Questions About Macbeth: Witches, Blood, and Mysticism in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff, Duncan and More...

For detailed analysis of particular lines from Macbeth, please visit my glossary and annotations section of About.com.

How did Shakespeare link symbolism and mysticism in Macbeth?
How do the witches influence Macbeth?
Who is Hecate?
Can you explain the following passage: "There's daggers in men's smiles; the near in blood,/ the nearer bloody"?
What is the significance of the following passage: "She should have died hereafter...Signifying nothing"?
Why is there so much blood imagery in Macbeth?
How do Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff compare and contrast in the play?
Was the historical Macbeth an evil tyrant?
In Act 1, Banquo asks, "or have we eaten on the insane root"? I was wondering what this insane root is?
When was Macbeth first performed?
What do actors call Macbeth when they are afraid to say the name aloud?
Can you help me with Macbeth's soliloquies?
Does Lady Macbeth have a first name?

How did Shakespeare link symbolism and mysticism in Macbeth?
Shakespeare uses many supernatural elements in his tragedy Macbeth, more so than in any other play he wrote. The witches represent the dark powers that have the capacity to influence men's decisions, but, more importantly, they are an outward representation of Macbeth's inner evil. Having said this, the brooding and mystifying darkness itself is a recurring motif in the drama and, like the witches, it symbolizes the darkness in Macbeth's heart and the evil nature of his horrible deeds. For a more detailed look at the mystical elements in Macbeth and how they relate to the overall symbolism in the play, please read my article on Macbeth and its sources. There are a few paragraphs that specifically discuss this subject and you will find great information on how Jacobean England perceived witches and evil spirits.

What is the relationship between Macbeth and the witches?
Although most modern readers would agree that Duncan's murder is a direct result of Macbeth's own lust for ambition, coupled with the pressure placed on him by Lady Macbeth, Jacobean audiences would have had a much different view, placing blame squarely on the powers of darkness. Shakespeare altered the sources he used in constructing the play to cater to this deep and prevalent belief in the occult. The following is an excerpt from my article on Shakespeare's dramatic changes (the full article is located in the 'sources' section):

Notable changes are made by Shakespeare in his depiction of Holinshed’s three weird sisters, and it is apparent that the alterations are implemented partially to instill trepidation in the audience. Holinshed’s sisters are ‘creatures of the elderwood . . . nymphs or fairies’ (Chronicles 268). Nymphs are generally regarded as goddesses of the mountains, forests, or waters, and they possess a great deal of youthful beauty. And similarly, fairies are defined as enchantresses, commonly taking a small and dainty human form. Holinshed’s illustration of the creatures Macbeth chances upon is far removed from the portrayal Shakespeare gives us through Banquo:

What are these,
So wither’d and so wild in their attire,
That look not like th’ inhabitants o’ th’ earth,
And yet are on’t? Live you? or are you aught
That man may question? . . .
By each one her choppy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips. You should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so (I.III.39-46).

Shakespeare transforms the weird sisters into ugly, androgynous hags, and they distinctly take on a more sinister role than was assigned to them in Holinshed’s Chronicles. Shakespeare’s sisters are far more theatrically captivating than the nymphs found in Holinshed’s text, and as a guide, Shakespeare may have consulted Scot’s The Discoverie of Witchcraft. Although a skeptical work, the Discoverie contains a brilliant description of witches, and it is possible Shakespeare used it as a basis for purely dramatic reasons: One sort of such said to bee witches, are women which be commonly old, lame . . . poor, sullen, superstitious . . . They are leane and deformed, shewing melancholie in their faces, to the horror of all that see them (Discoverie, Chapter 3).

Shakespeare’s hags, fascinating and frightening, appeal to our interest in the demonic supernatural. Most people do not believe in fairies, but many acknowledge the presence of evil in our world. A known believer in witchcraft during the time Shakespeare was writing Macbeth was King James himself. King James was so enthralled with contemporary necromancy that he wrote a book on the subject, Daemonology. As with the dramatist’s incorporation of the effects of the human conscience in Macbeth, it is probable that Shakespeare took into account his monarch’s position regarding witches when he altered the portrait of the weird sisters in Holinshed’s work, thus capitalizing on the opportunity to subtly acknowledge and please King James. In Deamonology, King James writes:

For where the Magicians, as allured by curiositie, in the most parte of their practices, seekes principallie the satisfying of the same, and to winne to themselves a popular honoure and estimation: These witches on the other patre, being intised either for the desire of revenge, or of worldly riches, their whole practices are either to hurte men and their gudes, or what they possesse... (Daemonology, Second Book, Chapter III)

Compare this to the actions of Shakespeare's weird sisters in Act I, scene iii:
1 Witch: Where has thou been, sister?
2 Witch: Killing swine.
3 Witch: Sister, Where thou?
1 Witch: A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,
And mounch'd, and mounch'd, and mounch'd: 'Give me,'
quoth I:
'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries.
[So they seek revenge]
1 Witch: And the very ports they blow,
And all the quarters that they know
I' th' shipman's card.
I'll drain him dry as hay...(I.iii.1-29)

King James also states that witches can 'rayse stromes and tempestes in the aire, either upon land or sea, though not universally; but in such a particular place and prescribed bunds as God will permitte them so to trouble' (Daemonologie Book Three, Chapter V).

This is visible in Shakespeare's play (Act I, scene iii), where the second witch can give the first witch 'a wind'. Shakespeare's reshaping of Holinshed's weird sisters also performs the thematic function of introducing a significant presence of evil with which Macbeth is confronted. The malignant hags are the primary reason for our ability to feel true sympathy for Macbeth despite his heinous crimes. '[Macbeth and his Lady] breathe in a region so vast that good and evil, viewed from very high, become almost indifferent and much less important than the sheer act of breathing' (Marvin Rosenberg, The Masks of Macbeth, 24). The metamorphosis of Holinshed's nymphs into demonic agents lessens somewhat the tragic hero's culpability; '[Macbeth's] will to act diminishes, in favour of degrees of slavery to fate.' (Ibid).

Who is Hecate in Macbeth?
Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft, and you can view her as the ruler of the three Witches. In Act 3, Scene 5, Hecate appears before the Witches and demands to know why she has been excluded from their meetings with Macbeth. She tells them Macbeth will be back to know his destiny and she proclaims that he will see apparitions that will, "by the strength of their illusion" lead him to conclude that he is safe. She plays an important role in the play because of the lines she utters at the end of the scene: "And you all know, security/Is mortals' chiefest enemy." She reveals in these lines that Macbeth's belief that he is untouchable will ultimately result in his downfall.

Can you explain the following passage: "There's daggers in men's smiles; the near in blood,/ the nearer bloody"?
The above quote is spoken by Donalbain, Malcolm's brother. Unlike all the others in the castle, the sons of the king do not believe that Macbeth has slain the true murderers (Duncan's guards). The brothers fear for their own safety. With 'the near in blood/The nearer bloody', Donalbain is stating that, as he and his brother are near in blood to the slain king, they are more likely to be murdered next. To find out more about this passage, check out my detailed plot synopsis under "Plots" on http://www.shakespeare-online.com

What is the significance of the following passage: "She should have died hereafter...Signifying nothing"?
Please see my article, Macbeth's Soliloquies , for a discussion of this passage.

How do Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff compare and contrast in the play?
The speech of Lady Macduff following the arrival of the messenger (4.2.72-78) is really the only place in the entire play where we learn about her true character. In this short passage we see that she is timid, completely guileless, well intentioned, and too trusting of those around her. Lady Macduff is indeed quite the opposite of Lady Macbeth. But she does share one trait with Lady Macbeth -- her deep loyalty to her husband.

Was the historical Macbeth an evil tyrant?
The real Macbethus, ruler of the Scots, has been hidden from view, buried under the weight of his fictional nemesis, lost to all but historians. The portrayal of Macbeth in the drama as a man ultimately devoured by lusty ambition is far removed from the true High King of Scotland, who led his people peacefully and justly. The historical Macbeth, like Shakespeare's character, took the throne after killing Duncan, King of the Scots. However, the historical Macbeth did not kill King Duncan in bed, as seen in the play, but on the battlefield.

In Act 1, Banquo asks, "Or have we eaten on the insane root"... I was wondering what this insane root is?
The insane root to which Banquo refers is a herb causing madness. It probably refers specifically to hemlock or henbane, both deadly. Banquo asks Macbeth if they have mistakenly eaten some poison that "takes reason prisoner" (makes them lose their minds) because the witches vanish into thin air.

When was Macbeth first performed?
The first recorded performance of Macbeth was in April, 1610. We have a detailed account of the production thanks to the diary of Dr. Simon Forman. You can read all about Forman and his accounts of Shakespeare's plays in my new article. Just click here.

What do actors call Macbeth when they are afraid to say the name aloud?
The best known of all theatrical superstitions forbids actors from mentioning the name of “that Scottish play” anywhere inside the theatre other than onstage. If an actor mistakenly lets the “M” word slip in the dressing room he or she must perform a ritual to reverse the curse. Although these antics vary depending on who you ask, most times the actor will run from the building, turn around three time, spit, and then ask permission to reenter the theatre.

Can you help me with Macbeth's soliloquies?
Indeed! I have created an in-depth series of articles exploring all of Macbeth's major soliloquies. Just click here.