David Williams

Durham

AP English

3 February 2011

Son of a Witch! (Prompt #3)

Shakespeare employs several characters in the play Macbeth in order to reveal more

about the main character and why his ending resulted in tragedy. The Weird Sisters are important

in revealing Macbeth’s true character and contributing to his downfall. This trio gives Macbeth

ambiguous prophecies that allow the sisters to deceive him because of his trust in them. In

Macbeth Shakespeare uses the Weird Sisters as a sense of false security for Macbeth and play a

leading role in his ultimate downfall.

The Weird Sisters are dark, ambiguous, and conniving. They recognize Macbeth’s flaws

and how he will trust them implicitly. The witches reveal their truthful prophecies to Macbeth

with rhymes and riddles in order to confuse him. The witches are mysteriously introduced as

hailing Macbeth “thane of Glamis! Thane of Cawdor! King!” (Act I, Scene III, lines 50-55).

Macbeth is quick to question their belief that he will become such a great ruler, but he is also

quick to imagining himself as such a ruler even though those authoritative positions are already

taken. The Weird Sisters reinforce Macbeth’s growing sense of egoism by telling Macbeth that

he should be “bloody, bold and resolute… for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (Act

IV, Scene I, line 81). Macbeth begins to believe everything that the Weird Sisters tell him and

does not consider that they are simply revealing half truths. Macbeth puts all of his trust into
their prophecies; he does not realize that their prophecies and his false sense of security are what

lead to his death.

Macbeth continues to trust the witches as his confidence grows. However, an inner

conflict begins as he begins to second guess his “destiny” to become king. The reality that

Macduff was indeed not born of woman, yet he was “untimely ripp’d” causes the start of

Macbeth’s downfall (Act V, Scene VIII, line 19). Macbeth becomes reckless murdering Lady

Macduff and their kids as well as young Siward and McDonald as a desperate attempt to

maintain his crown. His trust that he put in the Weird Sisters that no man could harm him led to

the recklessness of Macbeth.

Macbeth puts trust into the Weird Sisters and their prophesies which ultimately causes his

downfall. His tragic flaw was trusting the Weird Sisters with never questioning what or why. His

one track mind allowed the witches to easily deceive him and control him. The prophesies made

Macbeth more reckless and prone to an ultimate downfall. Macbeth invested too much in the

witches and in turn made the prophesies come true himself rather than waiting for destiny. The

over enthusiasm and ambiguous prophesies caused Macbeth’s spiral of recklessness ultimately

causing his downfall and death.