Scene 3

• Stage directions : “thunder. enter the three witches”

  • Natural disturbances - even nature is diturbed byt their presence.
  • An auditory signalto the audience that the witches are coming to cause havoc.
  • Witches curse saikor as the wife ddi not share her chestnuts - they have a presence outside the importance of Macbeth and Banquo.
• “So foul and fair a day I have not seen“

  • Dramatic irony
  • Macbeth has conflicting thoughts at this point, feeling ambivalent (uncertain, mixed feelings) post battle.
  • Macbeth’s first line in the play, witches are manipulating characters from the very start and their language is infiltrating the others.
  • Foul as they lost a lot of men but fair ad they won the battle in the end.
  • Links back to “fair is foul and foul is fair”
• What are the three prophecies?

  1. Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor - Macbeth doesn’t know this but audience does.
  2. Macbeth will be king.
  3. Banquo’s descendants will be King but Banquo himself won’t be King.
• “He bade me, from him, call ther Thane of Cawdor”

  • 1st prophecy came true - Macbeth now trust what the witches say.
  • The 2nd prophecy is that Macbeth will be King and he believes that he will be soon - he gains respect for the witches.
• “The Thane if Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in borrowed robes?”

  • Metaphor - Responsibiloty is being compared to putting clothes on.
  • You take clothes of and chnge into something else, just like how you can be responsible one day and irresponsible the next.
  • Putting on clothes = putting on a new identity, appearance vs. reality.
  • ”borrowed” - unlikely to be washed so previous T of C’s traitorous nature lingers on fabric. Foreshadows Macbeth’s future betrayal of King.
• “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion?”

  • Macbeth is starting to have regicidal thoughts - thinks about killing the King.
  • He’a trying to not have these thoughts but can’t help it.
• “My dull brain was wrought with things forgotten”

  • Macbeth lies to Banquo as Banquo doesn’t believe in prophecies so he may prevent Macbeth from becoming King - Macbeth wants that title.
  • Macbeth would commit treason if he kills the King. Divine right of Kings means that God put the king in place so killing king = going against God.
  • He may be embarassed of having these thoughts.