Chloe

[Shane Cappuccio]

When the witches in Act 1 Scene 3 of Macbeth approach Macbeth and Banquo for the first time, they are skeptical. The witches claim that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and "that shalt be king hereafter." (48) To this he responds "The Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman, and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief." (69-72) This is when you see that Macbeth does not believe he could be king or think he could possess that much power. However, when the Thane of Cawdor is executed and he is appointed that position, Macbeth's ego begins to grow. Yet he is still concerned of the witches motives when he says, "I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs." (132-135) He is very worried about the consequences of what the witches might want from him or that they might want him to murder the king so he can claim that position as well. He calls the witches use of spells "against the use of nature." (136) Which furthers the idea that he is dubious about what they have told him.