To trade and traffic with Macbeth”
Hecate also says that later on that, if the witches have started the mess than Hecate will finish the game.
The beginning of Act Four Scene One creates a creepy, “evil” atmosphere. The stage instructions state: “A dark cave. In the middle, a boiling cauldron”.” Just from the setting of the scene, the audience can automatically interprets that Shakespeare is trying to give an evil and wicked effect to this scene. The witches are around a cauldron and are chanting a spell. The speech of the witches is different from other characters in the play; the witches’ talk in rhyming couplets, which makes them unique.1 line five, witch 1, says:
“Round about the cauldron goes;
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty one”
The rhyming adds rhythm to the play it also is a away of showing the importance of the witches. It also shows the audience that the witches are supernatural beings and different from normal people.
As soon as the witches stop chanting their spell, they sense that Macbeth is coming their way. Line 45 indicates this:“ By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes”. Straight after that Macbeth enters. The way the witches describe Macbeth has changed as before they called him as courageous and brave and now they are calling him something wicked and evil. This shows the influence Macbeth’s murders has had on his appearance. Even Macbeth addressees them by: “black and midnight hags!” The relation between Macbeth and the witches does not seem so pleasant, as they call each other wicked and Macbeth calls them hags and so on. Macbeth later asks them whether they will give him answers and he indicates this when he says: “ Howe’er you come to know it, answer me.” In return, the witches say yes and they say: “Speak, Demand”
The witches show Macbeth three apparitions and one vision; each apparition speaks a sentence, so Macbeth can get some answers. The first apparition is an armed head wearing a helmet, the helmet speaks and says on line 70: “ Macbeth! Beware Macduff; Beware the Thane of Fife”. This apparition is telling Macbeth that Macduff is a threat to him. The second apparition is a bloody child who speaks on line 80: “ for none of women born shall harm Macbeth”. This apparition makes Macbeth think he is immortal and invincible, this is proved when Macbeth says on line 85: “ Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee”. The third apparition is a child crowned with a tree in his hand who says; Macbeth will never be defeated until Birnam wood (a wood hill) to high Dunsinane hill is against him. This makes Macbeth into believing he is immortal, it is proved when he says how can a forest move, that is ridiculous. So now, he has a feeling of security, which he did not have at the end of act three. He later seeks answers from the witches regarding Banquo’s son, Macbeth says: “ Tell me, shall Banquo’s issue ever reign in his kingdom”. At first, the witches refuse to show Macbeth what he wants as they have already answered this before at the beginning of the play. But when Macbeth curses the witch they speak and show instantly. They show him a succession of eight kings, they all look like Banquo and when Macbeth demands more answers, the witches disappear, leaving Macbeth disturbed.
Lenox arrives and informs Macbeth that Macduff ran away to England, Lenox says on line 140: “ That bring you word, Macduff is fled to England”. Macbeth than talks aside to himself, explaining that now he will do what comes to his mind, and it will be done in an instant. He than decides to kill Macduff’s family. He says:
“The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
Seize upon fife; give to th’ edge o’th’sword
His wife, babes, and all unfortunate souls…”
This foretells the future to the audience, which is the death of Macduffs family.
