Macbeth Flashcards

Question

what might the witches symbolise in society and might be a force for good?

Answer 1

they represent women's attempt to gain power in a patriarchal society, all the witches attacks in the play are against male characters and never women. they are complaining bout that society. a society like this only create witches as they are denied power so they turn to the supernatural to gain power thru another route.

Answer 2

the sailor's wife refuses to give the first witch some chestnuts but her husband is the one that gets punished "her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger" - shows that when he is going to Aleppo the witches will try to torment him

Answer 3

The witches do not predict the future — they plant ideas. It is Macbeth’s ambition and choices that bring the prophecy to life, unlike Banquo who does not act on his. While the witches appear to predict Macbeth’s future, it is ultimately his ambition — not fate — that brings their words to life. Unlike Banquo, who passively receives his prophecy, Macbeth acts obsessively to fulfil his. This suggests that the witches do not control destiny but instead exploit Macbeth’s internal flaws, especially his guilt-ridden ambition. Shakespeare may be arguing that humans are not helpless victims of fate, but architects of their own destruction. Interestingly, Banquo’s sons never become king on stage, which implies that their prophecy remains unresolved — possibly never fulfilled at all. This ambiguity reinforces the idea that Macbeth's downfall is driven not by supernatural truth but by his interpretation and reaction to it.

Answer 4

The play opens with thunder and lightning, then the witches chant “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” This immediately establishes a world turned upside-down, where natural order is inverted. Shakespeare sets the supernatural tone from the very first scene, creating a world of moral confusion. It warns the audience that nothing will be what it seems — this sets up Macbeth’s later deception, ambition, and hallucinations. AO3 link: Jacobean audiences believed storms and unnatural weather were signs of evil and divine punishment. 📝 Use in essay: “By opening with the witches and their paradoxical language, Shakespeare structurally foregrounds the supernatural as the root of disorder in the play.”

Answer 5

Hallucinations at Turning Points Examples: The floating dagger (Act 2), Banquo’s ghost (Act 3), and the apparitions (Act 4). Analysis: Each supernatural vision appears just before or after Macbeth makes a critical choice. The dagger leads to Duncan’s murder, the ghost disrupts the banquet, and the apparitions reinforce his false sense of invincibility. Structural significance: These moments mark the decline of Macbeth’s mental stability. They punctuate the play like psychological checkpoints, each one showing how Macbeth is being drawn deeper into darkness.

Answer 6

Witches Speak in Rhymed Trochaic Tetrameter Example: “Double, double, toil and trouble…” Form analysis: Unlike the nobles who speak in iambic pentameter, the witches use rhymed, sing-song meter, which is strange, jarring, and unnatural. Purpose: Shakespeare deliberately uses this formal contrast to mark the witches as otherworldly and disruptive to natural order. 📝 “Shakespeare’s use of trochaic tetrameter for the witches structurally separates them from human characters, highlighting their role as supernatural instigators.”

Answer 7

in 1606 a priest Henry Garnet was executed for the gunpowder plot. he wrote an equivocation that one can lie as being ambiguous and not sin. shaky used this in the witches riddles (none of woman born) referencing this scandal to show how the manipulation of language can justify immoral action

Answer 8

predestination vs free will one of the most popular religious debates at the time. macbeth is trapped by the prophecy but also makes conscious decisions. shakey sits in the middle allowing for the audience to interpret shows that he may not believe in the power of the supernatural

Macbeth Flashcards

(32 cards)