Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's most famous and enduring tragedies. It explores themes of ambition, power, and the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition. The play follows the tragic downfall of Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman who, driven by his ruthless wife and a prophecy from three witches, murders his way to the throne. As Macbeth's ambition grows, so does the darkness within him, ultimately leading to his tragic demise. The magic of Macbeth lies in its ability to captivate audiences with its rich language, complex characters, and powerful themes. Shakespeare's use of imagery and symbolism, such as the recurring motif of blood, adds to the play's haunting and supernatural atmosphere.
The next time we see the witches is in Act 3.5 but here they are being chastised by their boss Hecate for taking their own initiative without letting her be part of the fun. She’s very keen to be part of Macbeth’s downfall and willingly or not the three let her get involved.
Also in play in early modern England was the classical notion of feminised Fates , goddesses like the Morai of ancient Greece who dictated the scope of a person s life. So, on to the Greeks we go, because that s where our Western theater stems, from the ancient festival of Dionysus church service, story, and superbowl all rolled into one.
Shakespeare's use of imagery and symbolism, such as the recurring motif of blood, adds to the play's haunting and supernatural atmosphere. One of the main ideas in Macbeth is the destructive nature of unchecked ambition. Macbeth's desire for power blinds him to the consequences of his actions, leading him to commit heinous acts and lose his moral compass.
The history of the witches in Macbeth
Will Tosh is Head of Research at Shakespeare’s Globe, London. He teaches, writes about, and researches the literature and culture of Shakespeare’s England, and he leads the Globe’s scholarly research mission. Will’s work at the Globe includes dramaturgy, new writing development and public engagement in person, in the media and online. He is the author of Playing Indoors: Staging Early Modern Drama in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and Male Friendship and Testimonies of Love in Shakespeare’s England, which revealed the intimate social circle of the Elizabethan spy Anthony Bacon. Will is currently working on a book called Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare, to be published with Sceptre (UK) and Basic (US) in 2024.
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5 March 2020Share this article
Magic and devilry were on people’s minds in 1606, the year Macbeth was first performed. England’s new Scottish king James was known to his subjects as a committed opponent of witchcraft and a scholar of black magic. And less than two years after James’s succession, and perhaps six months before Shakespeare started writing Macbeth, the country was profoundly shaken by the exposure of the Gunpowder Plot, the failed attempt by a group of English Catholic dissidents to assassinate the king and all the members of parliament in a huge explosion. Preachers were quick to detect demonic encouragement behind the plot.
Macbeth, Act I, scene 1 in the Munro First Folio.
The dread of supernatural horror hangs over Macbeth, and Shakespeare was very aware that his play would be taken as a comment on the Scottish king’s escape from devilish treason (it’s even been suggested that the smell of the sulphurous gunpowder used at the Globe to simulate lightning flashes would have reminded the audience of their monarch’s near miss).
But if the witches are the central focus for this atmosphere of terror, Shakespeare never lets his characters refer to the prophetic threesome as ‘witches’, although they’re termed as such in the speech prefixes and stage directions. For Macbeth and Banquo, the two characters who encounter them, they are ‘weïrd women’ or ‘weïrd sisters’, that unfamiliar umlaut indicating how early modern people said this ancient word (with two distinct syllables). In fact, in the First Folio, the earliest surviving text of Macbeth, the word is variously spelled ‘wayward’, ‘weyward’ and ‘weyard’, all of which would have been pronounced the same way in 1606: ‘WAY-rrd’.
Billy Boyd, Cat Simmons, Moyo Akandé and Jess Murphy as Banquo and the witches in Macbeth, 2013. Photographer: Ellie Kurtz
Shakespeare took this unusual word from his main source for Macbeth, Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland, in which the historical ‘Makbeth’ and ‘Banquho’ encounter ‘the weird sisters’, as Holinshed describes them, ‘goddesses of destiny, or else some nymphs or fairies, endowed with knowledge of prophecy’. In the play, the witches’ primary role is the provision of ambiguous fortunes which stir the ambitious Macbeth to action despite the fact that the details of his promised fate are decidedly sketchy (when will he be ‘king hereafter’? By what means? For how long?).
By the Renaissance, the word had lost its folkloric association but retained the broad meaning of ‘destiny’
So one interpretation of the weïrd women is less as traditional witches and more as potent prophets. In 11th century England and Scotland, a person’s fortune was determined by the workings of wyrd, a mysterious force that was both unavoidable and inexplicable. By the Renaissance, the word (now spelled ‘weird’) had lost its folkloric association but retained the broad meaning of ‘destiny’. Also in play in early modern England was the classical notion of feminised ‘Fates’, goddesses like the Morai of ancient Greece who dictated the scope of a person’s life.
Kirsty Rider in Macbeth, 2018. Photographer: Johan Persson
Early modern audiences would have heard another meaning in ‘weïrd’, too, as the First Folio spellings suggest. To them, the word sounded the same as ‘wayward’, an insulting term meaning ‘disobedient’ or ‘perverse’. ‘Wayward’ was frequently applied to women who were perceived to be outspoken or quarrelsome (cardinal sins according to the misogynistic theories of Shakespeare’s England). Women who asserted their wisdom and knowledge might well find themselves castigated as ‘wayward’, and if they were vulnerable and unlucky that ‘waywardness’ might be interpreted more darkly as sorcery or witchcraft.
Moyo Akandé, Cat Simmons and Jess Murphy as the witches in Macbeth, 2013. Photographer: Ellie Kurtz
Which bring us back to the weïrd sisters. Their ‘weirdness’ was, from Shakespeare’s perspective, both ‘wyrd’ and ‘wayward’, powerful and marginal. For Shakespeare’s first audience, they were figures who represented England’s ancient past and the mysterious magic of prophecy. But the ‘withered’ and ‘wild’ sisters were also examples of what was becoming a familiar stereotype in an England newly attuned to the ‘risks’ of sorcery: poor, disregarded and insulted old women whose wisdom, if acknowledged at all, could be understood only as witchcraft.
It is from that accusation (true or not) that much of the suspicion of a curse around the play itself stems. Read more from The RSC on the history of how a coven of witches cursed this show from the very beginning.
The play serves as a cautionary tale, showcasing the devastating effects of greed and ambition and the importance of moral responsibility. The character of Lady Macbeth also adds to the magic of the play. She is a complex and compelling figure, pushing her husband to commit evil acts in her pursuit of power. Lady Macbeth's ambition and manipulation make her one of Shakespeare's most memorable female characters, showcasing the consequences of a woman who defies societal expectations and embraces her own ambition. The supernatural elements in Macbeth, particularly the witches and their prophecies, add an air of mysticism and intrigue to the play. The witches' prophecies fuel Macbeth's ambition and drive the plot forward. Their cryptic predictions and supernatural abilities contribute to one of the play's most famous scenes, the "double, double toil and trouble" incantation, creating a sense of otherworldly power. Overall, the magic of Macbeth lies in its compelling exploration of ambition, power, and the human condition. Through vivid language, memorable characters, and powerful themes, Shakespeare draws audiences into a world of dark magic and tragic consequences. Macbeth serves as a timeless reminder of the dangers of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power..
Reviews for "Tensions of power and leadership in "Macbeth": Analyzing the struggle for dominance"
1. Sarah - 1 out of 5 stars - "I found 'The Magic of Macbeth' to be incredibly boring and confusing. The pacing was slow, and the plot was convoluted. The characters lacked depth and substance, making it hard to connect with any of them. Even the supposed 'magic' elements felt forced and out of place. Overall, I was disappointed with this production and would not recommend it."
2. Michael - 2 out of 5 stars - "While I appreciate the effort put into 'The Magic of Macbeth', I was left underwhelmed and unimpressed. The magic tricks were lackluster and didn't add much value to the performance. The acting felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to believe in the characters and their motivations. The production design also felt amateurish and didn't enhance the storytelling. I expected more from 'The Magic of Macbeth' and was left wanting."
3. Emily - 1 out of 5 stars - "I attended 'The Magic of Macbeth' with high expectations, but unfortunately, they were not met. The magic tricks were poorly executed and felt like cheap gimmicks rather than enhancing the story. The pacing was sluggish, and the dialogue was unengaging. The actors lacked chemistry, and their performances fell flat. Overall, 'The Magic of Macbeth' was a disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend it to others seeking a captivating theatrical experience."
4. John - 2 out of 5 stars - "I was excited to see 'The Magic of Macbeth' as it promised a blend of magic and Shakespeare, but it failed to deliver. The magic tricks were predictable and didn't add any wow factor. The acting was mediocre at best, with some actors struggling to deliver their lines convincingly. While the set design was impressive, it couldn't make up for the lackluster performances and uninteresting plot. I had higher hopes for this production and left feeling let down."