Saturday, February 2, 2013
A Witches' Gathering and a Battle to Begin
Macbeth opens with two short scenes, one in which the witches chant and comment on a battle that Macbeth is fighting against invading forces and a second in which we see the battle and its events in very bloody detail. The witches refer to the battle as "the hurly-burly" and Macbeth is described first as a warrior. What reasons might Shakespeare have for beginning the play with these two events: the gathering of witches and a battle in which Macbeth uses "brandished steel" to cut down his "enemies" who are traitors to Macbeth's King? Moreover, what do you make of the witches and the characters in the opening scenes? Please respond to these questions in no fewer than 10 SENTENCES (thoughtful and well-constructed, of course). Most importantly, DO NOT USE SPARKNOTES or outside guides. Read the passages carefully and try and offer your best insight into what happen. We're only a few pages into the play -- now is the time for creative suspicion about what might happen and why Shakespeare has made certain choices. Excited to read your reflections.
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The witches are sort of a plot device, influencing Macbeth's decisions and giving a bit of a preview of future events. They add a sort of mystery to the entire play, making it spookier and more fantastical. With the first scenes that we've read of them, their main job has been sort of messing with people. As for Macbeth, we already know a lot about him by the end of the second scene, although he is yet to be introduced. We know that one of his greatest duties is his loyalty to the king. However, since we read scene 3 yesterday as well, we also know he's ambitious. He enjoys power. Perhaps he has a good deal of loyalty to himself too. There's a definite loophole in there--what if Macbeth and the king were the same person? Then he would have loyalty only to one. It's would the witches predicted, after all....
ReplyDeleteShakespeare may have started the play with the battle to establish the setting and the character of Macbeth. By portraying Macbeth as the classic war hero, Shakespeare intrigues the audience with the growing suspicion that there has to be more to the story and the witches provide some of that. Sides are also established concretely between good and bad, with the witches somewhere in between. You don't know where they lie between good and evil and their interaction with Macbeth can be interpreted in multiple ways. I get the impression that the witches in themselves represent something greater that has control over the events of the story. The opposing side of the war gives something to compare Macbeth to and makes him sound all the greater. The witches foreshadow what may come and their predictions seem almost concrete. Some of what they same is already true and so at this point in the story, I wonder how much of what they say is a true prediction, and how much of what they say could just be observed by any regular person. The king, in the second scene, seems very gullible, in a way, as he believes all he is told and it brings up the question of how great Macbeth really is. The king also seems to fit the common role of the ignorant king who so readily sentences people to death and is somewhat of an extremist. The first few scenes of Macbeth have made me really excited, as the audience, to see what Shakespeare makes of these roles he has established and also how big of a role and what role exactly the witches play in this story.
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ReplyDeleteI think the reason Shakespeare began the play with these two scenes was to draw the audience in from the very start. If he started before the battle, everyone would be confused and not as interested. These scenes notify the audience of exactly what is happening. You learn who the main characters are, their titles, and the details of the battle that has just played out. I find his word choice to also be targeted to drawing in the audience. While I know this is the way people talked during Shakespeare's time, the dramatic language such as "bloody execution" makes the story even more mischievous. As for the witches, I think of them as rather mischievous characters. They seem to be the goofy characters that want to stir up trouble. I predict that they will often be used for comic relief and will be used as sort-of narrators throughout the story. I am not yet sure if they are supposed to be good or evil characters, but they might just be in between.
ReplyDelete(Once again, I found grammar issues with my previous post. Sorry about that!)
I believe that he introduces the witches to create a feeling of suspense or possibly mystery. Mystery because three witches just enter the stage, say some strange cryptic words and then exit. I also believe that the battle, or at least scene where characters discuss the battle and Macbeth serves an introductory purpose. For one, it introduces Macbeth and gives us a little glimpse into his personality. The glimpse shows us that he is a warrior and that he is apparently loyal to his king as he kills the rebels. It also shows us that Macbeth is honorable and brave, at least in the eyes of Duncan and the Captain. Since Macbeth is a tragedy, I suspect that something will happen that will change Macbeth for worse. From what I know of Shakespeare, he liked irony, and it would be very ironic for honorable and loyal Macbeth to cease to be honorable and loyal. More specifically, a betrayal of whoever he owes his loyalty, whether it be his king or someone lower down. Maybe he will help the enemy of whoever he is loyal to or maybe he will grow jealous of their power and kill them. Continuing on irony, I suspect that if Macbeth kills them, he will succumb to some horrible fate as well.
ReplyDeleteI think Shakespeare started the play with these scenes to both draw us in with the action and establish the characters of Macbeth and the witches, which so far seem to be the most important characters. Since the very first scene had solely the witches, I'd assume they play an important role in the story. Additionally, I learned a little bit about their personalities. It is made obvious they can see the future because they predict the battle will end before sundown, and, when they say they will "meet with Macbeth", it seems they know he will win the battle as well. The line "fair is foul and foul is fair" suggests that they think Macbeth doesn't deserve something good or fair from them, in my opinion. These witches seem to have a temper and a penchant for giving curses based on the passage we read in class, so perhaps they will curse Macbeth. And since Macbeth is the topic of conversation among Duncan, Malcolm, and the Captain, and the play is CALLED Macbeth, I'd assume he's also an important character. He is characterized as "brave", and is definetely portrayed as noble in killing his "enemies", and he certainly has friends in high places. He is admired by both the king and the captain, who is brave as well for telling the King about Macbeth even with bleeding battle wounds. Macbeth seems extremely violent though, showing no mercy, and it is interesting that we have not heard Macbeth or his opinion yet; maybe he isn't as brave as everyone thinks, and this will be revealed later.
ReplyDeleteShakespeare's choice to begin Macbeth with the witches starts off the work with a mysterious, foreboding feel. The witches keep you on your toes, wondering how much power they will have throughout the work. Starting Macbeth with the witches establishes that they will be a critical force throughout the play and suggests a theme of potential manipulation. Their power isn't fully defined, so there is still much to learn. This scene immediately draws the reader in, wanting to know more about what's going on and who these crazy characters are. The mystery surrounding this scene spurs curiosity in the strongest of ways. Scene two introduces the reader to the violence and war that will be a strong element in the story. Macbeth is introduced to us as a war hero and brave fighter. Macbeth's introduction reveals little about him, but it subtly show that he's an important character. These two scene's begin to let us in to Shakespeare's world without giving away too much information. We know just enough to become hooked and continue on with the story, which could be Shakespeare's idea to keep his audience involved. There is still much mystery surrounding the characters and the plot.
ReplyDeleteThe Witches are a sort of mysterious factor brought in by Shakespeare. Macbeth is described as the ideal warrior, strong and loyal to his king. At the same time he is brave and courageous and as well as ambitious for power as we learned in scene 3. It has been established that the witches play an important role because they predicted when the battle would end and that they would meet with Macbeth, as well as later how he becomes the thane of Cawdor. THe witches i believe were meant to curse people and mess with their minds. They cause ideas to form in peoples minds and those ideas grown on until they seem logical in the persons mind. Kind of like planting seeds and growing them. Their supernatural powers to give us the view that their predictions are key to the story. The story being named Maceth clearly shows that he is a major character and has a key role in the story. I think these two parts were placed in the beginning of the story to bring suspense and foreshadowing to what is to come in the story.
ReplyDeleteI think that Shakespeare choose to start the play off with a battle between Macbeth and the Norwegians and the Witches appearance to instantly involve the reader into the action. By making the first scene a mysterious conversation from the witches about when and where to meet Macbeth, it seems as though they can predict the future. When the third witch says that they should meet on the heath (where the battles ends) at the set of the sun (when the battle is over), it makes the reader question what the witches are capable of doing. The battle also adds some mystery to the reader’s thoughts. At the beginning of Scene 2, Duncan and Malcom talk to a Captain fighting in the battle against the Norwegians and the Irish, who are against the Macbeth’s king. The Captain explains to Duncan and Malcom how Macbeth fought the famous Macdonwald by chopping apart the rest of the arming making his way to Macdonwald, and killing him. But, the trouble didn’t end there…
ReplyDeleteI think that Scene 2 shows Macbeth off to be a brave and strong fighter who, possibly due to his bravery, has many people talking of his excellence. From what we read in class on Friday, I think this might come to his head a bit. But, the witches will most likely keep his head in line and make sure they punish him if need be.
Shakespeare begins the play with a battle scene with Macbeth to show his basic personality. He is a good fighter, who is loyal to his king, as well as ambitious and almost hungry for power, and he is very cocky around the witches. I believe these traits will end up playing a large roll in this play. The witches have a supernatural air to them. They give a mysterious mood to the beginning to the play. Shakespeare shows their power when they correctly predict that MacBeth would become the Thane of Cawdor.
ReplyDeleteThey are very similar to the Fates in Greek Mythology, who were three mysterious women who would make predictions that, one way or another, would come true, but they would often come with a twist. I wouldn't be surprised if the witches end up making a prophecy that means something other that what everyone else interprets it as.
It is possible that Shakespeare set up the scene this way, because he wanted to allude to the strange undertakings and secrets that may unveil later on in the play. The three witches are clearly out of the ordinary, which keeps readers engaged and wanting to discover more about them. Readers have no idea in this first scene, if the witches are friends or foes so this adds to the suspensions that may arise. There is an interesting connection between the witches being able to foresee the future and these first two scenes that are about both future and present events. The reactions from both Duncan and Captain propose that they see Macbeth in a sort of grander status than all else and he is certainly someone they look up to. Interestingly we first meet Macbeth without him really being in that scene, through the King and followers. Since the witches mention Macbeth in the first scene, without saying much about him, the second scene seems to clarify his rank and who he is. This is the first time you realize that the witches may have some sort of insight into the future when they talk about the “hurley-burley’s” and the “battle’s lost and won.”These scenes have an artful balance between knowing and not knowing and not knowing the plot. These two scenes also provide the clear and necessary foundation for the play, without revealing too much about the plot right off, yet while leaving a suspenseful feeling for readers.
ReplyDeleteWhat reasons might Shakespeare have for beginning the play with this event: a battle in which Macbeth uses "brandished steel" to cut down his "enemies" who are traitors to Macbeth's King?
ReplyDeleteShakespeare might have used the gathering of witches in the beginning of the play, to create a sense of foreboding and suspense. I assumed this because the text reads “Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches.” This text creates a sense of foreboding because thunder and lightning usually signal that something terrible is going to happen in the near future. After this piece of text, the witches discuss where they’ll meet next; but they do not talk about why they are meeting there which is suspenseful.
Shakespeare might have used a battle that Macbeth was fighting in in the beginning of the play, to make Macbeth seem like a hero in this story. When Shakespeare writes that Macbeth cuts down his “enemies” who are traitors to Macbeth’s King, Macbeth seems courageous, brave, and loyal.
Moreover, what do you make of the witches and the characters in the opening scenes?
In the early scenes, it is hard to decipher between which characters are truly the villains and which characters are truly the heroes. The witches seem like they aren’t involved in what happens throughout the scene; they just know what will happen. If the story was a house, all the characters except the witches would be inside the house and the witches would be on the outside of the house looking in watching their predictions be fulfilled but not necessarily, wishing for their prediction to happen. Since they haven’t completed any spells yet, I’m not sure if they are evil or good. Though the witches are named in cardinal order (first witch, second witch, third witch), it doesn’t seem that there is a chief witch. The groups of witches seem to have the same amount of power and precedence in their group. For King Duncan, Malcolm, Captain, Lennox, and Ross, it so early in the story I really don’t know what to make of them. I can tell that they all are very loyal to the King and like Macbeth.
As others have mentioned in their responses, I believe Shakespeare might have chosen to begin the play with the gathering of witches and a battle to set an overall theme of darkness and suspense: after all, the play is a tragedy. The dialogue spoken by the witches suggests their darkness and also begins to introduce the idea that the witches can see into the future. For example, the third witch says, "That will be ere the set of sun," suggesting that she knows the future and can see when the battle will be over. In scene 2, the battle is described in much violent detail, further continuing the theme of darkness and suspense.
ReplyDeleteFrom what we as readers see in the opening scene, the witches appear to be somewhat odd characters. First of all, they can see into the future. Secondly, they comment on the future in a dark, suspenseful way. They seem like people who would be able to cast a spell and change the course of events, something that we may see later in the story. The messengers in the second scene seem somewhat indifferent: they are merely recounting the battle, although in somewhat dark terms. Duncan, however, is introduced in an interesting manner: on page 13, he says "No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive, Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth." Ross is displayed as someone who will easily follow orders from Duncan - in this case, violent orders - something that could easily work against him in the future. I look forward to seeing the development of these characters as the story progresses.
I believe that Shakespeare starts his play this way because he wants to draw the audience in. The witches sort of represent suspense and mystery in the first scene. They plan to meet Macbeth, and they say "when the Hurly-Burly's done, when the battle's lost and won." When I read this, I predicted that Macbeth would win the battle. To me, it seems as if Macbeth is the hero of the play so far. Shakespeare writes "till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops." This makes Macbeth seem like a great fighter, and of course, we can already tell that his role as a main character will be portrayed throughout the whole play. Shakespeare obviously wanted to show us that Macbeth was a courageous fighter and a loyal follower of his king. The characters that we've met so far have very different personalities. The witches, at least to me, seem very annoying. Macbeth is a great, brave war hero which stands up for what he believes. The captain was also a great fighter, and he retold what had happened during the battle. Duncan and Malcom seem to respect Macbeth for all that he has done. Shakespeare purposely made the characters' personalities very different from each other so that the play would have a bit more suspense added to it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the first scene in Macbeth is to introduce the witches that act as the kind of prophet of the story. It shows that they speak in paradoxes, and that they know more about what’s is going to happen than anybody else. Most importantly though right from the beginning the reader knows that they have something to do with Macbeth. In the second scene Shakespeare introduces Macbeth. I believe they introduced him in the middle of the battle to show that he is a fearless warrior and that he is mighty. I believe the first two scenes are showing the two types of power in the story. There is the supernatural power shown by the witches and there is the brute force that is shown by Macbeth. I think these scenes are meant to establish a line between which power is actually the greater power. I think in the rest of the story the distinction between natural and supernatural people will be important. So in all I believe these first scenes were to introduce the natural and supernatural characters.
ReplyDeleteI think the story begins right with action so it's as if the readers are entering the lives of these characters, and that it's been going on for a while, but we are just now being introduced. I think Shakespeare begins with the witches to show the reader, right from the start, that there is going to be some sort of magic involved in the story. Starting off the whole play with witches felt like it was a vague way to say that the play wasn't going to 2-dimensional and boring. The second witch also says "When the battle's lost and won", which is paradoxical, adding mystery. In the second act of scene one, it seems like it is a way to introduce more of the plot and scenery. By having vivid details of battles and having kings and thanes a part of the scene also gives a time period. The two scenes introduce the heros (the kings and leaders), witches (which can be associated with charms and spells) as well as enemies. Scene I and scene II seem very different but there are small things that relate the scenes, like the references to Macbeth, as well as the mentioning of thunder, lightning and storms. All in all, I think the scenes are introductions to the different main ideas of the play.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the way in which Shakespeare constructed the first two scenes of Macbeth was very successful in foreshadowing the story in a mysterious way. By beginning the play with the three Witches, he created a sense of fantasy and wonder. By chanting, "fair is foul and foul is fair", the three Witches lead the reader to believe that everything is not as it seems, and that they will have a hand in foul play. In the second scene, King Duncan, king of Scotland, speaks of Macbeth with his son and other noblemen. "No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth." King Duncan is speaking of the rebel Thane of Cawdor, and orders Ross, a Scottish nobleman, to see to the rebel's execution. He then states that Macbeth will be crowned King of Cawdor, and that "What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won." In this scene, we find that Macbeth is very loyal to King Duncan. However, as we have read in the third scene, Macbeth is also very ambitious and eager for power. By incorporating the three Witches in the first and third scenes, Shakespeare sets the play up for an unexpected turn of events.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why Shakespeare might’ve started out with first scene is so he could create an effective “hook” to capture the reader’s attention and to make him/her want to continue. A reason why this scene is a hook is largely due to its length. I think Shakespeare intentionally made the first scene as short as it was so he wouldn’t give away to much, and so the reader would be just curious enough to want to continue and find out the witches’ intent, plans, and meanings. Also, magic/magical beings have always been a subject of great interest throughout history and in many novels today, which is another reason why the opening scene is so grabbing and a good choice. In the second scene, completely new characters are introduced, seemingly unrelated to the witches at all. You hear about the bravery and heroism of Macbeth, and though first and second scenes seem unrelated, they are connected by mentions of Macbeth. This is another “hook” scene, because the reader would want to continue, as to find out more about how exactly Macbeth’s place in both scenes are connected. Macbeth is portrayed as good, heroic, and brave. He valiantly defeated the enemy and did a great service during battle. Since he is portrayed as nothing but good, you’d want to know why the witches would have anything to do with him, and what they would want to do with him, “after the battle’s lost and won.” I think Shakespeare started the play with these two scenes for the reasons stated above, and so he could give an intriguing background and introduction before the story fully begins.
ReplyDeleteOne reason that I think Macbeth had the witches in the first scene was to draw people in. Another reason I think Shakespeare had the witches is because he wanted show that there is an element of magic as well as unnatural abilities. Shakespeare doesn't show this directly but he sort of alludes to it with the creepy atmosphere that the witches give off and how they knew where Macbeth would be. We already knew that the witches had some supernatural powers from reading scene three but I think that scene 3 was the only blatant display of supernatural powers so far. I think that he alluded to the supernatural part in the beginning because if he didn't people would be confused in scene 3 not knowing that there were supernatural aspects to the play. I also think he put the witches and the supernatural aspects in the beginning because it is a great way to pull people in and give some vital information. As for the second scene, I think he put it there to show the fierceness of Macbeth. I also think that he put that scene there to recount the battle and give us some insight on as to what is happening. My overall thoughts to the first scenes are that this could be a very complicated story but also a very good one. I also think that Macbeth and what the witches predict could be a very fundamental part of the story.
ReplyDeleteI think Shakespeare really gets the reader curious about what is going on. All we know
ReplyDeleteis that the witches know about the battle and that Macbeth is a warrior in the battle. We
don't know how or why they are connected. This makes us want to keep reading and
introduces some suspense to the story. Also, it establishes the witches and Macbeth as
characters. We get to see how Macbeth is brave and definitely not someone to cross.
We know they witches are definitely involved in what he is doing somehow. I think
Shakespeare sets us up for an interaction between Macbeth and the witches later on in
the story (which we know happens in scene iii). Also, the dialogue at the end of scene ii
lets us know that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor before Macbeth himself knows it,
and that is good information to have going into scene iii.
I think that Shakespeare used the witches and the battle to get peoples attention. First he used the witches to get people confused and thinking. Then he started to describe the battle right after he gets every one thinking and paying attention. Then he used the battle to hook even more people in. He also used the battle to start to develop Macbeth's character and to show that he is a warrior. I think that the witches are in the play because they add a since of depth to the story because you don’t know what they are going to do and why they are in the story. Another thing that makes them important is by them making a prediction in the first scene that is almost instantly proved. Over all I think that the witches are going to be very important characters later on.
ReplyDeleteI think that the use of the three witches at the beginning of the story is supposed to show them as omnipotent forces of nature, and not just witches. When the witches talk, along with other characters, such as seargant and Malcolm, they talk not only for the purpose of carrying on conversatIon, but to also inform the reader of what has happened with Macbeth. The witches also speak of not just what is going on in the present, but make predictions of Macbeth's "destiny" of sourts in becoming thane of Gaul, and winning battle against traitors. The Sargeant also speaks of Macbeth as being given powers, such as clearing away storms. I think this represents the evil in battles he has one, and the future battles he will win. Because of these instances though, I think Shakespear meant to portray Macbeth as a person who many things are expected of, but might not necessarily come true. Because of this, I think the point of the witches being there might also be to show the flaws in the reasoning shown by people such as sargeant and Malcom. I also took the use of the witches as Macbeth showing life and death in the words they speak, such as meeting Macbeth when "the battel's lost and one", which could never happen. His use of a paradox in winning and losing might also show that what Macbeth strives for might be unattainable later on in the story
ReplyDeleteThe first two scenes establish the overall mood of the story and give the reader someone to "cheer" for. The witches in scene 1 introduce an element of darkness to the plot. Witches are typically regarded as evil beings hell-bent on cursing people of power and disturbing the peace. After reading about this mysterious gathering, the witches seem like a dangerous force plotting against Macbeth's success.
ReplyDeleteThe next scene displays a courageous warrior named Macbeth who slayed the merciless rebel Macdonwald. The injured warrior describes how Macbeth "unseamed him from the nave to th' chops, and fixed his head apon our battlements," (Shakespeare 9). Readers will most likely support the wounded captain's accounts of Macbeth over the rebellious Macdonwald and the Norwegian traitors. These first two scenes introduce the good and bad sides of the battle, and display the brave Macbeth as a war hero. Similar to the introduction of a short story, these scenes act as a transition into the story by establishing important characters and their basic traits.
I thought that it was very clever of Shakespeare to use the opening that he did. The first scene was the three witches talking amongst each other. Since we don't know if the witches are bad or not, they are almost like a narrator. They bring us up to speed about what's happening. I also felt that it was a good idea because we get introduced to most (if not some) of the main characters in the book. The witches and Macbeth. In the following scene, soldiers describe the battles, and how brave and courageous Macbeth is. I thought that going into detail about what was happening in the battle was also nice because it made the reader realize the severity of the war. It also established Macbeth as a "good character," or someone who (at least for now) think is good.
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