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Amy Fullington

Ms. Dill

British Literature

30 May 2019

Masters of Manipulation: The Three Witches and Lady Macbeth

Throughout the ages, females have been stereotyped in literature as the archetypical

temptresses. Women characters tend to act as catalysts for male downfall and embody negative

qualities that tempt the prime hero toward destruction. From biblical times, when Eve

condemned all humanity to sin by consuming the apple off of the forbidden tree, women have

been regarded as the motivation for male destruction. Female representation as the temptress is

apparent in Curley’s wife in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men as well as Daisy Buchanan in F.

Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In both cases, the female character induces the ruin of the

male protagonist through manipulative means. Additionally, this female portrayal is observed in

the three witches and Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. In The

Tragedy of Macbeth, many critics and readers argue that Macbeth is wholly responsible for his

downfall; however, without the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s enticements, Macbeth

would not have pursued his descent into evil.

William Shakespeare opens his tragedy with the introduction of female characters who

embody the elements of evil: the three witches. The malicious sisters, through the employment of

supernatural practices, awaken the ambitious spirit residing within Macbeth. Without the

witches’ prophecy, Macbeth would see no practicality in pursuing the throne, rendering his tragic

flaw dormant. To begin, Macbeth is aware of his place in line for the throne before the witches

declare their prophecy. Even if Shakespeare created a plot line where Macbeth was not cognizant
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of his fate, Macbeth’s desire for the crown would have diminished when King Duncan

proclaimed, “We will establish our estate upon / Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter /

The prince of Cumberland” (Macbeth, 1.4: 38-40). In the witches’ predictions absence, Macbeth

has no basis for desiring the throne since King Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, stand

before him in the line of succession. While Macbeth may possess an aggressive predisposition,

“it is the temptation of kingship, the knowledge of the future that stirs Macbeth’s imagination to

catch the nearest way to success” (Jan and Firdaus 99). Macbeth would contentedly accept the

Thane of Cawdor title if Shakespeare did not allow the witches to reveal future events.

Additionally, Macbeth’s righteousness is smothered with the introduction of the witches’

malevolence. In the beginning, Macbeth’s violent actions are valiant and are interpreted as

Scottish patriotism. The witches’ foretelling is what transforms Macbeth’s admirable actions into

evil. Void of the witches’ intervention, Macbeth would retain his consciousness and continue to

direct his violence towards good. In their literary work A Guide to English Literature, Kaleem

Jan and Shabnam Firdaus state that, “[Macbeth] is propelled by the witches and Lady Macbeth

towards something he does not want to proceed to” (95). Through the witches’ and Lady

Macbeth’s combined effort, Macbeth is redirected down a path in contention with his intrinsic

values. The prophecy only serves to entice Macbeth that committing these treasonous acts is the

prime way of experiencing happiness. The observation stands that “Macbeth's ambition is within

him from the beginning, but without the encouragement of the witches and Lady Macbeth, it

might have been restrained” (“Macbeth” 442). Shakespeare characterizes the witches as the

entities that divert Macbeth’s positive ambitions into catastrophic corruption. Thus, it can be

concluded that the witches’ prophecy alters the course of Macbeth’s fate entirely and arouses

ruthlessness in the impressionable hero.

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Furthermore, more damage ensues with the second prophecy's presentation. Already

spiraling out of control, Macbeth seeks comfort in the witches’ future interpretations once again.

From this instant, the witches exploit Macbeth’s fatal flaw even further and propel him past the

point of no return. The apparition’s ambiguity is what catalyzes Lady Macduff and her

children's’ murders, signaling Macbeth’s complete loss of innocence. If Shakespeare had the

witches unveil their prophecies in straightforward terms, Macbeth would realize his action’s

insincerity given the goodness still inside him. Hecate, while chastising the three witches, even

implements the following plan: “[Macbeth] shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear / His hopes

‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear. / And you all know, security / Is mortals’ chiefest enemy”

(Macbeth, 3.5: 30-33). The witches intend to uproot Macbeth through the exploitation of his

overconfidence rather than salvaging the conscious inside him. By reciting that, “None of

woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1: 80-81), Macbeth’s impudence about the security of his

throne escalates to a greater extent. Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as a credulous man who,

despite the supernatural forces working against him, will readily believe every word the witches

utter (“Macbeth” 449). Moreover, the witches are utilizing Macbeth as a human vessel to unleash

their evil into the world. The witches themselves cannot enact their diabolic plans on the natural

world; however, “their power lies in tempting humans like Macbeth to sin” (445). Without

mortal sin, supernatural beings have no influence on the universe. Shakespeare has Hecate

display this objective when she proclaims, “There hangs a vap’rous drop profound. / I’ll 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 (Macbeth, 3.5: 24-29).

By perplexing Macbeth and manipulating his gullibility, the witches morph Macbeth into a tyrant

who cannot perceive the nuances between right and wrong. Thus, “the witches, through their
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ambiguous prophecies, represent a supernatural power that introduces evil into Macbeth”

(“Macbeth” 445), meaning that Macbeth would have remained honorable without their

intercession. Through the combination of the witches’ ambiguous prophecies and their selfish

desire to enact evil on the world, Macbeth is influenced down a destructive path.

Nevertheless, the witches are not the sole entities who provoke Macbeth’s descent into

insanity. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, also plays a key role in persuading her husband into

committing diabolical actions. Macbeth exhibits a conscious during various moments at the

tragedy’s exposition. At one instance, Shakespeare has Macbeth ponder his action’s immorality

and persuade himself out of murdering King Duncan; however, Lady Macbeth changes his mind

again by questioning his manliness. A common theme prevails throughout these earlier scenes,

where Macbeth displays a guilty conscious that is efficiently squandered by his wife. When

Macbeth concludes, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting

ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And fall on th’ other (Macbeth, 1.7: 25-28), he is observing the

fault in his intentions and is deliberating the potential consequences of his actions. Lady

Macbeth, despite this, “acts as the spur and pushed him on to action” (Jan and Firdaus 100). If

Shakespeare did not have Lady Macbeth interfere, Macbeth would neglect to commit regicide all

together, circumventing his downfall. Additionally, men in the Middle Ages took great pride in

their masculinity and dominance, Macbeth being no exception. Acting as the female temptress in

the tragedy, Lady Macbeth enlarges her husband’s resolute by challenging his manliness: “When

you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so

much more than the man. Nor time nor place / Did then adhere, and yet you would make both. /

They have made themselves, and that their fitness now / Does unmake you (Macbeth, 1.7: 49-

54). Shakespeare has Lady Macbeth intervene when her husband is the most fragile,
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strengthening her impact on him. She has concluded that he is faltering in his ambitions, so she

steps in to bolster his confidence (Gerwig 291). Essentially, it is Lady Macbeth, through her

manipulation and carefully guided insults, who prompts the murder of King Duncan.

Nevertheless, Lady Macbeth’s character is often misinterpreted as being ruthless and

cruel. Her true motivations for the murder are selfless; however, her drive is what transforms her

husband’s disposition. While reading Macbeth’s letter detailing the witches’ prophecy, Lady

Macbeth determines the extent of her husband’s royal desires. However, she also concludes that

he is too sensitive to commit the murder without coercion. Thus, she deduces that she must alter

her nature in order to make her husband truly happy: “Hie thee hither / That I may pour my

spirits in thine ear / And chastise with the valor of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the

golden round” (Macbeth, 1.5: 24-27). Lady Macbeth does love her husband and her cruel deeds

reflect how willingly she will change herself for Macbeth. Ultimately, this adoration is what

leads to Macbeth’s downfall since Shakespeare allows the love to corrupt Macbeth through Lady

Macbeth’s actions. As George William Gerwig details in his Lady Macbeth criticism, “[Lady

Macbeth] has analyzed this husband…She knows he wants the throne more than he wants

anything else in the world; she knows that, unaided, he will in all probability fail to secure it on

the account of the milf of human kindness in his heart” (290). Furthermore, because Shakespeare

creates Lady Macbeth as unable to commit the murder herself, she then pressures Macbeth into

performing it alternatively. As Lady Macbeth views King Duncan sleeping, she remarks, “Had

he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t” (Macbeth, 2.2: 12-13). She is incapable of

bloodying her own hands, thus forcing Macbeth to stab King Duncan himself. By essentially

getting away with murder, Macbeth’s violent spirit is awakened, and his confidence swells

tremendously. Lady Macbeth is incapable of unsexing herself at this instant, and although she
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“pushes Macbeth to the act of murder and completes the action initiated by the three witches, her

nature is essentially feminine” (Jan and Firdaus 100). All in all, it is a wife’s adoration for her

husband and feminine stereotypes during the Middle Ages that aid in Macbeth’s tragic end.

Ultimately, it can be concluded that Shakespeare prompts Macbeth’s downfall through

the combined efforts of the three witches and Lady Macbeth. The witches arouse the ambitions

within Macbeth while Lady Macbeth exploits these desires, effectively molding Macbeth into the

malignant tyrant he becomes. The women in this tragedy encompass the temptress qualities

associated with female characters in literature and represent the evil forces of the play, Thus,

Macbeth does not retain complete responsibility for his actions and The Tragedy of Macbeth may

have faced an alternate conclusion without the witches’ and Lady Macbeth’s influence.

Works Cited

Gerwig, George William. "Lady Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Lynn M. Zott,

vol. 69, Gale, 2003. Literature Criticism Online,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/HRCURT385449815/LCO?u=ocl_aplus&sid=LCO&

xid=1e9b0c94. Accessed 8 May 2019. Originally published in Shakespeare's Ideals of

Womanhood, The Roycroft Shops, 1929, pp. 133-150.

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Jan, Kaleem M., and Shabnam Firdaus. A Guide to English Literature. Atlantic Publishers &

Distributors, 2003.

"Macbeth." Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry,

edited by Anne Marie Hacht, 2nd ed., vol. 2, Gale, 2007, pp. 435-468. Literature

Resources for Students,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2896100025/GVRL.litforstudents?u=ocl_aplus&si

d=GVRL.litforstudents&xid=f571405e. Accessed 1 May 2019.

Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear Macbeth.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2005. 4 February

2019.

Wills, Garry. "Lady Macbeth." Shakespearean Criticism, edited by Michael L. LaBlanc, vol. 80,

Gale, 2004. Literature Criticism Online,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/MAWQII642018889/LCO?u=ocl_aplus&sid=LCO&

xid=b71ba450. Accessed 2 May 2019. Originally published in Witches and Jesuits:

Shakespeare's Macbeth, Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. 75-89.