Napoleon Hill, an American author, said "Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another". Whispering into someone's ear to get them to do what you want is possibly more impactful than the person's own actions. This becomes clear in The Tragedy of Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare. This play depicts the downward spiral of a man named Macbeth, who murders his way onto the throne in Scotland. However, it is not just Macbeth himself who causes his actions, but there are many outside forces that have a great influence on what he does. It is clear that of all of the forces that cause the impending disaster, that the most influential is that of the three witches, who give Macbeth a prophecy of his kingship. …show more content…
This is at the very beginning of the play. In fact, it is one of the very first major events. When Macbeth discovers that the prophecy is true soon after he is told it, he thinks to himself "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me" (II.ii.144). Macbeth is basically saying to himself, "if I am to be king, then so be it". He is completely okay with himself being king, no matter what happens. It becomes even more clear that the prophecy from the witches is very important and influential when Lady Macbeth discovers the prophecy. When she learns that her husband is prophesied to be the king, she states "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised"(I.v.12). She is basically saying that because he was promised to be king, he shall be so. It was the prophecy that really gave Lady Macbeth the idea and motivation to propel her
on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52. One of these brilliant tragedies was
Macbeth is now starting to trust the witches' words. Macbeth believes the witches are right, and that he will not have to help his prophecy come true. "If chance have me king, why, chance may crown me, / without my stir" (I.iii.143-144).
Macbeth learns that the first prophecy has come true. He thinks deeply about being king as he has a huge craving for power and status. Macbeth was persuaded into this evil act. This is evident when we read 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man, ' (Act 1 Scene 7) . This suggests Lady Macbeth is saying Macbeth is no longer a man. And then, trying to persuade him, she says that to be king "more than what you were" would be to be much more of a man. Lady Macbeth 's constant aggravation pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this
Macbeth wondered “.the chance will have (him) King, why, chance may crown (him).”(Doc A), since it was the goddess of destiny who told him the prophecy. Once he found out that Malcolm was crowned “Prince of Cumberland. That is a step on which (he) must fall down, or else o’releap” (Doc A), to become the King of Scotland. Macbeth begins to have murderous thoughts to get the power he craves once his control goes away. Macbeth knew he lost control over his actions, which “.le(ft) him shattered by a fate he c(ouldn’t) control”( Kranz), and felt that life was nothing anymore without that power.
Shakespeare utilized many sources of information when writing his plays. One of his sources for the witches in MacBeth was almost certainly Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft, published in 1584. In his book, Scot refuted many of the common notions regarding witches and their powers; nevertheless, the book created a basic outline for the typical witch, including physical descriptions and abilities. The witches in MacBeth are representations of those described in Scot's book. In the play, Shakespeare describes authentic witches in their physical appearance and behavior and MacBeth's character is made more villainous through his association with these terrifying figures.
All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (Line 47-50) These prophecies throw into his mind the possibility of further advancement to the highest level of the nobility. If the witches had not told MacBeth of their prophecies, there is little chance he would have thought about them himself, and even less chance he would have murdered king Duncan. In Act Three, Scene Five, the witches talk to Hectate, the goddess of demons, about MacBeth.
has sent to her, Lady Macbeth begins to plot and plan how Macbeth can become
The Influence of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth In Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, is seen as courageous. soldier who is loyal to the King but is corrupted by the witches. prophecies and by Lady Macbeth's and his own ambition. This is because of the weakness of Macbeth's character and the strong power of Lady. Macbeth as she is easily able to influence him.
To begin, we look at the first prediction of the witches. They call him by the names of ?Thane of Glamis?, which he already is, ?Thane of Cawdor? (a title he does not know he has been given), and "King hereafter." As a result, the first two things the witches tell him aren?t prophesies because they have already happened. Look at the third and most important prophecy. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become ?King Hereafter?, there?s knowledge that this actually happened. ?If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me.? (1 3) Did it happen because of fate or did Macbeth make it happen? The witches tempted Macbeth to kill the King, however, it was his own ambition that led him to do that terrible thing. Macbeth, even though he was uneasy, he chose to kill King Duncan and ascend to the throne of Scotland. ?Nothing is
Topic: How important are the witches to Macbeth? Discuss the effects of the witches on character, plot, themes and audience.
Powerful in nature and curious to the eye, the witches in Macbeth were hooks of fascination. One never knew what would come next when it came to the witches. They possessed a dark authority and supremacy unlike any other and the temptation to ignore them was unfeasible. They brought with them gloomy days and evil thoughts. The witches could draw you in and begin to almost play with your mind if you let them. This is what ultimately led to the down fall of Macbeth. Collectively, the witches in Macbeth acted as a catalyst for all of Macbeth’s actions.
In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth struggles with gaining power through murderous ways. Then he struggles with trying to keep power, by using more murderous tactics against his own friends and strangers. First, in order to gain power, he kills Duncan, the king and his friend. After this, in order to try to destroy any suspicion about Macbeth’s murder of Duncan, Macbeth then kills his best friend Banquo and attempts to kill Banquo's son, Fleance. Then he eventually gets killed in the end when he is found out to be the murderer by Macduff, whose wife and son are killed by Macbeth. The main influence to do these murdering deeds is the prophecy. The prophecy foretold Macbeth’s actions, in order to rise to become the king of Scotland. But it also foretold that Banquo’s son would be the king after Macbeth. The people who told Macbeth the prophecy was the Three Witches. This is why in Macbeth, the greatest influence to Macbeth's demise is the Three Witches. They told Macbeth the prophecy which drove him to fulfill it, they then fed him false hope later on which, in turn caused him to not prepare to fight when Macduff and his army came to kill him.
Ashley Fikes Mrs. Dean English 12 6 January 2016 How did the witches’ prophecies affect Macbeth? The witches are a very important part of this play. The witches are the real trigger to Macbeth's deep and hidden desires. The presence of the witches raises the battle between good and evil. The three witches are also known as the three weird sisters and are referred to throughout the play.
Macbeth suppressed his feelings, however, until he heard the three witches' first prophecy. "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter", were the witch's words. When Macbeth heard this, his desperate need for the crown revealed itself because he realized it was possible to take the throne. When Macbeth's yearning to be king could not be overcome, he did not let anything stand in his way of being crowned, even if that meant he had to commit murder. The Three Witches ignited Macbeth's desire to be king with their prophecy.
The tragic play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare in 1606 begins with three witches, which have a very important role in the play. The three weird sisters cause both Macbeth’s rise to power and the fall to his death. Through the influence of the witches, Macbeth transforms from a noble martinet into a ruthless marauder overcome with power, eventually leading to his death. The witches indirectly control Macbeth and his actions in the play. They may not actually be forcing Macbeth to do certain actions, but their prophecies have a great impact on him. In the play Macbeth, the scenes with the witches add temptation through evilness and corruption, but more specifically they set the mood and the plot.