Explore the power the witches have over Macbeth
William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1660. It is a play about a man who goes on to
become king of Scotland because he allows himself to be fooled by witches. His
greed and ambition are what makes him lose it all in the end.
The play starts with three witches on a heath, planning something evil that involves
Macbeth. This would have frightened an audience in Shakespeare’s time as it was a
bit like the first horror show. This scene is then followed with a battle scene in which
Macbeth fights bravely and is praised by lots of other soldiers. These two scenes show
the audience how anyone can be fooled and taken in by witches.
On his way home from the battle field Macbeth comes across the three Banquo says,
’what are these so withered and wild in their attire’ this shows the witches look bad on
the outside because they are bad on the inside. To a Shakesperian audience who were
highly fearful of witches at that time, this should be a warning signal not to get
involved.
The witches go on to hail Macbeth as ‘Thane of Glamis…Cowder… and king
hereafter.’ Macbeth shows the start of his feeling of commitment to them as he is keen
to hear more even though he knows he should ignore them because they are witches.
He then learns that something they said came true as he is pronounced ‘Thane of
Cowdor’ and he shows he feels conflicting feelings inside as he comments ‘the
supernatural soliciting/ Cannot be ill, cannot be good.’ This shows he is confused
about trusting in the witches, yet they have used their power and managed to
manipulate him quite easily. In the play so far Macbeth has been presented as a brave,
decent and honourable man so to have tricked him with so little effort, reflects the
power and the cunning of the witches as they commit to their plan.
Macbeth and his wife both show a sense of commitment to the witches and strongly
believe their prophesy. They don’t even bother to question it. Their commitment to
the witches is shown when they believe that as Macbeth would be king anyway they
might just as well hurry this up and so plan to Murder Duncan when he comes to
stay with them. However, Macbeth shows how he feels confused about this. Duncan
is a good King, ‘Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been /So clear in his great
office, ‘ here he explains what a great King Duncan is and he is clearly troubled by
the though of killing him. As if the witches can sense his commitment to believe in
them fully is not strong, they send a dagger to spur Macbeth along.
Macbeth sees the dagger and attempt to touch it but it is a vision. ‘Are though not
fatal Vision…’ Macbeth understands it is a ‘false creation’ yet the witches influence
has been so strong he struggles to resist. He comments that the forthcoming deed will
be ‘fatal’ so he fully grasps what he is about to do. Macbeth also goes on to compare
himself to someone evil, suggesting that he knows full well that what he is about to do
is evil. “With Tarquin’s ravishing strides towards his design’. Here he compares
himself to a wicked Roman prince. Tarquin arranged for his friend’s wife to stay at
his residence then in the night, he sneaked into the bedroom and raped her. This
shows that he knows what he is doing is wrong and he is struggling with his
conscience. Macbeth is weak yet he is prepared to show commitment to the witches
by believing in them and putting his own doubts aside.
Macbeth shows how foolish and naïve he is here. Someone from Shakespear’s time
would be scared of the power of the witches yet both he and his wife welcome their
news. He never appears to question their motives and doesn;t consider that they may
be leading him to his downfall. Banquo even warned him about this just after their
first meeting. ‘The instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to
betray’s in deepest consequence -..’1.3.[123-125]
After he has killed King Duncan, Macbeth is again filled with regret. There is a
knocking at the castle door and Macbeth says he says he wishes it would "wake
Duncan" 2.2.[77] from his sleep.[death] Macbeth’s act of murder causes him to feel
immediate remorse and he still fails to acknowledge that by showing commitment to
what the witches say, he had been controlled and manipulated by the witches
Macbeth becomes king and is having a feast to celebrate. He wants to know if Banquo
will be at his feast and learns that Banquo will be taking his son Fleance and going off
riding. He plans to have them killed because he thinks Banquo suspects he killed the
king and because he is a loyal man, might betray him. He says ‘To be thus is nothing;
But to be safely thus.--Our fears in Banquo stick deep.’ Act 3 scene 1. He Then
justifies killing Banquo because the witches said Banquo’s sons would be kings. ‘For
Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Here, the witches’ power over Macbeth is clear. For comments they made, he will
now slaughter his best friendBanqou and Banquo’s only son Fleance. Although
Macbeth has been made king he is not happy and feels scared all the time. He hopes
the fear will go away once Banquo is murdered. Macbeth should be questioning the
witches’ role. He was a happy and honourable man before his encounter with the
witches, now his mind is ‘full of scorpions’ yet he still gives into the power of the
witches by remaining loyal to them and trusting them completely.
The Shakespearian audience would be shocked at how easily taken in Macbeth
appears to be. Under King James’ rule 600 women were killed in one year alone that
were thought to be witches. Their fear of witches were heightened by this and if a
King or a great man could so easily succumb to their power, they must have though
there was little chance of an ordinary person being able to stand against their evil
influence and power.
Towards the end of the play, Macbeth’s wife kills herself as she is troubled by a guilty
conscience. Macbeth seems to have become more evil under the witches’ power here
as he doesn’t appear upset by his wife’s death. He comments ‘she should have died
hereafter’ 5.5.[[16] However, when she reads the letter he sent her after his first
encounter with the witches he refers to her as his ‘dearest partner of greatness’
1.5.[[9] It seems the witches power has turned Macbeth evil. Where he clearly loved
and cared for his wife very much he now has become evil like the witches themselves
and there is little pleasure in life for him any more. He broods over life’s futility and it
may appear to the audience that to give into the power of the witches mean that
Macbeth would be better off dead.
Reinforcing how much trust Macbeth has placed in the witches he goes back to visit
them in act 4 scene 1, Macbeth wants to know what the future holds for him.
He is told by the witches that he need to ‘beware Macduff’ and so he decides to kill
him. He is also told ‘no man born of woman shall harm Macbeth’ so there is no
reason to kill Macduff. He then learns Macduff has ran off and so Macbeth decides
he will kill his wife and children and all the people who work for him ‘The castle of
Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword His wife, his
babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his line [150] Unlike the first two
murders Macbeth has appeared to become more like the witches under their power
and is now evil and hateful like they are. He doesn’t show any feelings of concern
about killing a woman and her children. He plans this murder easily yet it is the most
shocking and cruel act. Macbeth was a soldier who fought hard on the battle field and
could be proud of his achievements. Now, like the witches he has to hide these
vicious acts because the rest of the country would be appalled and disgusted be what
he is doing. The witches’ power over Macbeth has been so great he is becoming like
them.
The witches also show Macbeth a bloody child which tells Macbeth to "Be bloody,
bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall
harm Macbeth’ 4.1.[8] This prediction is what makes Macbeth believe he is
indestructible. He believes that as all men are born to a woman that no one can harm
him. As a consequence of this he kills mercilessly and has little regard for his actions.
The witches have shown how powerful they are over the weak and gullible Macbeth.
It is not until the very end of the play when Macbeth’s castle is about to be invaded
that he realises he has been fooled by the witches. Virtually all Macbeth’s servants
have fled and Macbeth knows that he is losing the battle, reassuring him self that the
witches apparition are true he declares that he will never surrender so long as he can
kill more. Then Macduff enters. Macbeth doesn’t want to fight him at first and repeats
the witches prophesy that ‘ No man born of woman can harm Macbeth’ Macduff
retorts that those words will not keep him back because when he was born, he was
ripped from his mother's womb early instead of being born naturally.
Macbeth realises that he has been tricked by the way the witches phrased their
predictions and Macduff goes on to slay Macbeth.
I believe that the witches are very powerful indeed. Macbeth was a strong, brave
respected soldier before his encounter with the witches and throughout the play he
grows more evil and callous and murders other easily and loses all his feelings of
affection towards those around him. Macbeth appears to have a personality change
and I don’t believe a Shakespearian audience would believe that would be possible
without the witches influence. The play would have acted like a warning to the 16th
century audience and heightened their fears about witches living amongst them.