The story of Macbeth displays the tragedy that can fall upon man when selfish desires control misguided actions. The play involves important characters who have an effect on both Macbeth’s actions and his personality. Some of the most important characters who led Macbeth to his ultimate defeat were the three witches. Although the witches are only seen sporadically throughout the play, they have an immense influence on Macbeth. The three witches in The Tragedy of Macbeth play a significant role in the story by making mere suggestions about Macbeth’s future and convincing him to make decisions that he would not have made without their influence.
The three witches play a crucial role in both forming and advancing the plot for the play. In the …show more content…
“Had Duncan not told Ross to greet Macbeth with the title Thane of Cawdor, the witches would have been deprived of the prophetic catalyst of Macbeth's ambition, of his supposition that he will become King of Scotland” (Hunt). The witches predicting his future gave him a sense of security, determination, and confirmation that he was going to rise to the top. The prophecies brought out the evil characteristics in Macbeth, such as ambition and greed, that gave him the drive to ensure everything that was predicted happened. The love of power was greater than his fear of threats--this is why he murdered anyone who could potentially prevent the prophecies from taking place. Without the witches, he never would have gotten the idea of being king. Macbeth was “...hungry for glory and recognition. The weird sisters feed that hunger with their promises of plentiful reward” (McGuinness). This, in turn, leads to his defeat.
Each character in the story of Macbeth played a trivial part in affecting the storyline. The witches were some of the most important characters who facilitated the development of Macbeth’s character and influenced his actions through their predictions. They were able to reveal the weaknesses men face with traits such as greed and power. The witches advanced the plot throughout the story by making clever predictions based on the most probable events.
The three witches play a crucial role in both forming and advancing the plot for the play. In the …show more content…
“Had Duncan not told Ross to greet Macbeth with the title Thane of Cawdor, the witches would have been deprived of the prophetic catalyst of Macbeth's ambition, of his supposition that he will become King of Scotland” (Hunt). The witches predicting his future gave him a sense of security, determination, and confirmation that he was going to rise to the top. The prophecies brought out the evil characteristics in Macbeth, such as ambition and greed, that gave him the drive to ensure everything that was predicted happened. The love of power was greater than his fear of threats--this is why he murdered anyone who could potentially prevent the prophecies from taking place. Without the witches, he never would have gotten the idea of being king. Macbeth was “...hungry for glory and recognition. The weird sisters feed that hunger with their promises of plentiful reward” (McGuinness). This, in turn, leads to his defeat.
Each character in the story of Macbeth played a trivial part in affecting the storyline. The witches were some of the most important characters who facilitated the development of Macbeth’s character and influenced his actions through their predictions. They were able to reveal the weaknesses men face with traits such as greed and power. The witches advanced the plot throughout the story by making clever predictions based on the most probable events.