VERY SUPERSTITIOUSL/O: To develop a deeper understanding of

the beliefs surrounding Macbeth.

Write down all the superstitions your can think of. Be ready to share with the class.

Eg. Don’t walk under ladders

The Elizabethan era was an important period in the history of England. It was known as the

Renaissance age. Many developments and inventions and new ideas were introduced during the Elizabethan era. The printing technology was

introduced during this period. People showed interest in various sciences and inventions.

Knowledge became power during this period. However, the increased knowledge about science and technology led to belief in the supernatural

and in superstitions.

The superstitions that originated during the Elizabethan era were based on various beliefs and traditions. Many of these beliefs are based on those from the Dark Ages.

Fear of the forces of nature coupled with a fear of the supernatural resulted in the belief in superstitions during the Elizabethan period.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WITCHES?

Write or draw your answers

Witches of the Elizabethan Era

Superstitions and belief in witches and witchcraft were at its height during the Elizabethan period. People believed in the supernatural ability of the witches and this led to the development of many superstitions during this period. It was women who were mostly associated with witchcraft.

During the Elizabethan era, around 247 women were put under trial for allegedly engaged in witchcraft. People blamed unpleasant events such as the bubonic plague, crop failures, bad harvest, and death of animals and so on as the handiwork of the witches. A witch had an image of an old crooked woman who kept pets such as black cats, wolves, snarling dogs and blackbirds for company.

Macbeth

Macbeth and Banquo leave the battlefield victorious and eager to return home. On their way they meet 3 witches, 3 sisters who tell them a version of the future.

What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth.

• Stick the extract in your exercise books• Highlight 3 KEY words that stand out to you • Annotate your extract – use a dictionary • Consider the connotations of the words • What impression of the witches do you get?

Context of the Weird Sisters

The Three Witches or Weird Sisters are characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (c. 1603–1607). Their origin lies in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland and Ireland.Other possible sources influencing their creation aside from Shakespeare's own imagination include British folklore, contemporary literature on witchcraft including King James I & VI's Daemonologie, Scandinavian legends of the Norns, Greek and Roman myths concerning the Fates.

Context of the Weird Sisters

The Moirae, Moerae or Moirai (often called The Fates), in Greek mythology, were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Their number became fixed at three. They could see the past, present and future.

• The Three Witches represent darkness, chaos, and conflict. Their presence communicates treason and impending doom.

• During Shakespeare's day, witches were seen as worse than rebels. They were not only political traitors, but also spiritual traitors as well.

• The witches' lines in the first act: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air" are often said to set the tone for the remainder of the play by establishing a sense of moral confusion.

• The play is filled with situations in which evil is depicted as good, while good is rendered evil.

• Though the witches do not deliberately tell Macbeth to kill King Duncan, they use a subtle form of temptation when they inform Macbeth that he is destined to be king.

• By placing this thought in his mind, they effectively guide him on the path to his own destruction. This follows the pattern of temptation.

• Macbeth indulges the temptation, while Banquo rejects it