Magical Thinking in Macbeth

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for the first time. Instead of having actors play out the roles of the witches, giving off the interpretation that in fact they are real, Shakespeare could have used no actors and just Macbeth’s voice playing out the role of the three witches. Using a voice over ensures that the audience understands the witches don’t exist and that Macbeth is a crazy person. The witches’ first line, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (1.1. 10) means that everything is not what it seems. It sets the tone of confusion.
In 3.4 Banquo’s ghost appears at the dinner table. In this scene Macbeth hallucinates a person, and the audience perceives him as possibly insane. The scene starts with a feast for all the lords, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. After Macbeth ordered Banquo to be killed so he would no longer be a threat, the murderers come back with the news of his throat being cut. Macbeth, finally being at ease with Banquo being dead, then sees someone he shouldn’t be seeing. (Cartelli )

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