When the witches are on stage, the Elizabethan audience would know that the whole play would be about a fight between good and evil because of the sound affects (e.g.) thunder and this extract, which proves they are witches as witches meet in bad weather.
The Elizabethan audience would feel very sorry for Macbeth because they would see Macbeth as a victim of the witches, as they are the prey as well.
The Elizabethan audience would hate all evil characters, even lady Macbeth, as she would be seen as a witch as well because she ‘called upon the spirits’. The audience would have known straight away because the practicing of black magic is what a witch would do.
Without the first scene, the same effect wouldn’t be created because thunder, lightening and chanting is a superstitious element, which creates the mood of evil.
A modern audience would react differently from an Elizabethan audience for a number of reasons. Most of the audience today wouldn’t believe in witches as strongly as people did in the past. The same effect wouldn’t be created which means the response would be different. Although the modern audience is aware of witchcraft through research they don’t believe it happens, so they don’t feel concern or anger.
The modern audience isn’t encouraged to do witch-hunting although they are aware of the fight between good and evil.
It seems as if though Shakespeare also believed in the existence of Witches because he had made the play accurately. He used sound effects to create the appropriate atmosphere for the audience. This is because the audience understands what is going on better and keeps the audience interested.
The chanting and language usage has a big impact on the audience because it explains the nature of the witches.