Shakespeare wrote three scenes which include the witches, but the play contains four, as a scene was added by Middleton.
The witches introduce the audience to the play. They meet in foul weather, speaking of thunder, lightning, rain, fog and filthy air. In Shakespeare’s time, witches were considered evil and therefore, make the audience think that Macbeth is an evil man too.
‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’
These words contradict each other. Shakespeare uses illiteration to emphasise the evil influence. It makes the audience wonder what the play is about, and if there is something deeper if not taken at face value.
Macbeth uses these same words in his first line:
‘So foul and fair a day I have not seen.’
Macbeth used the witches’ words. The audience automatically associate him with the witches and their portrait of evil. The fact that he uses the same words, makes the witches seem to be able to see into the future.
Macbeth wants the witches to stay and tries to question them
‘Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.’
This makes you wonder whether he has thought previously about becoming king. The witches could only have so much power over Macbeth if he already had these thoughts in his mind. The witches seem very close and act with one mind.
Ross and Agnus arrive with the news that the witches have already told, that Duncan has made Macbeth Thane of Cawdor.
The Essay on Macbeth, Evil
A critic has written that Macbeth wells up from a deep awareness of evil. This means that Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, shows what evil really is and what it can do. The imagery of Macbeth really is very dark throughout the play. There is a constant atmosphere of evil and gloom. When Macbeth says in lines 125-126, Act Three, Scene Four, Blood will have blood , the idea that killing will ...
‘He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor:’
The witches’ first prophecy came true so Macbeth believes they know the future, however Banquo thinks that the witches knew one truth, to encourage Macbeth to trust them. The witches are evil incarnate: spiteful, destructive and deceptive. Their half truths, rather than lies, persuade Macbeth to believe in them.
From this point on, Macbeth thinks a lot about the witches, but they are only seen a few more times in the play.
When the consequences of the murders of Duncan and Banquo are too much for Macbeth to handle, his instinct is to go back to the witches, who are now his only hope. This shows that he can no longer control things by himself and needs help which his wife cannot give him.
