As Macbeth hurries off to prepare for the royal visit, he realises that he now has the task of disposing of both Duncan and Malcolm if he is to take the throne himself. King Duncan declares his older son Malcolm his heir and successor, and invites himself to Macbeth’s castle in Inverness. Théodore Chassériau’s Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Witches on the Heath (1855) is a more conventional treatment, painted in the style of Delacroix. Théodore Chassériau (1819–1856), Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Witches on the Heath (1855), oil on canvas, 70 x 92 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Winding around the shores of the distant lake is the huge army, and Martin has turned the Scottish Highlands into rugged Alpine scenery of the Burkean sublime, an indication of the much greater outcome of the meeting.
In John Martin’s account of this meeting, three witches materialise from a swirl of mist and lightning bolts on the left, and Macbeth and Banquo appear surprised at their sudden arrival. John Martin (1789–1854), Macbeth (1820), oil on canvas, 86 x 65.1 cm, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. The first part of their prophecy is quickly fulfilled when Macbeth is awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor, which leads him to imagine the murder of Duncan. They first name Macbeth by his present title as Thane of Glamis, then as Thane of Cawdor, and finally as the future king of Scotland. The third scene of this first act is its most famous, and most painted, in which the three witches hail Macbeth and his friend Banquo after the battle. As a result, the traitorous Thane of Cawdor is sentenced to death. During that, Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis and one of the king’s generals, distinguishes himself by killing the rebel leader, following which he defeats the Norwegians who have been supporting the rebellion.
The play opens with its three witches agreeing to meet with Macbeth after the day’s fighting in the war between Scotland’s King Duncan against the rebel Macdonald. There are contemporary references too, for example to Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which suggest that Shakespeare may have been appealing to the tastes of the patron of his theatrical company, King James. Shakespeare based the play on an account of Scottish history, but deviated greatly from that description. Macbeth has fascinating historical references and relevance. As with Romeo and Juliet, it has been adapted and revisited in many different media, and has one scene that has proved highly popular in paintings, particularly during the nineteenth century. He is thought to have completed this in time for its first performance in 1606, after King Lear, but before Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare’s deepest insights into the human condition come in his tragedies, and there is none deeper than his Macbeth.
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