illusion and reality in macbeth?

Answer 1

The predictions of the Weird Sisters create a mental illusion if the person listening is not careful. For instance, they say Macbeth will never be killed anyone of woman born. The person who kills him is technically not born of a woman but of a dead woman. A dead body supposedly was not considered a man or a woman. In Macbeth, this tradition of considering a dead body sexless has serious consequences, but the grave-digger and Hamlet joke about it too, in Hamlet.

Answer 2

One of the many entertaining things about Shakespeare is how he treats magic as if it might not be there, but be someone's illusion. He lets the audience decide which it'll be. Thus, did the witches really curse MacBeth, or did he fail because of character faults? Both are presented, and one can well argue that the failure can be wholly attributed to either cause. Thus, were those witches really stirring a potion? And if so, did it matter? Or were they merely an example of MacBeth's unpopularity?