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Macbeth

Explore the connection between the Wyrd Sisters in Shakespeare's Macbeth and the Greek Fates, as well as their representation of darkness, chaos, and conflict. Discover how their presence foreshadows doom and treason, and how they manipulate fate in the play. This analysis delves into the historical context and various interpretations of the Wyrd Sisters.

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Macbeth

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  1. Macbeth The Wyrd Sisters Act I, Scene i

  2. Directly linked to Greek Fates • Clotho-spinner; spins each life • Lachesis-alloter; determines length • Atropos-unturner; cutter; choose the manner & time to die • Also present in Roman & Germanic mythology

  3. Shakespeare’s Witches • The Wyrd sisters in Macbeth represent: • Darkness • Chaos • Conflict • They are agents & witnesses. • Their presence forbodes doom & treason • Based on Holinshed’s Chronicles "Macbeth and Banquo encountering the witches," a woodcut from the Holinshed Chronicles.

  4. Holinshed’s Chronicles • History of Britain, Scotland and Ireland • Three Witches are dressed, "in strange and wild apparell, resembling creatures of elder world.” • Tolman, Albert H. "Notes on Macbeth." PMLA. (1896) 11.2 pp. 200-219

  5. Representations • In Holinshed’s Chronicles, the witches are upper-class noblewomen. • Shakespeare moves away from this image, making them other-worldly, withered, and oddly attired.

  6. During Shakespeare's day, witches were seen as worse than rebels, "the most notorious traytor and rebell that can be." They were not only political traitors, but spiritual traitors as well. (Karin S. Coddon) The witches & Hecate. Macbeth & the witches.

  7. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air" • The witches set the tone for the play by creating a FOG over the whole play. • This obscures, confuses, allows for doubt, etc. From: Geoffrey Wright’s Macbeth 2007.

  8. The Witches Confuse • They straddle the borders between reality and the supernatural. • It is unclear whether they control fate or are merely its agents. • They defy logic, not being subject to the rules of the real world.

  9. Temptation • In Shakespeare’s time it was believed that the Devil could tempt you in thought. • Than you could indulge in that thought or reject it. • The witches follow this pattern. • Macbeth indulges in temptation, while Banquo rejects.

  10. The Voodoo Witches • Orson Welles’1948 film altered the witches' roles. • They create a voodoo doll of Macbeth in scene one. • This is seen as a sign that they control his actions completely. • Faceless, they carry forked staves as dark parallels to the Celtic cross. • In the end they cut off the head of his voodoo doll

  11. Modern Depictions • Magical power has been sensualized. • The witches have been strung-out waifs, sylphid spirits, and teen goth temptresses.

  12. Continued Influence • Beguiling, otherworldly, or repugnant, the wyrd sisters continue to influence. • J.K. Rowling noted that their prophecy inspired her to create the prophecy that guides Lord Voldemort.

  13. The Questions for Tonight’s Reading • Do the witches actually tell Macbeth to kill Duncan? • If Macbeth hadn't met the witches, would he have killed Duncan? • Would any of it have happened? • Is he fated or did he make it happen? • How does the A-S word Wyrd relate to the sisters?

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