The Role of the Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth Essay...

I found responding to the play ‘Macbeth’ difficult because of the era it was written in. Shakespeare wrote the play between 1603-1606 when attitudes were completely different to the attitudes of society today, in particular, widespread belief in witchcraft. In contrast to today, when not many people believe in such things. They used to be feared. They were considered evil, ugly and vindictive. They did not belong to this world, they were ‘supernatural’, with supernatural powers. In the play the witches plant ideas into Macbeth’s head, which affects his inner soul. He changes from an honourable soldier to a vindictive murderer. We are introduced to Macbeth in the beginning when he is returning from the battlefield where he proved himself a†¦show more content†¦However, I fully appreciate that the language of Shakespeare contains a richness of meaning that was fully understood at the time and that one must spend some time in decoding the meanin g today. The language of the witches is even more mysterious and cryptic, to reflect their mysterious and cryptic nature. In act 1, scene 1, the first witch says line 1 â€Å"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, light or in rain?† This is not the English that we use today and makes it difficult to understand. But it does have a poetic feel to it, which shows that Shakespeare was also a poet. This is reinforced because of words that he made up, for example â€Å"I come, Graymalkin!†. He tended to use rhyming words more with the witches to suggest that they have magical powers, which the other characters do not. In Act 1, scene 1 line 4 the witches will meet â€Å"when the battle’s lost and won†, demonstrating the ambiguity in their speech. The battle is going to be ‘lost’ and ‘won’ suggesting they have no affiliation to one side or the other, they are indifferent to the outcome and the subsequent loss of life. They are monsters! The language that the main characters use is different from that of the witches and seems to show that they are upper class people. For example, in Act, scene 3, line 69 Macbeth says â€Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more†. This not only demonstrates Macbeth’s eloquent way of speaking but also that the witch’s speech is ‘imperfect’. TheyShow MoreRelated The Role of the Witches in the Downfall of Shakespeares MacBeth688 Words   |  3 PagesThe Role of the Witches in the Downfall of Shakespeares MacBeth MacBeth by William Shakespeare is a play which shows the uprise of MacBeth, the treachery and his eventual downfall. Witchcraft plays a major part in MacBeths actions and his weak character is easily manipulated. Although being an honest and brave man earlier, his ambition clouds his judgement. His life is tragic and through some terrible deeds ends in catastrophe. 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