness for power that resulted from the witches’ prophesies. Macbeth went as far as killing a former friend and comrade to ensure that he remains king.
After murdering Banquo, Macbeth meets the witches again to see what lies in his future. The witches show him three apparitions. The first apparition is of an armored head, which tells Macbeth to beware Macduff. The second apparition, who appears as a bloody baby, advises Macbeth to be bold and brave, for no man born of woman would harm him. The last apparition appears as a crowned child with a tree in its hand. The apparition tells him that Macbeth would not be defeated until Birnam Wood meets at Dunsinane Hill. During this meeting, the witches provide Macbeth with false security. Macbeth, believing that what the witches showed him would be true, now becomes over confident and cocky that he would remain as king. Given that all men are born of women and that Birnam Wood, a forest, is not able to move to Dunsinane Hill, Macbeth feels practically invincible.
Although Macbeth feels secure, he still heeds the first apparition’s first warning to beware of Macduff and kills the wife and son of Macduff. Macduff retaliates by raising an army with the help of King Edward in an attempt to overthrow the bloody tyrant obsessed with his power. Macbeth at first feels confident about the war, given the reason that he thought he was practically invincible. However, after seeing the English forces approach with branches of the Birnam Wood in an attempt to stay hidden, Macbeth fears that the third apparition’s prophecy came true. Still, knowing that no man born of woman can harm him, Macbeth remains calm. Once Macbeth and Macduff finally meet, Macduff informs Macbeth that he was born prematurely, being ripped out of his mother’s womb and hence, not being born of woman. Macbeth, realizing that the last prophecy came true and he was doomed to die, was still too mad with power to surrender it away to Macduff, and was slain.
The witches were the difference makers in Macbeth. They gained trust from Macbeth, who visited them frequently, and affected how he behaved in this play. Some argue that it was Macbeth’s fate all along to become king and die to Macduff, and that the witches just played the role of informing Macbeth of his fate. However, all of Macbeth’s actions resulted from the evil prophecies of the witches. If the witches were never in this play, then Macbeth would never have been introduced to the idea of becoming king. He wouldn’t have become obsessed with power and would not have killed King Duncan. If it was his fate to become king, then it would come to him naturally rather than being forced upon him through murdering. The witches in this play influenced Macbeth into making bad decisions leading him into becoming a tragic hero.
The three Weird Sisters play a major role in the play Macbeth. They cause both Macbeth’s rise to power and the fall to his death. Through the influence of the Weird Sisters’ prophecies, Macbeth transforms from a noble military general into a ruthless tyrant overcome with madness for power, eventually leading to the death of Macbeth.
The Weird Sisters indirectly control Macbeth and his actions in his play. They may not actually be forcing Macbeth to do certain actions, but their prophecies have a great impact on him. The Weird Sisters appear in Scene 1 of Macbeth, the first characters to appear in this play. The scene ends with the witches planning to meet with Macbeth and sharing with him his fate. This scene is important because it establishes the role of the witches as major characters in this play and their role to manipulate Macbeth into madness and performing gruesome crimes.
The first time that the Weird Sisters encounter Macbeth is on his journey home from battle against the Irish. Macbeth, along with his comrade Banquo, was a brave general in the war who led the Scots to victory. When Macbeth and Banquo meet the Weird Sisters, the three witches reveal to the generals their fates. They tell Macbeth that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and soon after, king of Scotland. They also prophesize that Banquo’s descendants would reign as kings. Macbeth is at first skeptical of the witches’ prophecies. However, after being informed by King Duncan that he would become the new Thane of Cawdor after the other had betrayed Scotland and would be sentenced to death, Macbeth begins to believe that what the witches said might be true. Influenced by the witches’ prophesy, Macbeth forms an intense passion and ambition to become the new king of Scotland. This ambition would become so strong that he would go through extreme measures to achieve what he wanted.
Before meeting the witches, Macbeth is an honorable man who won favor from King Duncan for his courage in fighting in battle. However, after the witches introduce him to the idea of being king, Macbeth becomes ambitious and mad for power, and kills anyone who gets in his way. His first obstacle is the current king, Duncan. With his ambition and a little influence from his wife, Macbeth kills Duncan and frames the murder on Duncan’s son Malcolm, who fled Scotland in fear of his own life. After becoming king, Macbeth feels threatened by Banquo. Banquo was present with Macbeth when they met with the witches and Banquo becomes suspicious that Macbeth was the murderer of Duncan. Macbeth also remembers the witches’ prophesy that Banquo’s descendants would rule as kings of Scotland. To cease Banquo’s suspicion and ensure that his descendants never become king, Macbeth’s hires three murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The murderers succeed in killing Banquo, but fail to kill Fleance. This murder arranged by Macbeth proves his madness for power that resulted from the witches’ prophesies. Macbeth went as far as killing a former friend and comrade to ensure that he remains king.
After murdering Banquo, Macbeth meets the witches again to see what lies in his future. The witches show him three apparitions. The first apparition is of an armored head, which tells Macbeth to beware Macduff. The second apparition, who appears as a bloody baby, advises Macbeth to be bold and brave, for no man born of woman would harm him. The last apparition appears as a crowned child with a tree in its hand. The apparition tells him that Macbeth would not be defeated until Birnam Wood meets at Dunsinane Hill. During this meeting, the witches provide Macbeth with false security. Macbeth, believing that what the witches showed him would be true, now becomes over confident and cocky that he would remain as king. Given that all men are born of women and that Birnam Wood, a forest, is not able to move to Dunsinane Hill, Macbeth feels practically invincible.
Although Macbeth feels secure, he still heeds the first apparition’s first warning to beware of Macduff and kills the wife and son of Macduff. Macduff retaliates by raising an army with the help of King Edward in an attempt to overthrow the bloody tyrant obsessed with his power. Macbeth at first feels confident about the war, given the reason that he thought he was practically invincible. However, after seeing the English forces approach with branches of the Birnam Wood in an attempt to stay hidden, Macbeth fears that the third apparition’s prophecy came true. Still, knowing that no man born of woman can harm him, Macbeth remains calm. Once Macbeth and Macduff finally meet, Macduff informs Macbeth that he was born prematurely, being ripped out of his mother’s womb and hence, not being born of woman. Macbeth, realizing that the last prophecy came true and he was doomed to die, was still too mad with power to surrender it away to Macduff, and was slain.
The witches were the difference makers in Macbeth. They gained trust from Macbeth, who visited them frequently, and affected how he behaved in this play. Some argue that it was Macbeth’s fate all along to become king and die to Macduff, and that the witches just played the role of informing Macbeth of his fate. However, all of Macbeth’s actions resulted from the evil prophecies of the witches. If the witches were never in this play, then Macbeth would never have been introduced to the idea of becoming king. He wouldn’t have become obsessed with power and would not have killed King Duncan. If it was his fate to become king, then it would come to him naturally rather than being forced upon him through murdering. The witches in this play influenced Macbeth into making bad decisions leading him into becoming a tragic hero.
Essay by Tim Noone