Beşliu Maria

Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Bucharest

English Literature
Seminar Tutor: Mădălina Nicolaescu

THE ROLE OF THE WITCHES IN MACBETH’S DECISION

Undoubtedly, what makes “Macbeth” different from the rest of Shakespeare’s plays is “the use
of the non-naturalistic prologue by the Weïrd Sisters in I.I” (Brooke, 1) A problem often
discussed is whether Macbeth is or not a victim of the witches and how important the witches are
in his decision-making. Personally, I believe that Macbeth does have freedom of will and action
and that he is entirely responsible for his sins.
Firstly, it is true indeed that the three witches are the main source of temptation for Macbeth’s
soul as the snake was for Eve in Eden Garden (although one difference is that the snake had a
more attractive shape than the witches). When analyzed, the three witches’ dialogue reveal the
introduction of a world without justice, where everything is upside down: “Fair is foul and foul is
fair” (I.1.12). The entire atmosphere is filled with the signs of an evil presence. The “fog”
(I.1.13) suggests uncertainty, ambiguity and mystery, the idea that one hardly has clearness of
mind so as to make the right decision, while the “filthy air” suggests a rotten world of corruption.
This atmosphere is somehow maintained throughout the witches’ meeting with Macbeth: “So
foul and fair a day I have not seen” (I.3.38), probably being a very important element in deluding
the protagonist and blurring his mind: “Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that
do sound so fair” (I.3.51-52). But temptation is only a test and Christians are expected to deal
with it properly, as Saint James writes in his epistle: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 KJV)
Secondly, the witches only tell Macbeth the future but do not compel him to take action and kill
the king. From the Christian perspective he has a total freedom of will, as God says to the
Hebrew people in the Old Testament: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV).
Therefore, Macbeth is free either to do nothing special and wait and see what will happen or to
take action and try to make things happen, taking the destiny in his own hands. As far as the
witches’ power of saying the future, this should not cast doubts on their essence. First of all, their
appearance, the atmosphere and the rites that characterizes them are a clear sign of their evil
nature and secondly, it is known that Satan too has supernatural powers that he kept despite his
fall: “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14
NASB)
Moreover, Lady Macbeth is also considered to make part of the witches, as she invokes the evil
spirits to possess her. She is depicted as a powerful woman who has a very strong influence upon
her husband, being one of the decisive factors in Macbeth’s murder. However, one can easily
conclude that Macbeth is a weak man as he submits to his wife while the relationship should be
different in the Christian perspective: “Wives, submit yourself unto your own husbands, as unto
the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22 KJV). Of course, one should also take into consideration Macbeth’s
own possible desire of becoming king and him taking advantage of this opportunity.
In conclusion, the witches do play an important role in Macbeth’s sin of killing the king, their
purpose being that of tempting him. They inflict upon his mind the desire of becoming king (if
he had not had it before) and this, added to his wife’s influence, proves enough to make him sin.
I believe that their role is to be a kind of test for Macbeth and for his loyalty and faithfulness to
his king and to God.

Bibliography:
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Edited by Peter Holland, Oxford
University Press, 2008.
The Bible. King James Version, 1987.
The Bible. New American Standard Bible, 1995.