Jessica Bienkowski
Ms. Stark
English IV
PD VII Witchcraft in The Tragedy of Macbeth “All Hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis" (Prophecy of the past) "All Hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor" (Prophecy of the present) "All Hail Macbeth! Thou shalt be King hereafter" (Prophecy of the future)
These words spoken by the Weird Sisters to Macbeth create a downward spiral throughout this anecdote. This stirs up a fascination within Macbeth about the power he is destined to have. He is driven on curiosity and motivation to become a stronger, less feeble man by setting his goal to the hidden power that the witches believe will happen in the future. The supernatural elements in the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth cause an unnecessary destruction to the fragile minds of many.
The effects of Witches’ prophecies to Macbeth took on a role of disorder in Macbeth’s sane thinking process. The Weird Sisters bring out his inner self by influencing him to accomplish his concealed ambitions. Their information gives Macbeth a false sense of reality, as well as security. Harmful to his own wellbeing, the tales told by The Weird Sisters created an evil sense of motivation for a newly power-hungry Macbeth. By planting the idea of killing Duncan in his mind, they give him a feeling of confidence and comfort that he will rule with no consequences for his devious actions. Although the Witches were an element to creating this absurd belief, Macbeth would not have murdered the king if power was not truly what he wanted in his heart. ‘When you durst to do it, then you are a man,’ (Macbeth, Shakespeare Act I Scene VII). The prophecies given by the witches cause Macbeth to lose all sight of what is right and what is wrong in the world. Their influence creates an illusion, causing him to think that engaging in vicious activities leads him to his destiny, and he must do whatever it takes to fulfill it. The thought of being King clouds his judgment and takes over his newly found ambitions.

The Supernatural occurrences caused by the three Weird Sisters’ prophecies are not humanly possible however, if told, can orientate actions of others in a certain direction. If Macbeth had never met the Witches’, most events would not have occurred without their word spoken to him. Macbeth hears these sayings and tries desperately to make them happen because he believes that he is to become king. He wants this so badly that he plans and arranges how he will accomplish these prophecies so he can meet his proper destiny. By doing so, he drives himself to a state of ruthlessness with no return. If the witches were not involved in the play, the outline would be completely different. Shakespeare introduces them at the beginning of the story to let the audience know that they will decide the actions throughout the story. The Weird Sisters started off by promising Macbeth something he could not leave behind, power. Allowing Shakespeare to easily communicate with the audience that they have complete power over Macbeth, and the plot of the play. 'Hail Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and shalt be King hereafter'. (Act I Scene III) Macbeth alone with his imagination, and the thoughts of the Witches’ prophecies, caused a delusional state of serenity. The sisters put an idea of “fate” into play when releasing the information of the prophecies to Macbeth. He truly surmised that the prophecies were his fate and he needed to make them reality, instead of just wandering thoughts in his mind. This was not Macbeth’s providence, it was merely a way of gaining power he never thought possible. Macbeth’s character showed weakness and a hidden drive for accomplishment, which caused him to fulfill his prophecy. ‘Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires,’ (Act I, Scene IV)

Witches were believed to create all chaos and destruction in nature during the medieval time period. In Macbeth, they