Preston

Alexandra Preston
Dr. Francis
Shakespeare
December 3, 2014
Which witches are which
The characters of the Weird Sisters in Macbeth have been the subjects of much
discussion and study among literary critics and scholars. Although the witches seem to be the
root of trouble for Macbeth by giving the prophecy, they may not be the ones to blame. This
element of the witches helps to makes them stand apart from all the other characters due to their
ability to be involved in the plot, but free from blame. Also because of the ambiguous gender and
appearance of the witches, it allows directors to freely cast and create their own ideas of the
witch characters. Their ambiguous nature and super natural elements also allow readers and play
goers to step outside cultural norms and question how things really seem.
The Weird Sisters are arguably the most interesting and confusing part of the play
Macbeth. In some adaptations, it is not even clear if they are concrete beings, or just figments of
Macbeths imagination. Because the witches may not actually be present, this frees them from
the constraints of the society in which they live. The witches, if interpreted as women, break free
from the complacent mold of women during the Renaissance. These powerful women are in
control of the men around them. They are able to plant seeds of information in the mind of
Macbeth, while leaving him to decide what to do with this information.
Many different essays and studies have been done on the witches, and one of the most
common topics of research is their gender role and the influence this has on Macbeth. Since
they did not belong to any of the four categories of womanhood accepted as standard in the

Ali Preston 5/7/2015 8:56 PM

Comment [1]: NCATE/NCTE Standard
3.5: know/use extensive range of literature.
In my previous artifact, I used a short story
to help teach my students about decision
making. In this paper I used a play as my
basis for research.

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Renaissance period--the witches were considered outcasts (Brinzeu 255). The witches are
viewed as threats to the way of living because they are so completely different and free than any
of the other characters in Macbeth. Shakespeare intends them to oppose male authority,
domination, and courage (Brinzeu 256). The witches pose a stark comparison to Macbeth,
whose masculinity is in question throughout the whole play. The witches appear to have both
elements of masculinity as well as femininity, which give them a higher foothold above Macbeth
and their ability to manipulate and mold him.
There is a tough argument to be discussed on whether the witches solely influenced
Macbeth, or if he could have decided to move along a different path. In the article Hidden
Esotericism, Brinzeu discusses both of these aspects. Brinzeu believes that the witches did not
in fact interfere with the characters freedom to choose and act: they only tempt Macbeth to
murder Duncan and to slaughter Macduffs family (Brinzeu 256). This idea clearly argues for
the innocence of the witches in the deaths of Duncan and Macduffs family. The witches never
actively kill anybody within the play. Instead they plant ideas that tempt Macbeth, if the blame
could be put of a female character for influencing the deaths it should be put on Lady Macbeth,
not the witches. It is not their prophecy that pushes the hero into committing crime after crime
in a murderous frenzy of evil, but his own ambition and greed (Brinzeu 256). Again this idea
helps to cast the blame away from the witches and solely onto the shoulders of the throne crazed
Macbeth.
One of the reasons that the witches may appear so evil and strange to the audience is
because they do not fit into the category of traditional Renaissance women. This idea of their
complex and confusing gender helps contribute to the evil view of the witches in the play.
Their strange and twisted gender also plays off of the fear during the Renaissance era of women

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having power over men and revolting against their husbands. Because the witches are a
supernatural power, they are free from the constraints of normal society. This leads to fear and
uncertainty for the men in the play, as well as playgoers. It is a The Cawdor that the propensity
for the witches to disrupt the patriarchal order via their insatiable carnal desire is make truly
clear (Rooks 153). This statement makes blatantly clear that men feared women who had power
in the sexuality and felt that they could use it for control. as it tempts and ultimately
undermines male bodies, male reason, and masculine insitutions(Rooks 154). This offers an
interesting insight into the fear that Renaissance men had concerning the potential rise of
women. Portraying the witches as having a very solidified feminine gender and sexuality adds an
interesting layer of female versus male power that may not be as prevalent when they are
portrayed in a more ambiguous light.
Also their sorcery gives them power over not just the men, but other elements of the
natural world. Their sorcery gives them the ability to shapeshift, as well as manipulate the
weather (Dipendra 11). These powerful women twist the conventions of society with their power
and gender roles. Because of this they help drive the plot forward and work their magic to assist
in the chaos and confusion of the play.
The article The Shakespearean Communication: A Study of Supposed Sorceressess
in Macbeth discusses the idea that the witches do not deserve the blame for the actions of
Macbeth. Instead, an argument is mad for partial blame on the part of the witches, but not full
blame. The author of this article argues that the witches used their power to start the plot of the
play, however Macbeth could have decided to take his own path. The author also argues that
people automatically blame the witches and accuse them of evil due to their magic and the

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ingredients that go into their potions. Their magic is composed of less than desirable ingredients,
however this does not make them inherently evil or responsible for the actions of Macbeth.
Another argument in support of the witches offered by Dipendra is that that witches
mirror the fear that men had of women revolting (Dipendra 9). These three powerful women
have complete power over the men in the play. This caused uneasy feelings among men of
Shakespeares time because it accurately highlighted the fear that they harbored of their wives
and other women revolting against the masculine controlled society.
Dipendra also touches on the ambiguity of the witches and this role that it has within the
play. Shakespeares Macbeth commences with the understanding that the three characters
who open Shakespeares Macbeth are known to be unknown- entities whose identities are as
cryptic as their intentions (Dipendra 1-2). This idea helps to paint the witches as other worldly
beings and furthers the idea that the witches function outside the realm of traditional societal
constraints. Dipendra states they revel in filth and gore which is considered repulsive, all the
while playing the part of agents witnesses to the conflict, thereby contributing to the ominous
tone of the play (Dipendra 9). Not only is their gender confusing to the audience they also take
delight from things that are perverse or out of the ordinary. Their perversion gives them a feeling
of creepiness and the ability to make the characters believe that they have powers beyond the
human world.
Not only is the gender of the witches made ambiguous because of their physical
appearance, it is also magnified by their actions and mannerisms. The witches have an even
more masculine role than Macbeth, due to their power to see into the future and reveal the course
of ones life (Wilson 2007). The masculinity of Macbeth is severely called into question by the
witches, as well as Lady Macbeth. All of these female characters seem to posses more traits that

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make them masculine than Macbeth. Macbeth certainly holds no power of the like, and
extending the comparison further, he barely passes the masculinity test of his wife, and the
witches, (Wilson 2007). The witches ability to see into the future and give prophecies gives
them immediate power over Macbeth, and because of their appearance it gives them an
interesting gender that can be used to help them gain more power and influence.
Not only does Macbeth hear the prophecies about himself from the witches, so does
Banquo. However, in the case of Banquo he is not moved to evil acts after hearing of the
prophesized greatness that he could attain. Banquo, by an early death, atones for his ambitious
curiosity to know his glorious descendants,but he preserves his mind pure from the evil
suggestions of the witches; (Bates 1906). This point helps to show that Macbeth too had the
choice, but he decided to act and ultimately lose himself. The witches are not the cause of evil in
the play, instead it is the decision and actions of man that cause the drama of the play to unfold.
Macbeth could have followed the same path as Banquo and let the prophecies come true over
time, but he felt that he had to act to make things come true more quickly.
Part II: How have they been portrayed in different adaptations of Macbeth?
Depending on the director of different adaptations, the witches can be portrayed as
powerful women, or as powerful beings of ambiguous gender. In an onstage reproduction of
Macbeth, by director Jack OBrian, the witches were cast as three men dressed ambiguously as
women. However, this adaptation of the play seemed to have a couple downfalls in regards to the
witches. Much of this creepiness is borderline over-the-top, particularly Glover as a saggybreasted bearded lady,(Rooney 2013). While the director seemed to make a conscious
decision to portray the witches as ambiguous, it did not work out in his favor. In this case, it
seems as though aspects of the witches were too outlandish to be taken seriously.

Ali Preston 5/7/2015 8:53 PM

Comment [2]: NCATE/NCTE Standard
3.2: know oral, visual, written literacy
practices. Understand how visual
representations of a specific play can
influence how the person watching it sees
the characters and plot.

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A second review of the same production touches a little on the witches, but not on their

appearance. Instead the second review focuses on the idea of the witches as influencing Macbeth
and not allowing him to make his own choices. the witches assume other roles, too, so
theyre nearly always in view. Its a smart way of indicating that once Macbeth lets evil in, its
there to stay (Dziemianowicz 2013). This seems to have been a good choice for the director and
trying to influence the view of the audience on how the witches function within the play.
Another interesting review of an on screen production of Macbeth, discussed the extreme
over sexualization of the witches. While Lady Macbeth is frequently portrayed in film
adaptations as the alluring villain who exploits her sexuality to negotiate and maintain power,
Wrights rendering of the witches as depraved, seductive schoolgirls is certainly novel, not to
mention highly entertaining(Rooks 151). This review of Macbeth is an interesting comparison
to the previous review because of how drastically different the two directors portrayed the
witches. In this adaptation of Macbeth, some critics were unsure of the idea of the witches being
overly sexual girls, because it seemed to be at odds with the outward appearance. This can create
a problematic juxtaposition of action and appearance, ultimately taking away from the
performance and importance of the witches.
An interpretation of Macbeth, by Rupert Goold, places the witches into the role of nurses.
This is an interesting choice because it seems to hint at the possible role of the witches in
manipulating the death of certain characters within the play. It is fitting that the three
witches.are first seen as nurses speeding their patient to death (Brantley 2008). This seems to
mirror the eventual death of Banquo and King Duncan, both of which the witches had a role in
starting, however that is not to say that they are completely to blame. After this nice introduction
to the witches their appearance on stage seems to go downhill I grew weary of these weird

Ali Preston 5/7/2015 8:41 PM

Comment [3]: NCATE/NCTE Standard
4.6: foster critical analysis of media & tech.
While students are typically asked to
analyze literature in their classes, they are
not always asked to analyze movies and
other films. In my classroom, I hope to
incorporate film analyzing.

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sisters, especially when they started prophesying in rap (Brantley 2008). Again it seems as
though the witches started out as strong characters, but that was soon undermined by artistic
choices made by the director.
Part III: What do the two different performances that I watched show about the Witches?

Out of curiosity, I decided to watch the adaptation by Wright, in which the witches

are portrayed in a schoolgirl like manner. In the opening scene with the witches, you see a
little bit of their strange perverse nature, however I do not think that it came through as
strongly as it does in the book. In the film you first see the witches defacing a cemetery, this
makes them seem like rebellious teenage girls, not mystical beings with immense power.
They are dressed in what looks like Catholic School uniforms, which is supposed to show
their innocence, but as the audience knows these teenage girls are far from innocent.
Although they are given power over Macbeth in this film, I do not like the form of power
they are given. I think by making them incredibly sexual beings it takes away from their
integrity and power. Their incredible libido makes them more human than supernatural.

The second scene with the witches really highlights just how sexual in nature they

are and how erotic their relationship with Macbeth is. This scene takes place in a nightclub
called Cawdor after a night of heavy drinking for Macbeth. The only aspect of this scene
that really did well for the witches was the idea that they may only be in Macbeths
imagination. This helps to give them back their supernatural air and make them seem like
more than sex hungry teenagers. However, the power that they are given by the possibility
of being purely imagined is quickly taken away when they give Macbeth the prophecies in
an incredibly sensual manner. This way of giving the prophecy seemed to take away from

Ali Preston 5/7/2015 8:49 PM

Comment [4]: NCATE/NCTE Standard
2.6: demonstrate role of arts/humanities in
learning. Theatrical performances can play
an important role in the classroom by
helping students create a stronger
visualization of the content. There are also
many different elements that go into making
a theatrical production that students should
gain an understanding of.

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the gravity of it and made it seem like they were doing it just to get some sexual enjoyment
out of it.

In this adaptation of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is made more feminine as well. By

making the incredibly powerful female characters more feminine than a mixture, it takes
away from the questioning of Macbeths manhood. In the play by Shakespeare, questioning
the manhood of Macbeth is a main part of the plot. Lady Macbeths ability to question his
manhood, along with the prophecy of the witches, is what allows her to persuade him to kill
Duncan in order to become king. Solidifying their gender as specifically feminine takes
away a huge part of the original play that was a very important part in getting the plot
going.

One part of this adaptation of the witches that was done well was making the

witches solely in the mind of Macbeth. When they appear in Cawdor Macbeth is the only
person who sees them. To him they appear in a cloud of smoke and haze. This allows the
viewer to wonder if the witches are really there or if Macbeth is imagining them due to his
intoxication. Viewing them as figments of his imagination gives them an interesting twist
because Banquo does not get a chance to hear his prophecy if he does not know they exist.
By Banquo not getting a prophecy it does show how much of an influence the witches have
on Macbeth and it also makes it seems as though his subconscious is looking for a valid
reason for him to commit murder and establish himself as king.

Personally, the portrayal of the witches in this film was not how I envisioned them

and I did not like it. I thought it was an interesting take on their characters, especially
because of how interesting they are in the play, but I thought this portrayal really took
away from them. This adaptation was also a good comparison to the one put on by the BU

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Players. I liked the comparison of having the witches as all male versus having three overly
sexualized females. I think both are perfectly acceptable ways of viewing the witches,
however I believe they are stronger when they are ambiguous and have more than just
sexuality to hold over Macbeth and the other male characters. The fact that in the original
play they are so ambiguous gives them power over the male characters because it allows
them to be freer and therefor more terrifying and mystifying.

The second adaptation of Macbeth that I watched was a more traditional rendering

of the play. In this filmed stage production by the Royal Shakespeare Company the witches
were played by three women. The witches were, I think, more true to the original play in
that they were not overly female and their power did not center on their sexuality. In this
film, the witches were given the ability to have their power come from their mysterious
being.

Part of the mystery of the witches comes from not knowing who or what they are

exactly. These mysterious androgynous beings have immense power and sway within the
play. That power comes from the way in which Shakespeare decided to describe them and
create them. In the second adaptation of Macbeth, the witches have all the elements of the
traditional witches and the power that comes with being mysterious. Because of this, I
think this was a stronger portrayal of the witches. Playing them as schoolgirls was an
interesting choice, however I do not think it worked out as well as the witches played by
the Royal Shakespeare Company. These witches were weird and creepy. They had the sort
of power and mystery surrounding them that seems fitting of such strange and influential
characters.

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In this version of Macbeth the viewer can see the gender being morphed and

confused, as well as how their gender challenges that of Macbeth. Although these witches
are played by three women, instead of three men or a mixture of men and women, they
seemed to do a good job of portraying themselves as being both man and woman in one.
The witches also compared well with Lady Macbeth in this adaptation as well. In the
original play, the witches and Lady Macbeth are incredibly ambiguous in their gender
identity. By having the witches played more true to the original it really shows how much
more masculine Lady Macbeth and the witches are than Macbeth. They also seem to have
more power over Macbeth in this film than they do in the other Macbeth adaptation.

The witches are fully parts of the play in this version of Macbeth, and not just part of

Macbeths mind. This allows the audience to see the influence that they have on both
Macbeth and Banquo. Im not sure which idea of the witches I liked better, whether they
are real or not. I think both interpretations lead to some very interesting discussions. Also,
each interpretation of the witches can change how the play viewer sees the influence of the
witches on Macbeth or Banquo.

I wanted to watch two adaptations with women as the witches, one in a traditional

setting and one more modern because I wanted to see how it compared to the two different
adaptations that we saw with the male witches. I thought it was interesting that in the
newer versions of Macbeth, Scotland PA and Macbeth, the witches were shown as solely in
the mind of Macbeth. Whereas the more traditional renditions of Macbeth had the witches
staged as physical beings. Each of the different adaptations of Macbeth highlighted the
witches physical appearance versus their actual gender and their power over the other
characters in different and effective ways. In my opinion I do not think that the witches are

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solely to blame for the actions of Macbeth. By having the witches in his head completely, it
supports my argument because then the witches can be seen as an extension of Macbeth
and not entirely separate entity. Also, having them separate can support my argument as
well, but it also lends itself to the argument that they are to blame.

The witches are incredibly mysterious and confusing parts of the play Macbeth. I

think that they are the most interesting parts of the play because they can be read and
interpreted in so man different ways. They highlight the fear men had of women becoming
too powerful. They can be used to show how enormous of an impact your own mind and
sub-consciousness can have on your actions. They call into question the traditional gender
roles of women and make the audience think about what they really are. Most importantly
the witches drive the plot forward and provide a necessary element of the supernatural to
the play Macbeth.

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Works Cited:

Bates, Alfred. "The Drama: Its History, Literature and Influence on Civilization." 14 (1906): 3439. London: Historical Publishing Company. Web. Nov. 2014.
<http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/macbeth001.html>.
Brantley, Ben. "Something Wicked This Way Comes." New York Times. New York Times. Web.
Nov. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/15/theater/reviews/15macb.html?pagewanted
=all&_r=0>.
Brinzeu, Pia. Hidden Esotericism. European Journal Of English Studies 15.3(2011): 251-
265. Humanities Source. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
Dipendra Sankar, Dutta, and Bhaduri Rituparna. The Shakespearean Communication: A
Study of Supposed Sorceressess in Macbeth. Global Media Journal: Indian
Edition 4.2 (2013): 1-14. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 13
Nov. 2014.
Dziemianowicz, Joe. "'Macbeth': Theater Review." Daily News 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 1 Nov.
2014. <http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/macbeth-theaterreview-article-1.1523606>.
Macbeth. Dir. Geoffrey Wright. Perf. Sam Worthington, Victoria Hill, Kate Bell, Chloe
Armstrong, and Miranda Nation. 2006. Film.
A Performance of Macbeth. Dir. Phillip Casson. Perf. Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Susan Dury,
Judith Harte, and Marie Kean. 1979. Film.

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Rooks, Amanda Kane. Macbeths Wicked Women: Sexualized Evil in Geoffrey Wrights
Macbeth. Literature Film Quarterly 37.2(2009): 151-160. Humanities Source.
Web. Nov. 2014.
Rooney, David. "Macbeth: Theater Review." The Hollywood Reporter 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 1
Nov. 2014. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/macbeth-theater-review658859>.
Wilson, Blake. "Macbeth-Shakespeare." (2007). Literature at Its Finest. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
<https://blakewilson.wordpress.com/2007/12/06/macbeth-shakespeare/>.