Macbeth And The Witches Essay, Research Paper

Macbeth by William Shakespeare tells the story of how one mans love of power leads him to murder and madness. Macbeth is a great soldier, a man that is fit to be king. He was ? thought most worthy the government of a realm?. However, it is his ambition to be King, spurred on by his wife and the witches that finally lead him to destruction and we are left wondering how such a ?noble? man can do such vile deeds.

Lady Macbeth and the Witches are more responsible for the murders that occur in the play than Macbeth. When Macbeth first hears the witches prophecies, ? All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter? he does think of killing the king, but then he thinks he wont need to do anything about it: ? If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir? However, when Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecies she immediately starts to think that both she and her husband will have to kill Duncan. She appeals to the evil spirits to give her strength to kill Duncan as she rightly believes that Macbeth is too nice and too ? ful o?the milk of human kindness? to do the deed. She view thing in either black or white and has none of Macbeth?s ability to see what may happen afterwards. She summons Hell to get thing done and doesn?t think of the consequences, while Macbeth thinks only of damnation. Because Macbeth loves his wife and wants her to think well of him he can?t bear not to do what she asks. He says before he kills Duncan that he will feel nothing but guilt, but he still does it anyhow. ? I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show; False face must hide what the false heart doth know.?

The three witches, three sisters without names or individual characteristics, represent the power of evil and trap Macbeth into doing his evil deeds. At first, after considering that he could commit murder to achieve what the witches propose, he puts aside the idea. However, by the second act , he no longer attempts to stifle his conscience , and seems to accept that the murder of Duncan is inevitable.. ? I go and it is done: the bell invites me ? Macbeth of course was free to resist, but it seems that without the powers of evil that the witches represent, he wouldnot have done it.