Coursework.Info - Inspiration in an Instant

On the left is an image preview of every page of this document, and below are the first 150 words with formatting removed:

Macbeth By William Shakespeare The Witches The fantastical and grotesque witches are among the most memorable figures in the play. * How does Shakespeare characterize the witches? * What is their thematic significance? How does Shakespeare characterize the witches? In the play Macbeth, the witches have been characterised intimately. Shakespeare has portrayed them as evil hags that are possessed by the devil. The belief that witches are part of reality was widespread. The book, Daemonologie (published 1599), written by James I, shows that James firmly believed in the power of witchcraft and the harm that it could produce. The witches in Macbeth are the antithesis of God's divine commands. They appear in bad weather, talk in riddles and their appearance is somewhat inhuman. They have no respect for anyone and, as their actions imply, they do their foretelling for their own good, not for others. The witches could have originated from three possible phenomena: the Three Fates or Norns,...

To see the full version of this document, and 145,348 others