Macbeth's Speech

Hang out our banners on the outward walls; The cry is still 'They come:' our castle's strength Will laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lie Till famine and the ague eat them up: Were they not forced with those that should be ours, We might have met them dareful, beard to beard, And beat them backward home.

What is that noise?

I have almost forgot the taste of fears; The time has been, my senses would have cool'd To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors; Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts Cannot once start me.

Wherefore was that cry?

She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

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.

Destiny and Fate

Destiny--n. something that is to happen or has happened to a particular person or thing; lot or fortune.
The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events. (From Dictionary.com)

Personally, I don't believe in destinies. The reason is, is that there are so many people in the world that may have chances with fate as well. For me, since I've transferred so many times, I have tendency to hold back human interactions because I know that it is "predetermined" to leave this all behind. Which is the reason why I am so great at time management. In addition, destiny and religion goes hand in hand. For example, Christianity believes that the world will end soon, and the fact is, those who do good will receive everlasting love with God in heaven, whereas the evil will burn in the everlasting lake of fire (what a pain!). This is similar to destiny, for whatever you do, you get to have two choices, shall you choose the fire or the love, it is your choice. However, Christians also believe that God is loving and has a predetermined path for every individual, although it seems contradictory, I do believe that God is a figure that people can look up to and adore. I, on the other hand believe there is no "destiny" and you must choose your own path; make your own destiny. 

For Macbeth however, in a time where witches are seen as powerful and mysterious creatures that work with magic, the witches are very influential. The glory and the praise: "Hail! Hail! Hail Macbeth!" (Act 1 scene 3) is captivating for a small nobility of Macbeth. Of course he will take matters into his own hands. For this reason, the witches are so important. Whether or not Macbeth does try to murder his authorities, the witches obviously played in Macbeth's part. This is why I believe that if Macbeth lived in modern society, he would be a politician. The witches would be his campaign managers, but they would just tell him, you don't need to do anything, you'll win. It's almost like reverse psychology. However, as we all know, Macbeth does do something, and that was to (SPOILER ALERT) kill King Duncan. (or does he?)
This is ACT I scene 3, of Macbeth, where Macbeth speaks to the witches:

What is known

Shakespeare is known he his great tragedies and comedic twists. The only things I knew about Macbeth came from those who studied it before me and complained to me about the assignments. Therefore, all I knew was that Lady Macbeth is a crazy psychopathic genius that consumes her husband. Although the Lady does not appear in the first act, foreshadowing of a terrible deed comes when Macbeth talks to the witches. The play incorporates a whole bunch of Old-English words that completely makes no sense. However, after watching the videos of the act, I got a better understanding of the situation, for the music basically tells you when you should feel sad, angry, happy, or in the cast of the first act, concerned.

I found that the story was written in the dialogue form. I knew that the story was a Shakespearean tragedy, but it did not occur to me that the entire story is a script of the play. I really doubted the fact that the entire play was written in iambic, so after every line I read, I would consider the line with my hands and start counting stressed and unstressed syllables. I also looked around YouTube and found that Patrick Stewart played Macbeth in a BBC version of the play. Therefore, since Patrick Stewart plays Macbeth, you would know that Macbeth is a worthy play to read. Since Shakespearean plays are so similar in the tragedies. When the witches sang and chanted the "double double toil and trouble song" in ACT IV scene I, I admit, that I sang along while reading the text. Here is ACT I scene I, from Macbeth:

A part of the play, also known as a part of history I disliked was the fact that Macbeth, King Duncan, and the other nobility did not fight at all. Instead, they greeted the victorious Captain, dripping in blood, yet the Captain still needs to be polite and blessed in meeting "his grace". Perhaps this was one of the reasons I never really had a good impression of Macbeth. This story takes place in the middle ages, but to me, any middle-aged story without a dragon, a ring, and elves is a meaningless one. The witches can be considered fantastical, but they did not use any of their magic to put a spell of Macbeth. In other words, the events and murders by Macbeth is the result of his own actions.