The Role Of The Three Witches In Macbeth

The Three “Weird” Witches in Macbeth

If you were given your fate for the rest of your life how would you react? In the Shakespearean play, Macbeth, the preposterous way that men react when given their fate is portrayed. Macbeth takes place in a medieval Scotland, where the main character, Macbeth, and others are faced with many obstacles after Macbeth receives his destiny from the three witches. Shakespeare allows for several instances in which fate and a man 's will fuse with each other. The three witches, which are also known as the three “weird sisters”, represent Macbeth’s fate and completely control his thoughts and actions that ultimately play a part in his downfall. The three witches gave multiple predictions which affected Macbeth’s

However, it was not Macbeth’s idea to murder King Duncan at first. His wife, Lady Macbeth, persuades him into doing so. Macbeth had always been loyal to King Duncan and would have never committed such a sin. Macbeth tells his wife, “I am afraid to think what I have done; look on 't again I dare not,” and because of the witches and help from Lady Macbeth, he follows through with killing the beloved King and is immediately starting to regret his actions (Mac.2.2.65-67). After Macbeth slaughters King Duncan, he is named king himself and starts to get paranoid about people finding out the truth. Banquo suspects Macbeth of cheating to become king and reminds Macbeth that his own son’s will become king someday when he says, “Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou played’st most foully for ’t. Yet it was said it should not stand in thy posterity, But that myself should be the root and father of many kings” (Mac.3.1.1-6). Directly after that conversation, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo. This is another murder that Macbeth never would have done if the witches were not to give Macbeth his

During their time together, the witches give Macbeth another prophecy by telling him “beware Macduff; beware the thane of Fife... Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth... Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish 'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him” (Mac.4.1.81-107). Since Macbeth was told to beware of Macduff, he decides he is going to kill Macduff. When he goes to carry out the plan, Macduff is not there, but he instead he kills Macduff’s wife and kids. For a third time Macbeth is doing something morally wrong due to what the witches told him about his fate, that he would have never done had they never told him. After this happens Macbeth starts to calm down because he thinks there is no way the woods will move from Dunsinane hill and he knows everybody is born from a woman. Macbeth does not find out until it is too late that the witches were not being literal in that, but when Macduff and his men use the chopped down wood to hide behind and it looked as if the woods were moving down the hill. Once again, the witches were right in the fact that the woods would come down the hill and shortly after, Macduff tells Macbeth “Despair thy charm; And let the angel whom thou still hast