the witches

• Who are the witches in Macbeth?

  • Supernatural beings who represent fate, chaos, and evil.
• What is their first appearance like?

  • They appear in thunder and lightning, setting a dark, ominous tone.
  • 'when shall we three meet again ? in thunder lightning or in rain?'
• What theme do they immediately introduce?

  • The theme of appearance vs reality: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."
• What powers do the witches seem to have?

  • they can predict the future and influence human behaviour.
  • 'when the hurley-burleys done , when the battles lost and won'
• How are the witches described physically?

  • As withered and wild—"so withered and so wild in their attire."
  • steryotipical description of witches
• What effect do the witches have on Macbeth?

  • They awaken and fuel his ambition.
  • 'all hail macbeth , that shalt be king hereafter'
• How does Macbeth react to their prophecy?

  • With fascination and immediate thoughts of murder.
• What is Banquo’s reaction to the witches?

  • He is suspicious and cautious
  • 'Instruments of darkness.”
• How do the witches manipulate Macbeth later in the play?

  • With cryptic prophecies that give him false confidence.
• Why are their predictions dangerous?

  • They are ambiguous half-truths that mislead Macbeth
• What is unusual about the witches' speech?

  • They speak in trochaic tetrameter, unlike the iambic pentameter used by nobles.
  • shaekspear highlights the witches are unusual by making them speak unusually
• What effect does their speech rhythm create?

  • A hypnotic, unnatural, and sinister tone
• What literary devices are common in their speech?

  • Rhyme, paradoxes, and riddles.
  • 'foul is fair...filty air'
• What theme do the witches drive throughout the play?

  • fate vs free will
• How do they represent evil?

  • dark imagery , minipulation
  • always meet in 'thunder'
• What role do they play structurally in the play?

  • They act as catalysts and agents of fate, appearing at crucial turning points.
• How would a Jacobean audience view the witches?

  • As genuinely dangerous and blasphemous—witches were feared and associated with the Devil.
• How does Shakespeare reflect King James I’s interests?

  • By including witches, he appeals to James’s obsession with witchcraft and demonology.
  • King James wrote a book on demonology
• What do the witches represent in Macbeth’s world?

  • A disruption of natural and divine order.