How does Shakespeare present the character of Macbeth in the opening of his play?

Shakespeare opens his play 'Macbeth by introducing the witches. He does this because they
introduce the gothic elements in the play. From the very beginning, the audience is made aware of
the supernatural themes. The witches chant a spell 'hurly burly', this creates confusion and chaos as
the audience are unsure of what is happening at this moment in time. Furthermore they continue
the spell repeating 'fair is foul'. This is a contradiction and implies that appearances can be
deceptive- this may foreshadow future events in the play and the statement may be directed at the
protagonist of the play himself Macbeth. The setting surrounding the witches emphasises the
supernatural elements in the scene for example they are in a 'desolate place' where there is
'thunder and lightning'. use of pathetic fallacy and isolation may infer that the three witches are not
be trusted and have questioning intentions The witches are often viewed as being evil and
villainous, this may be relevant in this case as their prophecy leads to the conflict and trouble in the
play. Further into act one the witches encounter Macbeth and inform him of the prophecy, Macbeth
at this moment didnt know that he was appointed the Thane of Cawdor and that shalt be king
after.
Shakespeare then uses an eye witness account of the battle to manipulate. He narrates the story in
a thrilling manner creating suspense for the listeners; 'doubtful it stood' implies that he was unsure
of who would win the battle. Shakespeare uses the simile to illustrate the scene 'as two spent
swimmers' implies that they were tired and 'cling'-ing on to stay alive signifies their struggle.
Macbeth is described as 'brave' and heroic; the Captain doesn't credit fate for his victory because
Macbeth makes his own. The captain continues to use similes to demonstrate what happened
suggests that Macbeth is 'like Valour's minion' which suggests that Macbeth is bravery's favourite.
The captain describes the death of the soldiers as a 'bloody execution' from the 'brandished steel' it
was so quick that the blood was fresh and warm from its previous victims. This creates a gory scene
in the audiences mind and demonstrates to them the courageous skills he possesses. At this point in
the play- there is a positive image of Macbeth, he is serving his King and fulfilling his duty- albeit my
mind returns to the scene one and as the which chanting fair is foul and to whom they were
referring to. The current Thane of Cawdor was a traitor and Macbeth unseamd him from the nave,
this may be foreshadowing Macbeths fate because according to the witches he will become the
Thane of Cawdor. The execution of the Thane can be represented as a warning sign for Macbeth.
Shakespeare then manipulates the audience using dramatic structure and devices. He does this by
the announcement from the Kind that Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and later the King;
albeit Macbeth is unaware of this and told of the prophecy by the three witches. At first he is
shocked by this revelation and voices his thoughts in his soliloquy imperial theme suggests his
doubts on whether or not it is possible for him to become King. Macbeths purposes can be
questioned as the prospect of him becoming king invokes horrible imaginings in his mind. It scares
him that he thinking such immoral thoughts and is fantastical about murdering the king. It can be
questioned why his immediate reaction is to kill the king- though it is clear that he feels guilt for
having such thoughts which shows he is not entirely a bad person. However we do not know what
sort of person Macbeth is because the witches manipulate him into revealing his dark desires, would
he have wanted to kill the king if the witches had not told him such controversial information. Even if
Macbeth wanted to become king-whom most men would want, it does not mean that he would
have thought it was possible or acted upon it. It cannot be certain if the witches are telling the truth-

what they would benefit from Macbeth becoming King. Macbeth has doubts about the witches as he
refers to them as imperfect speakers and calling their knowledge strange intelligence. Macbeth
may not like the witches because he is frightened of them as they are aware of his hidden
intentions- intentions which no one knew about.
Overall Macbeth is presented to be hero who is serving the King and his country; at this point we are
not he does not explicitly done anything to make us think he is a bad person. However his image is
manipulated by the witches and therefore we start to judge everything he does and thinks because
we are expecting him to do everything in his power to fulfil the prophecy.