Introduction to the Witches : Act I Flashcards

(11 cards)

1
Q

who are the first characters we are introduced to in the play?

A

the witches

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2
Q

the witches’ introduction is coupled with…

A

pathetic fallacy - enrobed with ‘thunder and lightning’ which makes the atmosphere volatile and ominous

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3
Q

how does shakespeare open the play?

A

in media res

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4
Q

in media res

A

it is in the midst of the plot - as the witches’ conversation runs to a close - ‘when shall we three meet again?’

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5
Q

effect of in media res

A
  • we witness the close of the witches’ conversation
  • establishes a sense of mystery and secrecy
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6
Q

‘fair is foul and foul is fair’

A
  • paradoxical phrase
  • foreshadows the overarching theme of appearances vs reality
  • frictive ‘f’ sound - menacing
  • shakespeare’s confounding example of epanados to set up an oxymoron which conveys the ambiguity of their prophecies
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7
Q

language - how do the witches speak?

A
  • in trochaic tetrameter - distinct from iambic pentameter that noble characters speak throughout the play which gives their speech an eerie song-like quality
  • unnatural manner of speech and coupled with rhyming couplets makes it sinister - like a dark nursery rhyme or spell
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8
Q

what does banquo refer to the witches as?

A

‘instruments of darkness’ - suggestive of their evil musicality and perhaps shows how their words are almost hypnotic for macbeth

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9
Q

how does banquo describe the witches in their first encounter in act 1 scene 3?

A
  • he perceives their overt evil and dehumanises them in his description - ‘look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth’
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10
Q

the witches’ physiognomy

A
  • exposes them as inhumane and evil
  • banquo is portrayed as perceptive as it was believed he was an ancestor of James I
  • ‘look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth’
  • they have ‘beards’ - throughout the text MASCULINITY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH POWER
  • this description imbues them with a threatening dominance
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11
Q

witches’ essay introductory sentence

A
  • the play begins in media res within a meeting of the witches which immediately sets a tone of unease as it immerses the audience within the supernatural
  • for shakespeare’s contemporaries, this would elicit a fearful sense of intrigue and set the play into notion
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