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The witches are evil because their witchcraft and mystical powers are used for the purpose of manipulating characters for their own entertainment.

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The witches are evil because their witchcraft and mystical powers are used for the purpose of manipulating characters for their own entertainment.

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Shakespeare has given mystical powers of witchcraft and the ability to see into the future to the witches yet they abuse their powers and manipulate the characters. In the scene where the witches are preparing another spell to put onto Macbeth, Hecate says this to the witches "Like elves and fairies in a ring,/Enchanting all that you put in." (IV.I.42-43) It is clear that they actually have mystical powers that they are using it to manipulate Macbeth and cause harm rather than do good. The introduction of Hecate also shows that the witches are being controlled by a stronger and even more powerful being than them, the goddess herself. Connecting it back to a previous part of the play, "Witchcraft celebrates/Pale Hecate’s offerings, and wither murder” (II.I.51-52). The witches are offering sacrifices to their goddess Hecate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Yet despite their ability to conduct magic, they still do not do it for a good purpose.

Hecate is a reoccurring theme throughout the play. She is used as a symbol of magic and sorcery. Is she the true manipulator of the story? She controls the witches and acts as their leader. They tell Macbeth his "future", putting ideas into his head making him think that he is invincible. ie. "Laugh to scorn The power of man," (IV.I.78-79). This makes Macbeth believe that he is all-powerful and that his actions won't have any repercussions. Which allows him to believe that he can get away with murder and giving him a superiority complex.

There are also a number of other effects that the witches' prophecies have on Macbeth's actions, which are further discussed on the post on the right.

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Macbeth is evil because he lets the manipulation of the witches bring out his true self and allows his hunger for power to override his moral standings. As the play develops, he loses his sense of right and wrong and begins to commit evil deeds. One could argue that Macbeth would have done all these things regardless of the witches' words, however it is certain the the witches did speed up the process.

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Macbeth is evil because he lets the manipulation of the witches bring out his true self and allows his hunger for power to override his moral standings. As the play develops, he loses his sense of right and wrong and begins to commit evil deeds. One could argue that Macbeth would have done all these things regardless of the witches' words, however it is certain the the witches did speed up the process.

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After hearing that Banquo's kids would be kings from the witches, Macbeth manipulates and convinces murderers that Banquo is the enemy and that he must be stopped. Despite Banquo never causing harm to Macbeth, he tells the murderers that "every minute of his being thrusts/

Against my near’st life;” (III.I.116-117). This coercing and manipulation causes the murders to agree to this treacherous plan. This shows that both the witches and Macbeth are evil because the witches telling him that his sons would never be king causes him to be insecure and want Banquo dead. But Macbeth actually allowing their words to have an effect on him and following through with his actions makes him an evil character as a result.

Though after the deed is done, Macbeth is consumed with guilt which brings up the question of how evil is he? He killed his best friend but instantly sees his ghost as a way of confronting himself about it. This may allow some readers to think that maybe Macbeth isn't 100% evil but is only doing these acts because he believes it is of greater importance than his own moral code.

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The witches drive the play by prompting Macbeth to keep following his plans and desires. They also reinforce his confidence by telling him what they foresee in the future and claim that there will be no harm done to him. This furthers the conflict as Macbeth gets full of himself and continues to strive for power.

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The witches drive the play by prompting Macbeth to keep following his plans and desires. They also reinforce his confidence by telling him what they foresee in the future and claim that there will be no harm done to him. This furthers the conflict as Macbeth gets full of himself and continues to strive for power.

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The witches and apparitions continue telling Macbeth about their predictions and what is to become of him. In this scene, the second apparition tells Macbeth that he should "Laugh to scorn The power of man," meaning he cannot be harmed by any mortal being (IV.I. 79). The third apparition then says that Macbeth will never be defeated until "Great Birnam Wood... Shall come against him" (IV.I.94-95) which is to say until the forest moves and fights Macbeth he will not fail. These two predictions by the apparitions urge Macbeth to be even more reckless as he thinks that nothing will be able to stop him. Which as a result, drives the play further and causes more conflict. Without them saying this and comforting Macbeth's worries, he may not have gone on to cause more conflict. However, their wordplay may insinuate consequences for Macbeth. An interesting point is that only the first apparition gave Macbeth a real warning, which was "Beware of the Thane of Fife" (IV.I.72). This warning could have been something that slowed Macbeth's actions down and in a sense not further the actions of the play. However, it is likely that the good news that came from the other apparitions made Macbeth forget about the Thane of Fife and instead just rely on the good news to comfort him.

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The power of women in the play is reflected by the witches in the sense that their actions are not ones that directly influence the play, but indirectly control other characters. They also showcase the negative and contrast the positive characteristics of women.

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The power of women in the play is reflected by the witches in the sense that their actions are not ones that directly influence the play, but indirectly control other characters. They also showcase the negative and contrast the positive characteristics of women.

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The witches' constant prophecies urge Macbeth to pursue his desire for power.
"For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind;/ For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered,"  shows how Macbeth is being consumed by his quest for power and the words of the witches controlling his actions (III.I.70-71). He also goes on to say that he has given his soul "to the common enemy of man/To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings." (III.I.74-75). He has realized that his actions have become evil and that he has given up his soul on his hunt for power. His actions are controlled by the "common enemy of man" which is the witches' doing (indirectly the devil).

The witches reflect Lady Macbeth's characteristics as manipulative and controlling over Macbeth.
When Macbeth is contemplating his actions so far in the play Lady Macbeth tells him that "Things without all remedy/Should be without regard. What’s done is done." (III.II.13-14). Lady Macbeth's actions here show her trying to guilt Macbeth into continuing the path he has started on. By saying "what's done is done" she means that Macbeth should just keep murdering others in order to further their pursuit of power. However, one could also say that Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth secretly hungers for power as well and she is only encouraging him in the way she knows, Which in a sense, is being a form of support and confirmation for Macbeth. Despite this, the end still does not justify the means and her own manipulative actions reflect the power of women in the play.

The witches reflect the power of women in a bad way as they only show the negative characteristics. However, the character Lady Macduff shows the good attributes women may possess and serves to be a stark contrast to the other female characters. Lady Macduff's reaction to Macduff abandoning his family to wage war on Macbeth is "Wisdom? To leave his wife, to leave his babes," (IV.II.8). She instantly questions his actions and how someone could just leave their family behind without a second thought. This shows how she is devoted to her family, and unselfish due to her prioritization of her son. These characteristics are rarely shown in the other women of the play like Lady Macbeth as she cares about the power she hungers for and manipulates Macbeth to act accordingly in order for her to achieve it.

Despite the witches and other women rarely taking action themselves and committing acts that further the play, their background presence still provides a constant motivator for characters. They have a huge amount of power but in an indirect way.

There are also some untraditional values that the women in the play possess such as being manipulative and controlling which may have shocked an Elizabethan audience which is talked upon more in the panel to the left.

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Back in the day an Elizabethan audience would have reacted much differently than us as the supernatural and witchcraft was more prevalent during their time. In addition, it would also serve to be a shock to the audience to see women in general (primarily the witches) to have such an important part in the play and drive so many of the actions. 

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Back in the day an Elizabethan audience would have reacted much differently than us as the supernatural and witchcraft was more prevalent during their time. In addition, it would also serve to be a shock to the audience to see women in general (primarily the witches) to have such an important part in the play and drive so many of the actions. 

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The audience may have taken the omens and prophecies much more seriously as these sorts of tales were much likelier to be believed and practiced by the people. Back in that time, women were not seen as a powerful part of society much less giving them the power to make such immense decisions. Because of this, the constant references to the witches and their prophecies would have surprised the audience solely because they were not used to women being placed so highly. Some of the values showcased in the play by women are not traditional ones, such as being manipulative and controlling. This is something an audience in the Elizabethan audience would not be used to as women were never in a place of power much less control over men to cause actions like this to happen. This, as a result, may serve to be an even bigger surprise.

This also links to how the witches reflect the power of women in the play which is further elaborated on in the following segment.

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The three characters that could be considered as evil are the witches, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth. However, it can be argued that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are indirectly evil due to the manipulation of the witches.

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The three characters that could be considered as evil are the witches, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth. However, it can be argued that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are indirectly evil due to the manipulation of the witches.

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The supernatural is symbolic of one's innermost feelings. They are real in the sense that the characters already feel this way, but the supernatural re-enforces this idea into the character's minds as well as becomes a "physical" manifestation for readers to understand easier.

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The supernatural is symbolic of one's innermost feelings. They are real in the sense that the characters already feel this way, but the supernatural re-enforces this idea into the character's minds as well as becomes a "physical" manifestation for readers to understand easier.

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The supernatural plays a part in reanimating the dead in order to further complicate the character's feelings over their deeds.
Macbeth talks to Banquo's ghost after ordering him to be murdered and says, "Thou canst not say I did it" (III.IV.61).
After Macbeth finds out the murderers have accomplished Macbeth's orders, he immediately sees Banquo's ghost and his reaction shows his guilt and moral struggle over his actions. The first thing he says is that there is no proof that he was the one who ordered his murder in the first place as if that is may serve as an excuse for his actions and will possibly ease his guilt. The ghost of Banquo isn't actually real as no other characters can see it, but real enough to serve as a form of confrontation for Macbeth to feel guilty about his actions. Another scenario similar to Macbeth's encounter with Banquo's ghost is when he goes to talk to the witches and apparitions about his worries. It is symbolic of Macbeth trying to reassure himself of his actions and9 find comfort in his crimes. The phrase "Laugh to scorn The power of man" in
Macbeth's conversation with the spirits and witches is much like one he would tell himself (IV.I.78-79). At this point in the play, despite all of Macbeth's actions in gaining power, there is the possible threat of revolt as people are beginning to doubt his righteousness. He asks the spirits hard questions that only have one answer he would want to hear. This serves to contrast his encounter with Banquo's ghost as the confrontation and reminder of his moral wrongdoing was something he was not looking for.

This links with the node regarding how the witches drive the play as they are simply a projection of one's innermost feelings. It is only so easy for them to manipulate Macbeth because there are seeds of evil within him already that they take advantage of.

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The witches are the driving force of the supernatural theme in the play. They influence the external forces that tempt humans and also serve as a manifestation of their feelings. In addition, they are also  They also act as instruments of fate due to the telling of prophecies. They symbolize the darkness and depravity of the human soul, the part of the soul that bends itself toward evil and darkness.  Specifically, the witches symbolize the darkness that resides in Macbeth’s heart. They are an outward manifestation of Macbeth’s wickedness and the horrible acts he commits.

They also serve to highlight the power of women and Shakespeare's beliefs on the negative characteristics women possess. None of their actions actually represent the good values that women have which allows Shakespeare to contrast their actions with that of a good woman in his eyes (Lady Macduff) and compare their values. This allows the reader to not have any confusion in what the good and bad characteristics are due to the splitting of  characters and their motives.

These two points are elaborated on in their respective panels, which are how they develop the play and how they reflect the power of women. These two are both linked with arrows to this panel.

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Role of the Supernatural (Sprits/witches/ghosts/ Unnatural Events) in acts 3 and 4

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Role of the Supernatural (Sprits/witches/ghosts/ Unnatural Events) in acts 3 and 4