Tuesday, July 9, 2019

In the play Macbeth, assuming they had intentions of influencing Macbeth to kill Duncan, what drives the witches to make Macbeth wish to self-fulfill his own prophecy? Do they only wish to be entertained, or do they desire an outcome of destruction and chaos?

In the first scene of the play, the Weird Sisters plan to meet with Macbeth, "upon the heath," and they chant,

Fair is foul, and foul is fairHover through the fog and filthy air. (1.1.12-13)

In other words, they are planning to make good things seem bad (fair is foul) and bad things seem good (foul is fair). In other words, they actively plot to deceive Macbeth, and this is one way in which they manipulate him into wanting to fulfill the prophecy they give him. They tell him that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and then king, so when he learns that the first statement has come true, he almost automatically assumes that the second statement (which seems even better) will also come to fruition. However, he only sees that the prophecy seems so good, so fair, and he neglects to really consider the ways in which it could be foul. For example, for him to become king, Duncan, Malcolm, and Donalbain would all have to die (and they are his relatives) or he would have to do something violent to take the throne away from them (i.e., the route he chooses). Next, he doesn't consider how this elevation in power could affect his relationship with his wife or his friends, friends like Banquo and Macduff. He only sees what seems to be good, failing to notice all of the potential foulness of his becoming king. Truly, foul does seem fair, and the deceptiveness of appearances beckons Macbeth toward his ruin.
As far as whether the Weird Sisters desire mere entertainment or hope to produce chaos and destruction, the ending of the play seems to provide some clues. They must know that Malcolm is coming to overthrow Macbeth, that Macduff will kill him, and that Banquo's sons will reign in Scotland for many generations (based on the apparitions and their messages). The sisters obviously cannot produce chaos and destruction on a broader scale, because this particular future seems at least somewhat firm, and so it appears as though they are basically just messing with Macbeth for fun. What can they get this guy to do as a result of his own ambition and pride, just by telling him something crazy that seems appealing? Apparently, quite a bit.

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