'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'.This is
said at the beginning of the play by
all three of the witches. This is then
later repeated by Macbeth just
before meeting the witches which
show the reader that the witches
have already started influence
Macbeths actions and words
Supernatural characters: The
3 Witches, The Ghost of
Banquo, Hecate and the
prophecies
Macbeth was written during the reign of King
James I. King James was a very superstitious
man and believed highly in witches, and because
of this, he had written books based on the
supernatural. The 1600's were also a very
superstitious time and believed that
witches/warlocks were behind all the problems
England was facing at the time.
First Witch All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! Second
Witch All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! Third Witch
All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!
This is very important for the rise and downfall of Macbeth as
he is already the Thane of Glamis but will soon become the
Thane of Cawdor as King Dunan gves this appointment to him
as part of the reward of defeating the old Thane of Cawdor in
the opening battle of the act. As these two prophecies come
true Macbeth takes matters into his own hands and murders
Dunacn to become king and fufill the prophecy.
After the prophecies are given the audience know that
Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor due to the
conversation between King Duncan and his sons. This is
dramatic irony as the audience knows what is going to
happen before the character does.
The ghost of Banquo is part of the supernatural
theme because he is invisible to the rest of the
characters. The ghost is a physical representation
of Macbeth's guilt towards killing his best friend as well as
all the terrible deeds he has done in order to gain
the crown.