Through act 1 of 'Macbeth' we see the introduction of the main characters of the play. Straight away the readers/audience are exposed to Gothic aspects. One aspect is the introduction of the three witches. The character of a witch being a obvious stock character within the Gothic tradition. The witches are purveyed as some kind of inhuman entity and carry across a overt sense of the supernatural. They are seen as inhuman when encountered by Banquo and Macbeth and are referred to as 'inhabitants o’ th’ earth' this showcases how Banquo and Macbeth are perplexed and maybe slightly weary of the witches. This presents fear of the unknown something which is prevalent within the Gothic. These witches through there prophecy help awaken the ambition and desire within Macbeth, consequently act 1 can be seen as somewhat of a catalysis point within the play.
This theme of false ambition is solidified through the introduction of Lady Macbeth. The character is a peculiar portrayal of a women when you consider the context of the time it was written in. Lady Macbeth subverts the gender role by ordering around Macbeth. She is a far fetched from what the audience of the time would consider feminine, she even renounces her feminity 'unsex me here'. This is quite a weird notion and can be seen as Lady Macbeth summoning upon some kind of evil entity, something which fits right in with the lore of Gothic literature.
