Macbeth

Witches in Macbeth
Established in one of his writings “Readings on Macbeth,” Francis Fergusson portrays the idea of Macbeth’s Witches as “stage figures representatives of unnatural power whosepresence heightens the tension of the play when with Macbeth” (58). As well, described in “All Things Shakespeare” by Kirstin Olsen, it is made clear that the importance of the witches is “due to specialsignificance to King James,” (Olsen 681) and his belief on witchcraft. Consistent with the argument that, “Shakespeare used the play to make the Witches actable, and recognizable to his audience,”(Fergusson 59). It is evident of the fact that Macbeth comes to his own destruction under the influence of several characters in the play. Nevertheless, the necessity of the three weird sisters inWilliam Shakespeare’s Macbeth is required to understand the Renaissance perspective of the Witches.
The audience is firstly presented with the Witches in the first Scene of Act one. The brief entrance ofthe weird sisters suggests that some sort of supernatural powers are looking for Macbeth, “Fair is foul and foul is fair Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (I. I. 11-12) an eerie mood isestablished and tension is created because things are not what they seem. At the time when the Witches notify Macbeth about his fate of becoming king of Scotland, “they feed the secret dream he had sharedonly with his Lady,” (Fergusson 59) which creates tension between Banquo and Macbeth concerning Macbeth’s act of regicide.
Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: […]
A prosperous gentleman; and tobe king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence? or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such propheticgreeting? Speak, I charge you. (I. III. 73-81)

The fundamental reason of the tension that was created relies on the presence of the Three Weird Sisters. Likewise, when Macbeth visits the Witches...