The witches

• “[Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches.]”

  • Pathetic Fallacy - The stormy weather reflects the chaos, evil, and moral disorder that the witches bring.
  • Nature itself seems to respond to their presence, linking them to dark, supernatural forces.
  • Thunder and lightning symbolize turmoil, conflict, and the disruption of natural order — all central to the play.
• 'When the battle's lost and won'

  • Metaphor for the battle currently raging.
  • Paradox shows that every victory has a cost, and no one wins without someone else losing - foreshadows Macbeth’s future: his rise to power will come through loss, betrayal, and death.
  • Enjambment - The sentence runs across two lines without a pause, creating a flowing, spell-like rhythm.
  • Trochaic tetrameter: a rhythm often used by witches in Shakespeare’s plays.
  • The chant-like rhythm creates a spellbinding, eerie tone, making the witches feel otherworldly.
  • Contrasts with iambic pentameter, which most noble characters speak in - separating the witches from other characters.
• 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'

  • Paradox captures the theme of appearance vs reality that in Macbeth, nothing is what it seems.
  • Chiasmus - It emphasizes inversion — the flipping of values, expectations and how they will distort natural order.
  • Introduces Moral Confusion – Right and wrong are blurred
  • Fricatives - creates a harsh, hissing tone, reinforcing the witches’ menacing presence.
• 'Sleep shall neither night nor day'

  • Sleep in Macbeth often symbolizes peace of mind, innocence, and rest. Denying someone sleep, as the witches do here, represents the mental and emotional chaos that will follow - it is a curse.
  • Conjures up an image of sleeplessness, a state of restlessness and torment. This imagery adds to the haunting atmosphere of the scene and aligns with the supernatural forces that drive the plot.
  • Curse represents their ability to disrupt the natural order, as sleep is a fundamental human need.
• "It shall be tempest-tossed"

  • "tempest" symbolizes chaos, confusion, and disruption. In the context of the play, it can also be seen as a metaphor for the emotional turmoil and disorder that Macbeth will experience as he descends into guilt and paranoia.
  • Imagegery of a ship being tossed by a tempest creates a vivid picture of chaos and violence, which mirrors the turmoil in the characters' lives.
  • This image also suggests the helplessness of those caught in a storm, just as Macbeth will be helpless in the face of his own actions and fate.
  • Foreshadows the violent and chaotic events that will follow in the play.
  • A storm or tempest also symbolizes nature's rebellion or unnatural forces at work, which ties into the overarching theme of disruption of the natural order in Macbeth. The witches’ control over natural forces reflects the unnatural actions that will unfold.
• "So foul and fair a day I have not seen"

  • Allusion to the Witches’ Influence - The structure of this line mirrors the witches' earlier chant.
  • This reinforces the supernatural influence on Macbeth, showing that he is already being pulled into their web of deceit. The witches’ contradictory nature mirrors Macbeth’s own conflicting emotions and actions.
  • Foreshadowing the moral confusion and ambition that will lead to Macbeth's downfall.
  • Paradox signals the ambiguity that defines Macbeth’s journey.
• "What are these so withered and wild in their attire?"

  • Withered" suggests a state of decay or age, evoking an image of physical deterioration.
  • Indicates that the witches are otherworldly beings, possibly living outside the natural flow of time and life.
  • Their withered appearance symbolises the moral decay that the witches will bring into the world through their influence over Macbeth.
  • Just as their bodies seem worn and corrupted, Macbeth’s mind and soul will become tainted as he succumbs to his ambition and the witches’ prophecies.
  • "wild" describes the chaotic or disordered nature of their clothing - Suggests that the witches are untamed, representing the forces of nature and chaos that cannot be controlled.
  • Wildness contrasts with order and control associated with civilization as they are agents of fate, disrupting the lives of the characters and political order of Scotland.
• "'That look not like th' inhabitants o' th' Earth' 'choppy finger laying upon her skinny lips'


  • Physical Description as Unnatural - depicting them as frail, gaunt, and almost skeletal, reinforcing the idea of decay and corruption.
  • Mere presence is unsettling.
• "You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so"

  • This creates a disjunction between appearance and essence, which plays into one of the major themes of the play: the subversion of natural order.
  • Witches themselves seem to operate beyond traditional gender constraints. The presence of beards challenges gender norms and reflects the witches’ power to transcend boundaries.
  • Whilst Lady Macbeth needs to be unsexed, the witches have power regardless.
  • The beards could be a symbol of the witches’ unpredictable power, which will have an uncertain and disruptive impact on Macbeth's life.
  • This ambiguity foreshadows how Macbeth's world will be distorted and how the witches will control and twist the truth.
• 'All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!'

  • The witches are agents of fate, and their words are a catalyst for Macbeth’s ambition.
  • Triggers Macbeth's inner conflict and sets the tragic path of the play in motion.
  • Declarative sentence -  create a sense of inevitability, suggesting that Macbeth's kingship is predetermined. This fuels Macbeth's ambition and desire to seize the throne, leading him to commit regicide. 
• '[witches vanish]'

  • Reinforces their otherworldly and unpredictable nature. They are not bound by the normal laws of nature and their disappearance suggests they exist on a different plane from the mortal characters in the play.
  • Symbol of the elusive nature of fate - it is unpredictable.
  • Leaves Macbeth disorientated and to stew in his confusion and curiosity alone after planting seeds of ambition in his mind.
  • Shows they are not helpful forces of guidance, but meddling agents of chaos and disruption.
• 'this night i'll spend unto a dismal and fatal end' ' shall raise artificial sprites

  
  

  • Conveys a sense of doom and inevitability.
  • Meddling forces which negatively affect Macbeth's life trajectory with the apparations.
  • Literally plotting on Macbeth
• 'this night i'll spend unto a dismal and fatal end' ' shall raise artificial sprite' 'by strength of their illusion shall draw him on to his confusion'


  • Personification - “strength” portrays the illusions as a potent force that will lead him astray and cause him to misinterpret his fate.
  • Mental confusion: Macbeth will be misled by the illusions, leading him to make irrational decisions.
  • Chaos and disorder: His actions will lead to a state of turmoil and disarray, not only in his mind but also in the broader political situation in Scotland, further plunging the country into chaos.
  • Emphasizes the supernatural power that the witches hold over Macbeth.
  • Underscores how Macbeth’s fate is being controlled by forces beyond his comprehension, reinforcing the theme of fate vs. free will.
  • Macbeth believes he is in control, but he is actually being guided by the witches' deceptive visions, leading him to his eventual destruction.
• "Security is mortal's chiefest enemy"

  • Paradox, where security—something typically seen as a positive or protective state—becomes the enemy. It challenges the idea that feeling secure is beneficial and suggests that it can, in fact, lead to complacency and danger.
  • Foreshadowing:
  • The line foreshadows Macbeth's downfall. His false sense of security leads him to make careless mistakes, particularly when he underestimates the threat from Macduff. He believes that he is invincible, which causes him to act recklessly, resulting in his death.