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Two early scenes (1 & 3) deal with Macbeth's initial contact with the three witches. They confuse him with
promises which are true and yet appear to be contradictory.
WITCHES & WITCHCRAFT
Witches and witchcraft played a natural role in medieval society.
Life in medieval times tended to be very short, with the average life-span for the townspeople being only
about 29 years. Cause of death was mainly squalid and unhygienic conditions, poor food, disease and
violence.
Women particularly were prone to short lives, often dying during childbirth or shortly thereafter --
post-natal disease and loss of blood being the chief reasons for their deaths. It was common for a man,
therefore, to have two or three wives during his lifetime.
Elderly people were usually a country phenomenon, largely because country folk had access to better food
and cleaner water. Towns were quite literally cesspits whereas the country villages were much cleaner
and healthier.
Country women tended therefore to live much longer and, in doing so, hoarded up masses of knowledge
about natural herbal medicines -- both for healing and for poisoning.
These women also acted as doctors in a pre-medical society. They then passed this knowledge on to
their daughters who, in turn, became medicine women for their villages.
Because many of these country women were old, they showed typical signs of post-menopausal aging:
facial hair in the form of moustaches and beards, long noses with warts, and a wrinkled skin.
Because the menfolk often died younger through accidents or fights, most of these women were widows.
They therefore wore black clothing and lived alone -- often with cats for company.
They came to be termed witches. Indeed, are not all the aspects mentioned above still seen as common
attributes of witches -- even today?
These women were probably skilled in magic of both the black and white forms. If someone needed a
blessing, the witch would be consulted. If someone needed a curse, the witch could help.
It was a time of superstition and these old women preyed on this to make a living. So did the priests who
charged people for their magical trick of turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus at the
mass.
It was also believed that witches had a remarkable ability to see into the future, with the result that they
tended to be consulted by everyone -- especially by the rich and powerful.
Even kings hesitated to make any major decisions without first consulting the oracles, who were usually
women.
It was considered a major crime to kill a witch. Indeed, it was originally so great a crime that it demanded
the death sentence. Witches were therefore relatively immune from revenge.
Macbeth is not surprised when he sees the three witches and he immediately believes everything they tell
him. He still does not doubt them even after their so-called prophecies start to go wrong for him -- and
he certainly never considers taking revenge on them.
The very honourable Banquo also believes what the witches tell him, although he rightly realises that their
prophecies might not come true in precisely the manner in which they expected.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
Why does Banquo appear less perturbed by the witches' speech than Macbeth is? (4)
[Need help?]
Banquo appears to have more suspicion of the witches than does Macbeth. To Banquo, the witches might
or might not be telling the truth.
If they are telling the truth, then their prophecies will come to fruition without his needing to take any action.
If not, then it makes no difference anyway.
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Should the witches' triple greeting to Macbeth have surprised him? Explain. (6)
[Need help?]
The prophecy about Macbeth's being the Thane of Glamis certainly should not have surprised him
because he was already the owner of that title.
The question about the Thane of Cawdor is not so easy. If Macbeth was indeed present at Fife for the
second battle, then he should have known about Cawdor's treachery.
Yet he shows ignorance which indicates that he was not at that battle at all -- which means that this
prophecy would indeed have taken him by surprise.
The final prophecy about his becoming king should perhaps also not have surprised Macbeth because,
before the days of the hereditary monarchy, succession would tend to go to the most outstanding general.
That would possibly be Macbeth -- unless, of course, Macduff was indeed "Bellona's bridegroom"
which would have made him the logical successor to Duncan, and therefore Macbeth's arch-rival.
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When the witch prophesies to Banquo, "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater", what does she
mean? (4)
[Need help?]
One can presume that Banquo would not be as great as Macbeth because he himself would never be
king, and yet he would always be an honest man whereas Macbeth who would degenerate into becoming
a murderer.
Banquo would not be as happy because he would in fact soon be murdered but, by remaining honest, his
conscience would at least always be clean.
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Is it not true that the judgement against the Thane of Cawdor became valid also for the new Thane,
namely Macbeth? Explain. (4)
[Need help?]
The old Thane of Cawdor was convicted of treachery in betraying the king and joining forces with the
Norwegian invasion.
His title is given to Macbeth but the irony is that Macbeth too will betray the king by murdering him.
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When the witches greet Macbeth as "Thane of Cawdor", he is clearly surprised. Later, when Ross
uses this same title, Macbeth protests, "The Thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in borrowed
robes?"
- Why should Macbeth have been so surprised? (4)
[Need help?]
The witches have addressed Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth, however, appears to have no
suspicion that Cawdor had been treacherous at the Battle of Fife, and therefore has no idea that Cawdor
has been sentenced to death.
The "robes" therefore refer to the title of Thane of Cawdor -- and, since Macbeth believes Cawdor
is still the rightful Thane, the robes in which they "dress him" are therefore borrowed.
For a deeper discussion on this point, read about who was the real "Bellona's Bridegroom".
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What does Banquo mean when he says that "the instruments of darkness tell us truths . . . to betray's
in deepest consequence"? (4)
[Need help?]
Banquo appears to know that the witches dabble in equivocation, i.e. they make statements about the
future which might not come true in the precise way expected.
Their equivocation, however, is meant to trap the unwary into following the route of evil in an attempt to
hasten the outcome, even though theoretically the outcome should happen even if no action is taken.
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"Two truths are told," Macbeth says, "as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial
theme."
- What does the soliloquy that follows these words tell us about Macbeth's thoughts? (6)
[Need help?]
Macbeth has up until now been the faithful and loyal soldier. The moment that the witches' prophecies
begin to become true, however, we find him beginning to imagine the possibility of his becoming king as
well.
And yet, he speaks about the "horrid image that doth unfix his hair" and makes his heart "knock
at his ribs".
Does this not tell us that he is already imagining himself as murdering the king in order to take the title for
himself? Indeed, he then speaks of "murder", of "present fears" and "horrible
imaginings".
What then has become of the faithful and loyal soldier? And it has happened all so very quickly!
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