Mythological And Religious Themes In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Mythological and religious themes were popular amongst the arts during the 1600s, where Catholicism existed as the belief of the people. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a great example of the implementation of these themes and their influence over the plot and the audience. It is a story constantly unfolding as a result of the actions of supernatural powers, which have set many of the crucial events, such as the fall of King Duncan, into motion as well as paving the way for the fates of characters such as Macbeth. The use of extramundane figures which the audience can relate to their own religion and mythology fuels their beliefs in godly and fabled powers at work in their lives, thus creating more appeal. We can see this represented by
The first connection we can observe is the allusion established through the characters of the Three Witches to the Three Fates in greek and norse mythology. In the ancient greek society, the Three Fates, also known as Moirai, were viewed as three female “goddesses” who established a destiny for every living being at birth, as in what they would grow to become, how and when they would die; in a sense, they had control over every the lives of every mortal and god alike (1). Already, we can observe a similarity between the Fates and the Three Witches, or Weird Sisters, at the start of the play, when they appear to Macbeth and Banquo for the first time after they had slain the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. Strangely enough for Macbeth, the Witches began to address them with titles such as “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor”, and specifically towards Macbeth, “King”. The Sisters are clearly
In Macbeth, we can observe Shakespeare’s implementation of these themes in two ways, through the Three Witches, and through the character known as Hecate, queen of the witches. Hecate was based off a greek mythological figure sharing the same name, who was known as the goddess of witchcraft and magic (2). Already the similarity between them is their complete involvement with witchcraft, whereas Hecate in ancient greece was honoured by most households as a goddess who brought prosperity, in Macbeth, she was a mystical figure worshipped by all witches as their ruler. Although her role is not as significant as that of the Witches, she foretells in one of the most notable lines that Macbeth’s newfound belief from the apparitions’ prophecies that he is invincible would eventually lead to his downfall, declaring that “he shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear, and you all know, security is mortals’ chiefest enemy”(3.5.30-33). Again, through the role of Hecate, we can see how intrigue is generated through magical influences on a mortal’s life, since people at the time didn’t see their lives as any different, and also believed in predetermination of fate by