Storms In Macbeth

Written in the 17th century, but set in Scotland during 11th century. During this time, people believed in witches and being one was a criminal offence. Macbeth has multiple instances of where imagery of the weather is used; thunder and storms in particular. Storms are used throughout the play and during scenes where the three witches are present and when there are unnatural occurrences. It is also used to foreshadow death and destruction.

Stormy weather is often associated with dark, ominous, gloomy events, right? Yes, and it’s also shown in Macbeth before and during when characters die. For example, the morning after Macbeth murders King Duncan, the Old Man speaks of how in, ‘threescore and ten I can remember well: / Within the volume of

For examples, the night of Duncan’s murder and Macbeth’s unnatural rise to the throne, there were unnatural events such as Duncan’s horses, ‘turn’d wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out / contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make / War with mankind / Tis sais they ate each other.’ Another instance of these unnatural events occurring during storms is when, ‘a falcon, towering in her pride of place, / was by a mousing own hawk’d at and kill’d.’ In both of these sections of the play, the storms occurred at the same time as these unnatural events. These unnatural events can be related to the way Macbeth is gaining the crown. Instead of letting the crown naturally come to Macbeth, he is tempted by the witch’s prophecies and decides to take it into his own hands and murder King

Even during the very first Act; the three witches ask, ‘when shall we three meet again / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?’ We can notice that they do not ask about sunshine but only dark stormy weather. This leads us to believe that witches only appear during the rain, thunder or lightning. Furthermore, in scene 4, act 1, three apparitions arise, one at a time and each have thunder. The play reads, ‘[Thunder. An apparition of an armed head rises.] and then says ‘Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff; / Beware the Thane of Fife. This shows how prophecies from the witches and apparitions occur at the same as storms and wild weather. The pattern of thunder then an apparition rising happens two more times, further confirming the pattern of thunder and