The Witches Flashcards
How are the witches presented as unnatural (no quote)
They speak in trochaic tetrameter
This is the opposite of iambic pentameter, and the unnatural stresses make it seem dark / evil
How is pathetic fallacy used to present the witches as, evil powerful and mysterious
‘When shall we three meet again, In thunder, lightning or in rain’
Suggests control over the weather
Creates a dark and destructive mood
‘thunder’ are ‘lightning’ are both destructive forces
‘hover through the fog and filthy air’
Presents ideas of uncertainty, and shows how unclear things are
Why do the witches speak in paradoxes
‘fair is foul and foul is fair’
Used to present ideas of things not being as they seem throughout the play
This line also resembles the incantations, or casting a spell
Suggesting the witches caused tmacbeths downfall
What is the purpose of there being three witches
At the time (during the jacobean era) many believed that bad things come in threes
This adds to the mystery and suspense created in the first page
What was Daemonologie
King James wrote a dissertation on witchcraft
He believed witches were real and could yield dark and hellish powers
What were the witch trials
In the 17th century women who were believed to be witches were put to a trial
No matter the outcome of the trial they would die.
They would either sink in the water and drown, or float and be burnt
What do the witches say to macbeth
‘all hail macbeth that shalt be king herafter’(act 1 scene 3)
They also prophesies he will be ‘thane of cawdor’
This starts macbeths ambition to kill duncan
