Discuss the role of three weird
sisters/ witches in Macbeth
The three weird
sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth set
the action of the play in motion when they confront Macbeth and prophesize that
he will be King of Scotland. We never see them apart and they often speak and
act in unison so it's worth considering them here as a single unit.
Ambiguity
From the play's
beginnings, lots of ambiguity and drama surrounds these figures. When we
encounter them in the play's opening scene, we're not sure where they've come
from, who/what they are, or what they have in mind when they say they plan to
meet Macbeth. What we do know is that they've gathered amidst thunder and lightning
and move about the fog and "filthy" air, which seems just as murky
and mysterious as they are. Even Banquo and Macbeth are unsure about the
sisters' identity when they meet them on the heath.
[…] What are these
So wither'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,
And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught
That man may question?
Appropriately, the weird sisters deliver the infamous lines that set the tone for the play: "Fair is foul and foul is fair". In other words, nothing, including the identity of the weird sisters, is certain in this play.
[…] What are these
So wither'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,
And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught
That man may question?
Appropriately, the weird sisters deliver the infamous lines that set the tone for the play: "Fair is foul and foul is fair". In other words, nothing, including the identity of the weird sisters, is certain in this play.
Witchcraft
The play's subheadings and stage directions
refer to the sisters as "witches," which makes a lot sense, given
that they spend most of their time gathered around a bubbling cauldron,
chanting, casting spells, conjuring visions of the future, and goading Macbeth
into murder by making accurate predictions of the future (before they vanish
into thin air, of course). The witches also do some interesting things with
"Eye of newt and toe of frog, / Wool of bat and tongue of dog". Do
you notice the sing-song quality of the speech? The sisters' chanting sounds a
lot like a scary nursery rhyme, which, depending on the attitude of the
audience, can have the effect of making them sound a bit silly, despite their
malevolent intentions........................................................................................................................................................................ TO GET COMPLETE STUDY MATERIAL JOIN NSOU ENGLISH COACHING
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