The Weird Sisters: Triple the Toil and Trouble

The witches of Macbeth- some of the most well known characters in Shakespeare. Almost everyone (Shakespeare buff or not) is familiar with their scene of "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." (IV.i.10). The witches serve a number of purposes in the play. They are the supernatural elements of the play, and help create the atmosphere and tone throughout the script. A story of murder and betrayal just isn't complete without three creepy hags. In terms of their dialogue onstage they serve the purpose of foreshadowing. If you pay close attention, and attempt to understand their rhymes, they predict Macbeth's future, and practically lay out the plot of the play before your very eyes. They hail Macbeth as Thane of Glamis (his current title), then as Thane of Cawdor, and finally as king, foretelling that Macbeth will ascend to these titles. They also tell Banquo's fortune- predicting that he will be "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I.iii.63) and "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none." (I.iii.65). This means that although he seems to be less than Macbeth he will actually gain more than him in the end, and while he won't be a king, he shall have kings-or his sons will become kings. Fate and destiny are large themes in this play, and the witches, through their supernatural predictions, set Macbeth on the path he follows throughout the play. By telling him what he could become, he is pushed to attempt to achieve his promised future, both by his wife and his own ambition. Personally I think that we influence our own future, and that the choices we make lead us towards different paths. Our futures are constantly shifting and changing, and there are hundreds of possibilities depending on what you choose to do. Everything is connected, and every choice influences the others and so on and so forth. Hard stuff to comprehend. Perhaps there is some sort of predetermined fate, but if so, I think we have the power to change it. Lady Macbeth thinks similarly, and pushes Macbeth to take advantage of the circumstances and seize what he is promised; she believes that he must act to make the prophecy unfold. Perhaps the consequences Macbeth faces later could have been avoided if he hadn't acted, but then it wouldn't be a very interesting play would it? This is a fun Animaniacs parody of the witches' scene from Macbeth. Just for laughs. This video shows three different versions of the same scene (Act I scene I), done in the three different movie versions of the play. It is very interesting to see how the witches can be portrayed differently, depending on the time setting, and their intent with their delivered lines. The witches are interesting and sinister characters who play an important role in both the theme and the plot of the play. "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I.i.12)