Macbeth

The Three Witches - by Andrew Pompa

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In the play "Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, the witches are used in many parts of the story. They help to keep the play moving forward and expose human weakness (especially for Macbeth) and also give today’s modern society the image of witches in fantasy.
        Throughout the play the three witches really keep the story and plot continually moving. This is very clear from the beginning, after Macbeth has fought valiantly in war for King Duncan, when the witches tell him, “All hail Macbeth! Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare: act 1, scene 3, line 52-53) Not ever meeting the man, they are able to call him by the title awarded to him only a little while ago and tell him that he is to become king. Prophecies like this will be catalysts for Macbeth to plot and cause all of his crimes. This includes the murder of King Duncan after Macbeth he is told that he is to become king by the witches. Without the witches we are left with no story and no plot.     
        The witches are also very interesting characters because they are able to expose human weakness for Macbeth. In the beginning of act 3 scene 5 Hecate is angered with the three witches for giving Macbeth prophesies without asking her for permission.  She also begins to say that he is only interested in himself and doesn’t even care about the witches. Hecate now begins plotting to fill Macbeth with ambition and even calls it mans weakness when she says,” He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear. And you know, security is mortals’ chiefest enemy (Shakespeare: Act 3, scene 5, lines 30-33),” From here they begin to maneuver him into a sense of false security and ultimately lead him into a sense of ambition that leads him to his downfall in act 4 scene 1 when the witches summon forth apparitions that tell Macbeth, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth (Shakespeare: Act 4, scene 1, lines 90-93),” and, “ Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him (Shakespeare: Act 4, scene 1, lines 105-107),” By giving Macbeth a prophecy that is sheathed within words that sound too ridiculous to come true, the witches are able to bring Macbeth into a false sense of security and lead him also in to a excessive amount of ambition.
        Finally, the witches not only influence the play and its plot, they also give people of the present day great imagery of witches that we see in many fantasy stories and sometimes even art. Quotes of the witches such as the most famous, “ Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble (Shakespeare: Act 4, scene 1, lines 10-11),” give many people today the imagery of a witch hunched over a bubbling concoction in a large ebony cauldron. Also, much of the ingredients the witches use in their brew, such as frog toe and dog tongue, add to the creepy imagery of the witches. These ladies are also referred to many times in the play as hags, which is also a reason why witches are always pictured to be old, ugly ladies. Without much of the detail that Shakespeare used in his play, the imagery of the present day which would never be possible.
        The witches are probably the most influential characters within the play of Macbeth. Without the addition of the witches the plot of the book would never move forward, the theme of ambition would not be a major one, and much of the present day imagery of witches would never exist. This is why the witches in Macbeth are such important characters.