Supernatural in Shakespeares Macbeth - Role of the Witches Essay

The Role of the Witches in Macbeth When Shakespeare wrote his chance, Macbeth in 1606 a large legal age of people were interested in witchcraft. This is why Shakespeare made the witches and the witches prophecies play a major part in the storyline of the play. In the time of Macbeth witches were not thought to be supernatural beings themselves, but supposedly gained their powers by merchandising their souls to Satan. There can be little doubt that most of Shakespeares audience would have believed in witches, and for the purpose of the play, at least, Shakespeare also sure their reality.The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced at the beginning of the play and the brief spread few scenes give an immediate impression of mystery, curse and uncertainty. This is a sign of things to come as witchcraft is used as one of the main themes of the play. The witches create an atmosphere of evil and dis ready.In the opening scene the weather is thunder and lightning which is a mirror image of the path the witches are perceived. When you think of thunder and lightning you think of evil and goal, this is exactly the focussing witches are represented in this play. They are evil and cause destruction in Macbeths life.Banquo says in act 1 scene 3 line 124The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with just trifles, to betrays In deepest consequence.He thinks and says bad things of the witches. He calls them instruments of darkness and the devil. He believes that these prophecies depart only bring harm even before anything begins to happen. He sees beyond the witches and can see that they are evil where as Macbeth is taken in by the witches and this blindness is what causes his downhill spiral o... ...e is responsible for his own destiny. This is an intrinsic theme in this tragedy. Macbeth chooses to gamble with his soul and when he does this it is only him who chooses to discharge it. He is responsible for anything he does and must take total office for his actions. Macbeth is the one who made the final decision to carry out his actions. He made these final decisions and continued with the killings to cover that of King Duncan. However where as some facts show that the results were all of his own doing, in act 4 he returns to the witches voluntarily to find out his fate in order to see what actions he should take. This suggests that the witches did have a great influence on his actions. Work CitedShakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York Longman, 1999.