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How is the atmosphere shown?
pathetic fallacy- ‘thunder and lighting’. Atomsphere is ominous and volatile
They are abnormal and disrupt the natural world.
Banquo refers to them as ‘instruments of darkness’ and what does this show?
he refers to them as ‘instruments of darkness suggesting their evil musicality, perhaps showing how their words are almost hypnotic for macbeth
in act 1 scene 3 when Banquo sees them for the first time what does he say and what does he percieve him as? What does their physiognamy show
Banquo percieves their overt evil and dehumanises them in his description ‘look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth’’
The witches physiognamy exposes them as inhumane and evil and Banquo is percieved as perceptive as it was believed he was an ancestr of King James the 1st, thus this is a form of indirect flattery.
what do the witches ‘beards’ show
Throughout the text masculinity is synonymous with power, thus this description imbues them with threatening dominance.
analyse the paradoxical phrase ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’.
The fricative' ‘f’ sound is menacing and shakespeare uses an example of epanados to set up an oxymoron which conveys the ambiguity of their prophecies.
conflicting language shows their deceitful and duplicitous intentions.
What does Macbeths first line in the play show about his character?
Macbeth echoes their paradoxical language' ‘so foul and fair a day i have not seen’ The oxymoron ‘foul’ and ‘fair’ directly mirrors the witches ominous chant.
Macbeth is immediately introduced as malleable and susceptible to their malevolent schemes
The lexis on ‘not seen’ implies blindness. This could parallel how macbeth is blinded by their equivocal prophecies, leading him to lose sight of reality. Furtheremore this could show how he is forever entranced by evil.
how are the witches shown to be intrexicably linked with hell?
when Hecate wants to manipulate Macbeth she refers to meeting at ‘the pit of Acheron’ Acheron was one of the rivers that ran through Hades, as they are depicted as meeting inthere it reinforces how the witcges are intrextcably linked with hell and thrive in a depraved environment
how are the witches seen as anti-trinity?
As they always appear as a trio they could be seen as anti-trinity as they persistently tempt fate and indulge in wicked acts.
shakespeare appears to be condemnign the witches and their wickdness as this would directly appease James the first due to him believing that they were agents of the devil.
