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Samantha Smith

Mr. Starkey

ELA Gifted 8

10 October 2016

The Witches Led to Macbeths Downfall

The witches play a huge role in the play Macbeth. They influence the choices he made and led

him to kill the king. The witches are responsible for Macbeth's actions and he ends up killing many

people because of it, including King Duncan, Banquo, Macduffs wife and children, and many more

people. The prophecies that they gave him make him want to be king. They make him think no one born

of a woman could kill him. They give him the idea of killing Duncan, and make him believe no one could

kill him. Their prophecies give him overconfidence, they make him feel safe.

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! ( 1.3.49 ). All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee,

thane of Cawdor! ( 1.3.50 ). All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.51). These were the

three things that the witches say to Macbeth that made him become evil. First they tell him something he

already knows, Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! ( 1.3.49 ), so that he will listen to them, because he

already knows that he is thane of Glamis. Then they told him his new title, thane of Cawdor, Macbeth

does not know he is thane of Cawdor, but after the witches leave he is told that he is thane of Cawdor.

Finally they tell him that he will be king. Macbeth then sees himself killing King Duncan and becoming

king. The witches leave and he is told he is thane of Cawdor and he believes everything that the witches

told him.

For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires. / The

eye wink at the hand, yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.52-55). This

famous quote from Macbeth shows that Macbeth wants darkness, and does not want anyone to know what
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he is about to do. Macbeth is going to kill Duncan. He does not want to see himself do it, but he knows he

will be horrified of what the has done when he finishes. He is afraid that people will find out and kill him

for killing the king. Macbeth knows what he is doing is wrong but he still does it anyway. He is doing it

so he can become king.

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes 'bove wisdom, grace, and fear / And

you all know / security is mortals' chiefest enemy. ( 3.5.30-33 ). This is a line from Hecate, when she

speaks to the three witches. Hecate says that Macbeth will think that he is above wisdom, grace and fear.

She says that Macbeth will become overconfident, and that will lead to his downfall. Hecate also says,

Ill catch it ere it come to ground / And that distilled by magic sleights / shall raise such artificial sprites

/ as by the strength of their illusion / shall draw him on to his confusion. ( 3.5.25-29 ), she means that she

is going to produce magical spirits to trick and confuse Macbeth and make him overconfident. Making

him overconfident will make him die because he will believe that he can't be killed by anyone born of a

woman.

The ultimate blame lies with the three witches. They caused Macbeth to do terrible things. He

kills Duncan, and many other people so no one would find out what he did. The witches gave him

prophecies that influence him to be evil. They give him false hope, because he thinks that anyone born of

a woman is not a threat to him.If they hadn't given Macbeth these prophecies he wouldn't have tried to kill

Duncan, and other people who may be a threat to him. The three witches led to Macbeths downfall and

his death.

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