Macbeth Essay - Witches

To what extent are the witches to blame for the Tragedy of Macbeth?

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is first shaped by the witches, although they are not the sole reason leading to the tragic ending of Macbeth. To a certain degree, the witches can be blamed for the tragedy, although the blame can easily fall amongst Macbeth’s ambitious nature, and Lady Macbeth’s profound influence on Macbeth.  Overall, the witches play an important role in the tragedy, but the blame cannot be purely placed on the witches as there are the other factors involved in the play, causing the tragic ending.

The witches bring forth the initial events in the play, although as the play develops the witches’ influence on Macbeth deteriorates, meaning the witches cannot be held fully accountable for the tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth first encounters the witches in scene three. In this scene, the witches state “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!/All Hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter,” foretelling what will happen in the play. The witches in this scene have only given Macbeth a glimpse of what could be, playing to his weakness of ambition. In Shakespeare’s time, ‘weird women’ were known to not be trusted as they were seen as evil. To blame the events that occurred solely on the witches, after their meeting would be unfair, as Macbeth should have known not to trust the witches. Their riddles should have been an indication to not let them manipulate him into taking his destiny into his own hands. Being proclaimed Thane of Cawdor it should have been a sign that the predictions can happen without intervention being necessary.  The witches can be blamed for   giving Macbeth the idea, but they never made him take the actions. Macbeth had thought about killing the king “If good, why I yield to that suggestion” immediately after he was pronounced Thane of Cawdor, thus the witches never made him take action on his“ black and deep desires.” The witches spoke Macbeth’s inner most thought; they are almost his personified thoughts, making his thoughts a reality, giving Macbeth an excuse to act on his ambitions. The witches can only be blamed to a small extent for the tragedy, they can only be blamed for giving Macbeth the idea and the hope of being King that lead to the tragedy, not forgetting Lady Macbeth’s influence that drives the play towards disaster.

Lady Macbeth’s strong influence on Macbeth is the catalyst that unleashes the evil plans planted by the witches in Macbeth’s mind, meaning she must be blamed to more of an extent than the witches for helping Macbeth act on his ambitions. Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth “is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness” to complete the deed. The imagery of milk, often associated with babies, highlights the innocence of Macbeth, which by the end of the play has been completely drained from him. Lady Macbeth takes it upon herself to spur Macbeth on as she is his personified ambition, she is what gets Macbeth to take the first the leap that turns Macbeth into the monster, and as his ambition leads to his down fall, she also is led to her downfall. By manipulating his feelings, “And live a coward in thine own esteem,”, “When you durst do it, then you were a man”, and questioning his manliness for not wanting to commit the dead, Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill the king. The blame for killing the king, although it seems to be her fault, is not the only reason of for the tragedy as towards the end of the play their communication breaks down, and so does their relationship. By the relationship breaking down, Lady Macbeth’s significance and role in the play dramatically reduces, and the audience sees her appearing less frequently in scenes. Lady Macbeth has been excluded from the rest of the events and plans of murder. This means that the other events that strip Macbeth of his humanity, and make him reliant of the riddles of the witches, giving him a false sense of security, are other factors in which Lady Macbeth herself has no part. Lady Macbeth can only be blamed for triggering the first event, although Macbeth did not have to follow through. She can be blamed more than the witches for manipulating him further, forcing more ideas upon Macbeth, and being the bigger influence, but she cannot be blamed to a large extent either, as she and the witches both playing equal roles that sway Macbeth, but ultimately Macbeth must take responsibility for his own actions.

The witches cannot be blamed, nor Lady Macbeth, for Macbeth himself acting on his ambition and making his desires become reality. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth acknowledges his ambition as being a fatal flaw, stating, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent” using the imagery of horses to state “but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on the other”. This explains that his ambition is what drives him onwards, although it will jump too far, and crash down, foreshadowing his own tragic ending where his ambition leads to his eventual downfall. Throughout the play Macbeth also recognises what he has done, acknowledging “I am in blood/ Steeped in so far that, should I wade no more/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er”. He feels that after killing Duncan, then Banquo and finally Macduff's family, he can never go back, and return the person who had morality, and fought for Scotland rather than himself. Rather he must keep moving forward, even though he knows it is wrong, because his ambition continuously drives him forward. In his recognition of his deeds and knowledge that he will keep pushing, takes the blame away from the witches and Lady Macbeth as he has acknowledged himself that the events in the play are caused by his own hands, and the blood must remain on his hands as he gave into his immorality. Macbeth solely must take responsibility for the tragic ending. The blame can only be shared to a degree, as the actions of actually committing murder, and causing blood shed all come down to Macbeth’s rather extreme actions caused by ambition.

The witches give Macbeth ideas and hope the fulfilment for his inner most desires, whilst Lady Macbeth pushes for the desires to become a reality. Therefore, to a small extent, the witches can be blamed for giving him the idea, just as Lady Macbeth can be blamed for manipulating him into doing it. Ultimately the blame is placed on Macbeth for acting on desires and ambition, leading to the tragedy of Macbeth.