How Does Shakespeare Present Conflict In Macbeth

In Act I.i of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, a conflict that will be present throughout the play is introduced. The conflict is not clearly stated, but can be found when analyzing the different aspects present in the scene. Shakespeare reveals that the conflict is good versus evil through the setting, characters, meter, and rhyme scheme. The setting is one aspect of the scene that is used to introduce the conflict. The scene takes place in the middle deserted place during a storm. As stated at the beginning of the scene, “A deserted place. Thunder and lightning,” (Shakespeare 108). The storm foreshadows chaos, problems, and danger. The deserted place represents somewhere haunted, spooky, and abandoned. The storm represents that the Great

Three witches, who will play a major role in the conflict are introduced. The Witches said, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (Shakespeare 108). This quote is basically saying that a battle will take place, a battle between good and evil. In the battle, the three witches will represent the evil since they are a cancer in the world. They causing disruption and chaos due to the fact that they should be in Hell, but instead are on Earth. Also since they can both fly and see the future, they are violating the basic laws of nature that God set. This proves that the witches are not only powerful, but also evil. The number three plays an important role when introducing these characters. The Holy Trinity also comes from the number three, which is ultimately whose laws the three women dedicated to evil are going against. The flying and being able to see the future are also part of three actions that the witches do to go against God’s laws. Macbeth will represent the good in the battle, which is confirmed when the Third Witch said, “There to meet with Macbeth,” (Shakespeare 108). The witches are planning to meet with their opponent, Macbeth, in order to battle out their