Macbeth :: essays research papers

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, supernatural powers are used by the three witches. These powers are called familiars. A familiar is a spirit often embodied in an animal and is there to serve and guard a person. Each of the witches possesses a familiar except for the third witch. Her familiar is never laid on the table for us to see. In my paper I will show how the owl is the familiar of the third witch.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First you must understand what a familiar is. In Websters dictionary the word familiar is defined as a closely acquainted; an intimate associate or companion, a spirit embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person. The clichà © of a familiar is associated to witches and demonic characters. But, this is a very untrue statement. A pet can also be a familiar to a regular person. There are four types of familiars. The first is a physical creature who lives with and has an emotional bond with a human. The second type of familiar is a creature which attaches itself to a human for the purpose of aiding him or her. The third type of familiar is an element spirit. Some witches call upon a spirit to overcome an obstacle. The fourth type of familiar is the sprit of someone who has died. They come back for some reason or purpose usually to set straight an event. These are all different types of familiars, but the one of my focal point would be attachment. In Macbeth, the owl aides the witch and also offers protection and acts as an overseer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The owl is a familiar which is associated with both good and evil. In ancient Greece, the mythological Athena, the goddess of wisdom, held the owl as her bird. The owl served a s a protector to her and accompanied armies to war. The owl was also an inspiration in everyday life for the common man. Some village healers also used familiars to help diagnose illness and to find lost objects and treasures. But, most commonly, the owl is said to be the root of all evil.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Roman mythology, a superstition was that witches transformed into owls and sucked the blood from innocent children. Another superstition which surfaced during the middle ages in Europe, was about an owls appearance at night. It is said that when people are helpless and blind, the owl is linked to the unknown, and if an owl called at night, the air would be filled with apprehension: a death was imminent with some evil