Macbeth- supernatural

• Shakespeare portrays the Witches as supernatural beings who give Macbeth many cryptic prophecies
• The Witches predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, then that he will get kings, and finally that he shall not be vanquished until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him
• Shakespeare introduces the Witches in the first scene of the play, giving special emphasis to their importance
• Fair is foul, and foul is fair


  Paradoxical phrase that foreshadows the rest of the play
• Weird Sisters


  Connotations of "wired" meaning fate in Old English, associating their speech with prophecy
• The Witches


  • They could represent the three fates from classical mythology, as the three fates represent the past, present and future
  • This reflects the three predictions they give to Macbeth, as they claim to "spin the threads of life"
  • One witch spins, one measures, one cuts, relating to their roles in the future, present and past, respectively
• The Witches are portrayed as being in control of events, as they decide on the fates and destinies of men - or perhaps they lead them to their fate
• Supernatural


  The inclusion of 'magical' creatures is contextually significant as the contemporary audience was interested in, believed in and was fearful of witches
• The monarch at the time of writing in the early 17th Century was James I, who wrote the book 'Daemonologie' which explained how to identify a witch and how to torture them
• These witches would be seen as a very real and genuine threat to the contemporary audience, who actually believed that witches lived amongst them and are more than a fictional fantasy
• Shakespeare uses the character of the Witches in order to appeal to the current monarch James I, who had a passion for the history of witchcraft
• James I's passion for witches is evident as he was involved in many witch trials (e.g. North Berwick Witch Trials), where he took part in interrogating a witch
• The portrayal of the Witches as inherently evil and agents of Satan appeals to James I
• Through connecting witches to regicide Shakespeare is clearly demonstrating that witchcraft is infernal and thus Shakespeare is evidencing his allegiance to the king and gaining his favour through this play
• Shakespeare also has the motive of wanting to make the play interesting to James so that he will financially support the theatre and ensure patronage
• Shakespeare condemns regicide through his portrayal of Macbeth and the mental torment it causes him
• Through presenting regicide as inspired or even controlled by the Witches, Shakespeare implies it is related to the devil and hence regicide will have severe religious consequences
• Macbeth is aligned with forces of supernatural evil within the play, and association with the supernatural will always result in suffering and severe consequences
• The Witches' direct influence upon the Macbeths is evidenced through the link between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's lack of sleep
• The Bible forms a great deal of references made in Macbeth, as the Witches subvert the holiness of Christianity
• The audience perceives the Witches as agents of the devil, as stated in King James I's 'Daemonologie', which theorised that the witches carried out the work of the devil and were controlled by him
• The Witches form an anti-trinity, opposing and contradicting the trinity of the Father, the Sun and the Holy Ghost
• The Witches' speech


  • The rhythmic and chant-like nature of the Witches' rhetoric implies that their words have real extraordinary power
  • This is symbolic of the supernatural and connects other characters to the supernatural
• Trochaic tetrameter


  The meter used by the Witches, which causes them to stand out as different and other-worldly
• Rhyming couplets


  The Witches' use of rhyming couplets gives their speech a spell-like sound, symbolic of spell casting and bringing things into existence through their utterances
• The Witches and Macbeth

  The Witches are dependent on Macbeth to fulfill their prophecies, as it was believed that witches were unable to directly kill man so instead they had to convince others to do their bidding
• Hecate (Goddess of Witchcraft) meets with the Witches


  She wishes to play a direct role in Macbeth's downfall
• Second meeting with Macbeth and the introduction of apparitions

  1. The Witches make further predictions, through the forms of apparitions which appear before Macbeth

  2. Beware Macduff

  3. None of woman born shall harm Macbeth

  4. Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him
• This scene demonstrates the immense power that the Witches and their prophecies hold over Macbeth
• The Witches are dependent on Macbeth to fulfill their prophecies


  Witches were unable to directly kill man so instead they had to control others to create the disorder and chaos they wished to impart on mankind
• The Witches refer to a story about a sailor


  • Though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tossed
• The Witches can't kill Duncan themselves


  They have the power to influence the men around him
• Macbeth becomes the Witches' puppet and vehicle for evil
• The Witches' prophecies cause Macbeth to realise his own entrenched ambitions


  They inspire him to act upon it
• The Witches' suggestion and temptation triggers Macbeth's fall
• Macbeth is a greater force of evil than the Witches as he is the one who physically carries out the act of regicide
• The Witches are simply a catalyst for Macbeth's actions
• Macbeth had the potential to sin, but needed the suggestion in order to persuade him into acting
• The notion of regicide already existed within Macbeth's mind and he sustains it himself, rather than the Witches planting this entirely new concept in Macbeth's head
• Shakespeare's play is more of an exploration of the psychological state of Macbeth, rather than an exploration of the supernatural