The Supernatural and the witches Essay Example for Free

The Supernatural and the witches Essay The story of Macbeth, like most of Shakespeares plays, tells a story that has a moral lesson attached to it. Macbeth was essentially a man who craved power but even when a prophecy was revealed that he would gain, Macbeth still wasnt truly satisfied. Instead, he went to great lengths to ensure that his power lasted longer than it should have. He submitted to the evil whims and plans of his wife, Lady Macbeth, and put himself in a position that destroyed his self respect, ruined his pride, degraded his honour, and spoiled his integrity. For my essay I have decided to base it on the witches and the super natural things, which take part in the book Macbeth One will always notice the many influences that Macbeth encounters before his downfall. Each one of these may have had some bit of impact on the final outcome. The three most popular causes of the tragedy of Macbeth are the main characters ambition, the witches prophecies, and Lady Macbeths influence over Macbeth. in this case, it is obvious that there was some other force behind him that helped him to change from a respectable, trustworthy man, to a deceiving murderer. In his encounters with the witches, Mabeth was introduced to that fact that he could have more power, and in hearing what he had to do to earn it, he was scared. However, with the witches making this power sound so grand, he was eventually convinced that his dignity was no longer essential. The witches, therefore, were what caused the legacy of Macbeth as a heroic individual to lead to his ultimate death and destruction. At the very beginning of the play it clearly shows that the three witches can foretell the future. They come into the play in the first scene during a horrendous storm and they have foreseen the visit that Macbeth is going to pay them. During Macbeths visit all three witches spoke in rhyme as if they were putting some sort of spell on him for example When the hurly-burlys done, when the battles lost and won They also give Macbeth a prediction, they did this because they knew it would encourage Macbeth to kill because they knew how ambitious he was and what lengths he would go to become king. At the end of the first scene it tells me that the witches have opposite values to us fair is foul and fouls is fair meaning good is bad and bad is good. The witches are very evil and vengeful. I know this because they send a sailor out to sea in a constant thunderstorm for several months. They do this because the sailors wife would not give them one of her many chestnuts. A sailors wife had chestnuts in her lap, and munched, and munched, and munched, and munched. Give me quoth I: Aroint thee, witch! the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husbands to Aleppo gone, master O the tiger: But in a sieve Ill thither sail, and, like, a rat without a tail Ill do, Ill do, and Ill do. The quote explains why and how the witches gave such a terrible punishment. The witches are described as not looking like typical women. They are very ugly, old and they have beards. Obviously your typical woman would not have a beard. I know this due to the fact Banquo said to the witches live you? Or are you aught? This tells me that the witches are very old. Banquo said to the witches you should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so Clearly this shows that the witches have beards The witches prediction was correct; Macbeth did ultimately murder Duncan and his guards. He murdered the guards just incase they saw something and they were to people about it. Lady Macbeth helped Macbeth murder the guards by putting something in their drinks so they would sleep. Personally I think that Macbeth cannot be held totally responsible for the killing of Duncan and the guards. I think this because other characters did motivate him to murder them such as Lady Macbeth and the witches. So far in the play Macbeth has become Thane of Cawdar by winning the battle against the Norwegians and Macdonald. The witches give Macbeth three Prophecies, which are Thane of Glamis (which Macbeth already is) Thane of Cawdar and the last prophecy that the witches gave to Macbeth is King of Hereafter All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king here after The witches prophecies have already taken a big influence over Macbeths life. Glamis and thane of Cawder: The greatest is behind This meaning for Macbeth the next step is even better than the one before. Macbeth wants to become king but Banquo doesnt trust the witches he refers to them as the devil can the devil speak true Banquo believes that evil spirit would not tell them the truth. Banquo then said to win us to our harm meaning the witches are going to lead Macbeth and Banquo to their own destruction. Banquo was becoming suspicious of the death of Duncan. Macbeth Realises that Banquo heard the witches three prophecies he doesnt like Banqos suspicion so he arranges for him and his son Fleance to be killed. Macbeth wants his son murdered as well as Banquo because the witches have told him that they were the future King. Unfortunately for Macbeth there was a mistake in the killings of Banquo and his son. Although the killing of Banquo was very successful it was very brutal murder it consisted of 20 gashes to his head. His son escaped. That night Macbeth held a big celebrity banquet. This is the scene, which Banquos ghost appears. Macbeth being the only person, who can see him, turned and said to him Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me Obviously he does not react well to seeing a ghost at the feast. He denies having anything to do with the murder. When Banquos ghost reappears Macbeth begins to go mad and said to himself Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let earth hide thee Lady Macbeth makes excuses for Macbeth to cover up for his behaviour My lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat; the fit is momentary In the quote lady Macbeth is trying to say that her husband is ill and that the Banquet must come to an end due to this. Macbeth again visits the witches for one last final time. Whilst he was there he mentioned that he had gone so far into his murders that he might as well carry on I am in blood stepped so far, that, should I wade no more Also during his visit, the witches are joined by Hecate, who is the queen of witchcraft. This shows the importance Macbeth had in the forces of evil. Not long into Macbeth visit the witches start listing ingredients for some sort of potion, which contains guts, a toad toe, snake, eye of newt, a frog, bats fur, dogs tongue, a humans lips, nose and liver, a wolf tooth, and a finger of a prostitutes baby strangled at birth Fillet of a fenny snake, in the cauldron boil and bake; eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog, adders fork, and blind-worms sting, lizards leg, and howlets wing, for a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble The witches put all these ingredients into a cauldron to make a potion, which is made for Macbeth to drink. Once Macbeth had drunk the potion he begun to have apparitions. He saw an image of a head with a helmet this symbolised Malcolm coming towards the castle. I think the bloody child represented Macduff being born by a caesarean, the child with a crown on its head holding a branch I think represented Macduff becoming King as he was the only person who could kill Macbeth due to the fact that he was born by caesarean and not by a natural birth and the branch represented Macduffs army approaching Macbeths castle camouflaged into the woods hence the witches prophecy Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him and Banquo holding a mirror represented Banquo beginning a dynasty of royals. Due to Macbeths previous visit to the witches he proceeds to burn Macduffs castle to kill all his family but he fails to kill Macduff because he had gone away to rally an army somewhere in England. The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon fife; give to th edge o th sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. No boasting, like a fool; this deed Ill do, before this purpose cool. When Macduff found out about the tragic, and brutal murders of his family he and his army returned to Scotland to kill Macbeth. Each person was carrying a branch from a tree, to form an illusion that they were a moving forest. Just as the witches prophecy said. As I said earlier Macduff was the only person able to kill Macbeth because he was born not of a woman, a lot of the army members have trouble trying to kill Macbeth but eventually Macduff killed Macbeth. Even in his final uttered words before his death, Macbeth refers to two of the witchs apparitions, these being the second and third apparition concerning the Great Birnam wood knocking at his door and his inevitability to anyone born of a woman: