Dramatic role of the witches in Macbeth
For some time now, there has been a rather large amount of interest in witchcraft and witches. ... Some of these beliefs horrific, as they did not just include the witches contracting his or her soul to the devil, but a demonic ‘pact’ that involved sexual intercourse with Satan (the witches Sabbath), the ‘black Mass’, and other reverse religious practices and several other gruesome activities such as stealing and eating children, exhuming bodies, parodying baptism using cats and other animals, flying through the air and sailing the sea in sieves. Typically, English ‘witches’ were old women without support from their families or communities. ... So my question is were the witches in Macbeth just three old sisters who mixed up potions in their cauldron, or does their purpose go deeper than that? As far as plot is concerned, one might say that the witches do not have very big roles as they appeared on only four occasions throughout the whole play. ... upon the heath, there to meet Macbeth. ... As the embodiment of the evil, it seems as though the witches make evil its own character, which sets the tone and shows us that there is evil in world. Even at the very beginning of the play, they are linked with Macbeth. ... There to meet with Macbeth. ... The witches themselves are described, by Banquo, as “…withered and wild in their attire, that look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth…” (Act 1 Sc. ... The witches have a huge influence on Macbeth - some might say they control him and his actions completely. You can actually see this from the very beginning of the play - (after the witches recite their “fair is foul and foul is fair. ... ” ‘speech’) from the very first time Macbeth appears in Act 1 Sc. ... ” This gives the impression that the witches have already begun using their powers and that Macbeth could already be under their spell. It is just after Macbeth’s line that the witches appear to him and Banquo. When the witches address Macbeth “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. ... Perhaps Shakespeare was trying to allow people to perceive this as the witches’ words settling in Macbeth’s mind, the evil setting in. When Macbeth learns that King Duncan has appointed him Thane of Cawdor he says: “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor: the greatest is behind.