Exam (elaborations)
Test (elaborations) English Macbeth, ISBN: 9781853260353
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A brief answer explaining a grade 9 structure and use of extract in the exam
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An essay on the witches (Macbeth)Shakespeare uses the witches to explore the consequences of spiritual malpractice of the
supernatural and the moral impacts of self-restraint and self-conscience through the comparison
of Macbeth’s kingship and Duncan’s. By doing that, Shakespeare panders to his Parton (king
James 1 ) and ensures his financial support so he increased the narrative of the witches and
made them the villains and the agents of Satan. Similarly, Shakespeare was reliant on
Elizabeth’s patronage of his company from the Puritans who were trying to ban the theatre
which is emphasised by the overuse of religious images and didactic messages in his work.
Macbeth’s fragile sense of morality led to a disastrous, callous kingship whereas Duncan who
was aware of the moral consequences of witchcraft was known of being a just and benevolent
ruler.
Macbeth’s reaction to the prophecies of the witches was depicted as ‘imperfect speakers’. The
adjective’ imperfect’ suggests that they are imperfect just as humans are and perhaps they have
the same power as humans. Their vague and ambiguous language is meant to be
misunderstood however Macbeth ignores that because his greed for power overcomes him
.therefore this implies that they simply are a source of temptation rather than a source of control
.arguably they don't plant a new concept in Macbeth’s head to commit regicide, the concept of
regicide already existed in his head and he sustained yet he just wanted validation and
confidence form the witches. Therefore this is more of a psychological play rather than an
exploration of the supernatural as it follows Macbeth’s mental state after committing regicide
and getting confidence from the witches .on the other hand, Banquo’s reaction contrasts with
Macbeth’s as he classifies the witches as inherently evil and infernal ‘instruments of darkness.
This metaphor suggests that the witches are ambiguous and dark meddling with the devil which
builds up esteem and regard for Banquo and portrays him as a Christian moral who refuses all
forms of sorcery. Moreover, The equivocation of the witches implies that they are deceitful and
mistrustful. Banquo serves as a foil of Macbeth who were parallel from the beginning of the play
to highlight the importance of self-conscience in a patriarchal society.
The paradoxical language of the witches reflects Macbeth’s confusion in the audience who are
similarly ambivalent about the hidden meaning of the prophecies. The oxymoronic phrases ‘fair
is foul and foul is fair’ highlights the duality of the witchcraft and supernatural as they are
deceitful and further implies that Macbeth sees what is foul as fair such as committing regicide.
The alliteration of the sound ‘f’ suggests that the emphasis on their existence is coupled with the
use of the trochaic tetrameter. The shift in meter implies their significance during these moments
in the play which are going to change the destiny of many characters and drives the momentum
of the play.
Furthermore, the witches reflected power even over the most innocent characters of the play as
Shakespeare uses parallelism in Duncan’s language in describing the battle which echoes the
paradoxical language of the witches as he states ‘ hath lost’ ‘hath won’ this emphasises that the
witches influence all aspects of nature even over the most symbolic of purity and innocence,
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