The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. The scene opens with the witches chanting three prophesies: Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophesies introduce Macbeth to his plan of defeat and to over power. Macbeth will eventually follow through in killing king Duncan. Some people believe that the witches had the ability to reverse the order of things. This brings into the play idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play. One can only wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. It is however, more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play and in the end, he was the one who made the final decisions.
The witches could see the future, they could add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they could not control his destiny. No one can change the destiny of ones life nor can anyone tell the destiny of ones life. Macbeth creates his own sadness when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. He realized what he did was immoral and he cant stand the thought. This causes him to become insecure about his actions which causes him to commit more murders. The witches are great at intriguing, but in the end, it is each individuals decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. That’s where Macbeth messed up, he didn’t trust himself enough and wasn’t confident enough in himself to know what the right thing was. The three Witches are only responsible for giving Macbeth the ideas and for forming ideas in Macbeth’s head. They are not responsible for h...
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... is warned about the truth of the witches prophesies, he is tempted and refuses to listen to reason from Banquo. Macbeth blames the witches for deceiving him with half truths. While the witches are not totally responsible for the actions of Macbeth, they are responsible for introducing the ideas to Macbeth which in turn fired up Macbeth's ambition and led to a disastrous And unnecessary chain of events.
The story of Macbeth teaches us many lessons in life. The lesson that stuck out to me is to be your own person. Macbeth let other people control him and lead him. He didn’t make decisions for himself nor did he follow his heart in everything he did. He was just thinking about what the witches and Lady Macbeth wanted. When you live your life for other people your really not living. Macbeth taught me a lot of lessons that I will continue to use throughout my life.
...ophecies and the active role of Lady Macbeth, Macbeth cannot be considered solely responsible for his wrongdoing and ultimate tragic end. Although it was his tragic flaw that ultimately destroys him, Macbeth is deceived, tricked, and persuaded throughout the play into believing and doing a variety of things that would lead to this destruction. Because the witches spark Macbeth’s interest through the hopeful prophecies of his future, his natural reaction is to have more curiosity and to want to fulfill the prophecies by any means. Lady Macbeth’s blunt advice to just perform the action without thought is what numbs Macbeth to realizing how his ambition is affecting him. Finally, Macbeth does eventually face his death due to his tragic flaw, but his downfall involved many others who should also claim some responsibility regarding this downfall and Macbeth’s tragic end.
If anyone is to blame for starting this mess, it should be the Weird Sisters for telling MacBeth prophesies. “They told MacBeth that he would be Thane of Cawdor, and then become king in the future” (Shakespeare 17). After hearing the witches’ prophecy, MacBeth thinks that he must kill the current king, King Duncan, in order to take over the throne. “He writes a letter to his wife saying that he needs to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the witches’ prophesies” (Shakespeare 31). The witches are responsible for introducing the ideas to MacBeth which led to him killing Duncan in order to gain power. The witches had such a strong influence on MacBeth that they became a part of his brain and worked to transform him into this power-hungry monster. It was the killing of King Duncan that caused him to feel the need to kill more people, thinking that they were suspicious. Without the witches there to c...
Million-dollar question: are the witches (1) playing on Macbeth's aspiration and placing the idea of murder in his head; (2) really private to some secret information about the way things are going to happen; or (3) actually controlling fate in some way?
Macbeth was always a soldier that took orders closely and felt no mercy for his victims initially. When he first encountered the witches in this story they foresaw his future where he would rule the land. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were unhappy with the unknown wait to obtain this power that was promised to them. Therefore, the two scheme a trap to kill King Duncan who was currently in power at the time that Macbeth was given his fate. The
The witches’ prophecies helped fuel Macbeth’s hidden desire to become king and greatly shaped him to do anything in order to have the prophecy come true, even commit murder. If it were not for their predictions, Macbeth would not have thought about becoming king. “…Macbeth clearly confides in their prophecies and believes them to be truths…” (Macbeths Demise). When finding out that one of the predictions came true, he was led to believe he would become a great king. The witches misguided Macbeth by only telling him half truths and tricked him into a disastrous path that would lead to his demise. Also, the three seers helped influence Macbeth by letting him see a part of himself that was hidden inside him. “They planted the seed of evil in Macbeth's head that grew to dominate his mind.” (Witches Influence on Macbeths Decisions), which, let his desire consume him until the only thing he thought about was to become king. The witches’ prophecies were not the only force that influenced Macbeth into committing a crime but his own faults also influenced him.
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.
The witches played an undoubtedly large role in MacBeth, being the instigators of the entire plot. In act one scene three, the witches say: `all hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, thane of cawdor! ... 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 prophesies, there is little chance he would have thought about them himself, and even less chance he would have murdered king Duncan.
This implies that the witches have only limited powers and can only direct people within certain limits. If this is the case, then we must see that Macbeth's ambition and moral cowardice are responsible for his tragedy.
The outcome of the first prophecy or encounter with the Witches is the beginning of Macbeth's downfall. After Macbeth was told about his potential reign as king, Macbeth said, "Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more. By Sinel's death I know I am Thane-of Glamis. But how of Cawdor?...You owe this strange intelligence or why upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such a prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you." (1.3.73.) After Macbeth tried to ask questions, the witches vanished. The witches seem to have watched Macbeth and studied how he is. They know his weaknesses are his greed and ambition, and by telling him this specific part of his destiny, his weaknesses will overcome his virtues. The witches then left Macbeth at this time possibly be...
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s destiny is determined by the choices he makes. The first hint to the reader of Macbeth’s choices comes as a warning from Banquo to Macbeth about believing the witches, or Weird Sisters. Once Macbeth starts to believe the witches, this belief facilitates his decisions to take certain actions. Macbeth’s choice to believe the witches also gives them control over him, which further illustrates how Macbeth’s destiny is fated by his choice to believe them. Throughout the play Macbeth has opportunities to stop believing in the witches, thereby choosing actions that might avoid a harmful fate. It is Macbeth’s free choice to believe the witches or not, and it is this choice and his resulting actions that leads to his fate.
The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truths. Instead they prove to be harmful for Macbeth who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. 'When you durst to do it, then you were a man,' (Macbeth, Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 7) Lady Macbeth's constant harassment pushed Macbeth and made him commit all this evil. When you reason things out by yourself you tend to now what is right and what is wrong, a conscience. But with the outside influence from the witches he thinks that that is his destiny and he must do everything to fulfill it. One can wonder if Macbeth ever had a chance of doing what was right after he met with the witches. He is overthrown and killed. Through his own ambitions, the ambition of his wife and the witches' prophesies, Macbeth has caused his own destruction and downfall. We can now clearly see that ambition not achieved through our own ability leads to destruction. 'Hail Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter'. (Act 1 Scene 3) These prophecies from three strangers are taken without question and probably without good judgment. Just the thought that he may be King clouds his thoughts and ambition takes over. The witches can predict the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, but they cannot control his destiny.
'Fair is foul and foul fair' (1.1.?) This quote spoken by the three witches in the beginning of the story set the theme of the play. There are no rules, no moral guidelines. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is a play in which the good turn evil. This archetypal transformation from the young, idealistic, promising character to a dark, evil one is apparent in hundreds of plays, novels, and stories throughout history. In this story, the events which begin Macbeth's downfall aren't actions, but words. Simple, mysterious predictions that change Macbeth's life forever. These predictions are made by the three witches, or weird sisters, the three characters who act as one who inflict Macbeth with his eternal pain. The Three Witches have personality traits of mysteriousness, prophetic, and manipulative
The witches can predict the future and impact Macbeth, but they cannot control his fate. Macbeth’s demise was perhaps planned by the witches, but it was his own free will that led him to evil. Macbeth would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches. The witches are responsible for putting the idea and thought into Macbeth’s mind. As a brave leader of the king’s army, Macbeth’s main goal should be to serve and receive his reward heaven. After his encounter with the witches this is not the case anymore. Ambition is what drives Macbeth, and he only needs the suggestion of what could be his for him to go get it. The sisters enjoyed seeing the downfall of Macbeth by his own selfish actions.Without the witches, his desire to be king would have not been great enough for him to commit murder; the witches are his evil side.
The witches’ prophecies tempt Macbeth to begin walking down the path of evil leading to his demise. They are the catalyst that
The Three Witches were a major influencing factor in Macbeth's demise. The Three Witches were the birth of Macbeth's transformation. They were the ones who told Macbeth the prophecy; the prophecy that seemed to have sparked Macbeth's evil wrath, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" (1.3.51-53). After receiving this prophecy, Macbeth starts to transform into an evil man who will not let anything stand in his way. In addition, the Three Witches use the apparitions to motivate Macbeth. They fool Macbeth and lead him to believe that he should not worry. In conclusion, it was the Three Witches who started the whole ordeal and continued to provoke Macbeth into committing such barbaric murders. However, they were not the only ones involved in Macb...