witches in macbeth Flashcards
how do the witches show evil
-displayed as unnatural ugly disgusting creatures – cruel and vile – dissect animals for spells ‘eye of newt and toe of frog’.
-seem to have an unnatural control and hold over the weather reflecting their power but also its unnatural nature – seen as this force with control and knowledge above the rest of the characters in the play
how do the witches show/ represent daemonology
Set the story into motion
-give prophecies to Macbeth which causes him to start to think about murder -Macbeth gives into temptation as a result of Lady M and the Witches. Through witches’ use of equivocations and Lady M drives him as a result of her own personable ambition.
- supernatural being could be seen as the root of all evil – they cause the turning point from a loyal subject to a violent murderer – set the whole play into motion
-however even straight after the witches talk of him being king it is Macbeth who suggests murder reflecting how it is his ambition that drives his evil not the witches influence – reflecting the message that even if there are fears of the supernatural mans ambition and violence is the true evil
what is the divine right of kings
Cause Macbeths downfall
-his fatal flaw is his ambition which the witches spark and cause him to fall into a violent path
- they then once he has what he wants cause hm to become complacent and not worried this lack of worry and fear leads to him being unbothered by the war and allowing weakness and complacency
- Macbeth could also be seen to grow past the witches’ influence as he goes on to kill Macduff’s family – when it I said no one can harm him – showing his violence growing past the witches and their influence
- however it could be argued that they warned him to fear Macduff they told him exactly who would cause his downfall but he ignored this and become egoistic thinking nothing could touch him and this lack of fear and complacency caused his death
how do the withces show equivocitaition
Personification of fate
-they could be portrayed as a scapegoat for all the evil actions of men – Macbeths evil could be blamed on their influence – but in reality, he had to have evil within him to have the seed of violence planted
-they are seen as omniscient and have knowledge above the rest of the characters in the play – could be seen as a force of fate – causing these things to happen or just being a vessel for fate being able to see what will happen
IMPORTANCE – set the play in motion – plant ideas into Macbeths mind – personification of all evil and fate
