The play, Macbeth, brought up many controversial subjects, but the most pivotal subject proves to be how much the witches really influenced Macbeth's actions. There are many ways to go about answering this idea, but nevertheless, I believe that the three witches shaped macbeth's every decision at the end of the the play in some way, after the influence Lady Macbeth had on him. Shakespeare demonstrates this through the actions of Macbeth, Malcolm, and Macduff. From early on in the play, the witches confront Macbeth after he and Banquo go finish a battle, and foretell his future to him. When the witches started chanting:
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!”
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!”
“All hail, Macbeth,
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In act 5 scene 4 Malcolm is leading the revolt against Macbeth. When they get near enough to the castle to be seen they end up in Birnam wood and Malcolm tells his troops to: “Let every soldier hew him down a bough and bear’t before him.” Malcolm was doing this to keep his troops concealed, but little did he know that Macbeth was waiting for that to happen because of what the witches have told him. Once again if the witches wouldn't have said anything, Macbeth would not even be the king of scotland at the moment, and this play would have been completely different. Macbeth's life could have been different. The last main character that contributed to Macbeth letting the witches control his last portion of his life was Macduff. Macduff and Macbeth were rivals for most of the play, but Macduff was the only man that Macbeth was afraid of because Macduff was not born of a woman. The witches told Macbeth: “Laugh and scorn the power of a man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (136). With that new piece of information in mind, Macbeth was no longer afraid of anyone else, except for Macduff. Once again, I believe that if the witches had not given Macbeth this piece of information, this battle could have gone down differently, Macbeth could have met his opponents in battle earlier and still had a chance at
Macbeth begins to defer from his original character when he learns of the witches’ prophecies, which leads him to believe he is fated to be king and to pursue that “destiny.” After the witches make the prophecies, he merely views the thought of himself becoming king as something that “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 77). Macbeth’s disbelief of their claim of him obtaining the crown reveals how Macbeth does not trust the witches’ words and has no true ambition to become king. However soon after Banquo’s and Macbeth’s encounter with the witches, a messenger of the King greets him with the title of Thane of Cawdor as well as the title of Thane of Glamis as the witches had also done. These two titles are seen from Macbeth as “Two truths [that] are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme” (I. iii. 140-142). Having one of the two prophecies become reality validates the witches’ words and makes Macbeth take their words seriously to be the truth, sparking his desire for power to fulfill the last prophecy. He now believes that what the witches have made it his destiny to become king, and it is his duty to fulfill it. Through Duncan and Macbeth’s dialogue, Macbeth hears about Malcolm b...
At this point in the play, Macbeth is afraid of losing his crown that he is willing to do anything to save it. He lost his moral values and rational judgment. Every actions does indeed have consequences. Macduff learns the truth that Macbeth killed Duncan and when Macduff is often absent from Macbeth’s sight he grows suspicious. Macbeth has also been told by the witches during his second visit to beware of Macduff. Upon hearing this, he decided to send people to kill Macduff and his family. Macduff fled the castle first leaving his family behind. During the time Lady Macduff voice her fear: "He loves us not; / He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren, / The most diminutive of birds, will fight, / Her young ones in her nest, against the owl" (4.2.11).
Macbeth does not listen to any of the reports regarding Malcolm’s army and his approach upon Dunsinane hill. Macbeth goes so far as to mock Malcolm as he was born of woman and cannot defeat Macbeth. Macbeth vaguely talks of how withered and empty his life has become. Macbeth has become fearless and cocky for he feels assured in the witch’s ...
The three witches in Macbeth have some control in the play. The three witches hold a great power, evil, and strong power and control over Macbeth. They have power that is connected and bonded by one another. They show Macbeth what his
Because he wasn’t in a proper mental state, Macbeth was a terrible king. He ruled Scotland like a tyrant and shut himself off from all of his friends and subjects. His terrible leadership of the country caused most of the politicians to wish for him to be overthrown. Some of the nobles-- such as Ross, Lennox, and Macbeth-- left Scotland and went to England where Malcolm had been staying with his relatives, the royal family of England. In England, Malcolm and the others from Scotland are planning an attack on Macbeth so that Malcolm can claim the throne that is rightfully his. This shows that Macbeth’s choices caused his downfall because they led him to insanity and that caused him to be a terrible leader that needed to be
The three witches in Macbeth are not the most powerful characters in the play, nor are they the catalyst to all of Macbeth’s crimes. At a first glance, it seems that the witches were the advocators to Macbeth’s actions. However, after another look at the situation, it isn’t hard to see that the witches only pulled out Macbeth’s dark side that was hiding just below the surface, and let him destroy himself. They only
In fear of losing this power to his friend Banquo or his son Fleance, whom of which the witches said would be king after Macbeth and would yield a long line of kings, Macbeth had them murdered in the woods while they were out horseback riding. This proves that he truly believes in what the witches have to say about him and his future, which leads him to back to seek out more of the witches half truths to see what else would come of his future. The next set of prophecies that the witches had to offer were shown in a set of three apparitions. The first said “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife,” the second apperition then spoke “none of woman born can harm Macbeth,” the third aperition then said “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him”(Shakespeare,168-170). Some say it was the witches fault for Macbeth’s actions next, but in reality it was Macbeth’s and Macbeth’s alone. Due to these three prophecies Macbeth’s level of arrogance went up along with his hunger for power as well, his level of common sense was decreasing faster and faster. Macbeth’s lack of common sense caused him to make rash decisions without thinking them through. Such as when he says “From this moment the very firstlings of my
has sent to her, Lady Macbeth begins to plot and plan how Macbeth can become
Macduff was the first to openly defy Macbeth by his decision to go to his castle in Fife rather than Macbeth’s coronation in “Scone” (2.4). Macduff flees to England to rally support and revolt against Macbeth (4.3). Macduff acts on his free will, uninfluenced by the power of Macbeth nor others, and does what he believes to be the best for himself and everyone else. He retains his independent thoughts and his sense of masculinity despite the consequences he might suffer, standing his grounds with his beliefs and ideology of being a true patriot. Later on, upon hearing the news of his family’s murder, Macduff shows his sensitivity: “I shall [disput it like a man], but I must also feel it like a man” (4.3). He depicts the ability to have emotions and link it to his masculinity as a part of human traits, embracing his weaknesses and flaws and showing that he also acts as he believes he should act. The sharp contrast between Macbeth’s cowardly actions and Macduff’s strong will is shown at the final battle between the two; Macbeth refuses to fight with Macduff when Macbeth learns Macduff is that one person in the prophecy that would defeat Macbeth until Macduff threatens to capture him alive and humiliates him in front of the crowd (5.8).Once again, Macbeth masculinity is threatened, and he gives in to the threat rather than stand his ground, leading to his ultimate demise. Macduff’s
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 truth. 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. '
Furthermore, we also learn about Lady Macduff’s and her kids’ death. To prove this, Macbeth says in Act 4, scene 1 that he wants to kill Macduff and his family for joining Malcolm, the protagonist adds “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wife, babes, and all unfortunate swords / That trace him in his line.” Although many might argue that Macbeth was forced to kill Duncan, which caused him to kill everyone else, the protagonist could of have refused to follow his wife’s orders and refrain from the power he wants. From the quotations used, we can now tell that Macbeth is a monster due to the murders he
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.
In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, there are many reasons for Macbeth's gradual downfall. Numerous factors contributed to Macbeth's ruin, such as his own character flaws and his demanding wife, Lady Macbeth. The Three Witches, however, caused Macbeth the most trouble. First, the sisters stirred his dormant ambitions to be king. In addition to this, the witches' prophesies gave Macbeth a false sense of security. Finally, their predictions falsely led Macbeth to believe he would some day be happy. The Witches' contributed the most to Macbeth's destruction by first stirring his deep lying ambitions, also by giving him a false sense of security and finally, by allowing Macbeth to believe he would someday be content.
In the play it can be seen that there are various ways in which the
His best friend was also given a very agreeable prophecy about how he could rise to power. Threatened by this similar outcome the witches gave Macbeth, he has his dear friend killed in order to hold onto his newly appointed power. This particular death gave Macbeth additional guilt which was slightly different from Duncan's death. He would be haunted by his friend and see his face around the palace, enough so to make a scene at a dinner banquet. The cost of power for Macbeth is constant guilt, regret, and murder which over the course of the play becomes constant themes. He received another prophecy from the witches about when his time ruling would end and he was determine that it should not come true. A main point of the fall from power prophecy regarding Macbeth was that his reign would end when the Birnham woods reached his castle. He did not know that MacDuff and his forces of rebellion would disguise as the woods in order to camouflage their way into the castle. One main reason that MacDuff is against Macbeth ruling is not just that he was a poor ruler who was running the country into the ground but the fact that Macbeth killed his whole family. Macbeth sent in murders to MacDuff’s own castle to kill his wife and son. He did this for his own personal agenda and to preserve his own power ruling. He had become desensitized to killing for his own personal gain after Duncan died and did not