The Witches/Supernatural

Question 1

Thesis Statement 1

Answer 1

Shakespeare’s intention is to flatter King James 1 and his interest in witchcraft.

Question 2

Thesis Statement 2

Answer 2

Shakespeare’s intention is to explore how much our lives are controlled by free will/fate, suggests whether our free will can change the course of our destiny (would M have become King anyway?)

Question 3

Thesis Statement 3

Answer 3

Shakespeare is exploring whether the women (witches) resort to evil and witchcraft because there is no other way for such an unattractive woman to have any value in a patriarchal society.

Question 4

‘in the thunder, lightning or in rain’

Answer 4

• can control the weather, immediately established they are a true supernatural force
• flattering King James by referencing when he was almost killed in a storm which he believed to be the result of supernatural forces

Question 5

‘there to meet with M’
‘Cawdor’

Answer 5

• gift of foresight - common in Greek tragedies. If so M doesn’t have to do anything and can wait for that future to arrive, but also means they don’t actually control him - leave it to his own hamartia and evil to make him commit these sins
• ‘Cawdor’ ‘King hereafter’ reinforces the interpretation that they are just seeing into the future and not manipulating him by getting him to do anything
• all responsibility is M - can’t blame control or influence of satan
• important to Shakespeare’s world view - believe we are all accountable for our actions, telling nobles in audience not to commit regicide because they are wholly accountable

Question 6

‘ if chance may have me King, why chance may crown me, without my stir’

Answer 6

• profound message because Shakespeare is again emphasising every decision M makes is his own
• calls fate ‘chance’, which means random and lucky
• by repeating, emphasises the longer he waits the less ‘chance’ he has of being King, because ‘chance has an element of uncertainty - uses words to persuade himself that it did not certain, mind is working against him to push him to commit regicide

Question 7

‘oftentimes to win us to our harms, the instruments of darkness tell us truths’

Answer 7

• Banquo is a descendant of King James - exaggerating and flattering his morality
• sets up Banquo as M’s antithesis
• crucial reaction because it demonstrates how we should react to seductive evil
• many nobles share the same ambition as M
• ‘instruments of darkness’ - satanic figure controlling the witches

Question 8

‘you should be women and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so’

Answer 8

• M believe they have a profound psychological power used for evil, but not Satanic
• all female characters were played by teenage men
• went for full grown men - shows the men are the problem - when women try to get power, society doesn’t give them any power (denies them) - motive for why they wish to manipulate M