The Three Wiches

The three witches are seen a one entity in Macbeth. They are shown together and unanimously agreeing on certain aspects of their beliefs. I think the witches each represent a timely aspect of Macbeth's being. For example, in ACT 1 scene 3, the first Witch says, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" the second witch, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!"; and the third, "All hail, Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter!". This represents the Macbeth's past, present, and future. The witches first confirm their identity to Macbeth, saying that they know who he was and what he is now, but more importantly, tells him who he will become. This becomes particularly true when Banquo notices that Macbeth is unwell after hearing the witches hail him. Macbeth is shocked that he has been watched all his life and is quite confused with the story that he will become King.

Again, the witches are so important because they are basically the inciting incident to the story of Macbeth. The introduction of this character (witches are one entity) places the play in a "predetermined" state, as Macbeth's life in a predetermination. I enjoy the use of this character because I considered whether Macbeth was the person to take matters into his own hands without the use of the the witches clairvoyance. However, I think Macbeth would also have taken matters into his own hands, since Lady Macbeth is also influencing him as well as the witches. The witches can certainly teach us that life is not simply a straight line, it is a series of twists and curves, corners and edges, but if you set you mind to one thing in specific, you will definitely be able to achieve the goal you desire. This lesson is taught in the hard-way through the acts of Macbeth.