The witches in Macbeth have been referred by the names of the ‘weird sisters’ who stayed at the different vantage points of the play contributing in the demise of Macbeth through their manipulative ‘prophecies’. The role of the witches carries a striking resemblance with the three fates as they have been mentioned in classical myths.
In Macbeth, the role of the Witches is that of prophets who have hailed out to Macbeth in the initial point of the play and predicted his ascent to the position of King of Scotland. On killing the king and completing his mission of ascending to the throne the witches appear again in order to prophesize about the eventual downfall that was likely to follow Macbeth. The ominous tone of the play has been developed by their filthy trappings followed by the supernatural activities that followed their arrival and departure.
The appearance of the three witches in act one scene one of Macbeth where before departure they have agreed to meet with Macbeth later thus giving sense to the prevailing ominous atmosphere in the course of the play. In act 1.3 again experiences the presence of the witches where they tell Macbeth that he would ascend the throne and that is companion Banque would be the for runner of a generation of kings though he would not be the king himself. The impact of the prophecies on Macbeth had been a great one. Later the viewers are accustomed to the knowledge that Macbeth desired to usurp the throne of Scotland. In the later scene which has been generally considered by the scholars as a non-Shakespearean one where the three witches had been encountered by Hecate for dealing with Macbeth without any form of intervention from her. Hecate the mother of witches thereby orders the three weird sisters to congregate in a place that is forbidden and produce a series of images of ominous nature that heralded the downfall of Macbeth. The end of the spectacle by the witches ended with the show of the descendants of Banque in royal lights.
The representation of the Witches brings about the connotation of evil, chaos, darkness, and conflict while they are playing the role of witnesses and agents. The presence of the witches in Macbeth passes on the message of the treason and the doom that impends the life of the character. In the period when the play had been written back in that time the witches were viewed as traitors who are notorious as well as rebel. Their role as a traitor was no limited to being just a political traitor but also as a traitor for spiritual as per the common perception. The witches dissolve the barriers between supernatural and reality and much of the confusion of the play springs from this ability of the witches. The witches had been entrenched deeply in both the world of the real and the imaginary and thereby their role as a mere agent or as a controller of fate becomes unclear to the audience. Logic is defined by them and they make themselves free of the agency of the rules posted by the real world.
The vocation made by the witches in the lines of the first act of the play reveals the confusion that the witches create all throughout the play and is thus reflected in the light of the dialogue
Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air
The vocation acts as a reminder of confusion in the moral world that has been prevailing in the course of the play. There has been a confusion between the evil and good that takes place within the play where the evil takes the form of the good and the good takes the form of evil. The line Double, double toil and trouble is suggestive of the confusion that the witches intend to create for the entire course of the play. The witches hint at the confusion that they aim at creating for the humans around them.
The witches also play the role of the devil in mind while they attempt to attempt both Macbeth and Banque. The witches did not vocationally instruct Macbeth to kill Duncan but rather they tempted Macbeth by informing them that he has been destined to the king. By sowing the thought in his mind, the witches provoke him. The contemporary thought on the devil is that the devil exists in the mind which in this case are the witches. While their temptation worked for Macbeth and Banque rejected it.
` The power of the witches is also embedded in their understanding of the weakness of the interlocuter they interact with. The description of the witches is also notable where the witches through referred to as ‘sisters’ had beards on their faces, used potions that are bizarre, and used to speak in rhymed speech and thus make them appear androgynous. There has been a mixture of comical elements in their speeches which is contrasted with their recipe of frogs and other creatures that make them appear powerful and wicked. The confusion between the role of the witches as an agent as compared to their role as a controller of fate. The presence and the appearance of the witches carry stark resemblance with the character of Fate from Greek and Norse Mythology. The prophecies as articulated by them are self-fulfilling in nature.
Bibliography
Albright, D., 2005. The witches and the witch: Verdi's Macbeth. Cambridge Opera Journal, 17(3), pp.225-252.
Biggins, D., 1976. Sexuality, Witchcraft, and Violence in Macbeth. Shakespeare Studies, 8.
DiMatteo, A., 1994. 'Antiqui dicunt': classical aspects of the witches in'Macbeth.'. Notes and Queries, 41(1), pp.44-48.
Floyd-Wilson, M., 2006. English Epicures and Scottish Witches. Shakespeare Quarterly, 57(2), pp.131-161.
Robinson, I., 1968. The Witches and Macbeth. Critical Review, 11, p.101.
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