The next time the witches appear in the play is Act one Scene 3 where their entrance is announced with the sound of thunder. They again immediately begin to talk about evil business which had happened whilst they had been away. Again the subjects of what they discuss have an effect on the audience as they again are indirectly telling the audience that they can change the weather. After a woman refused the first witch food the witch takes revenge on that woman’s husband by “making” a wind which will sink his ship as he is a sailor.
Act one scene three is also the scene in which the witches will meet Macbeth and Banquo. Just before they meet up a drum beats which gives the witches an indication that Macbeth has come, it may have even given the audience an idea that the witches can predict the future. When they finally arrive it is important to notice that Macbeth says,
“So foul and fair day I have not seen.”
This is significant because the witches in act one scene one all say, “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”
This immediately links Macbeth to the evil of the witches. (Macbeth is obviously talking about the weather being bad but his prospects being good). When Banquo first sets sight on the witches he says,
“You should be women and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”
This tells the audience that Banquo has never seen the witches before. It also suggests that Banquo also has his own suspicions about the witches. The witches, then greet Macbeth, the first witch says,
“All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.”
This tells us that the witches know who he is because he of course thinks he is still Thane of Glamis. The second witch then says,
“All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.”
This gives the audience even more of a feeling that the witches can predict the future because they know that Macbeth is Thane of Cawdor even before Macbeth himself knows.
However the witches do not stop at that they go on to say that Macbeth will be King. This is something that Macbeth immediately becomes obsessed with. It is a point, which might make Macbeth be responsible for his own death. Macbeth then sends a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her the story. Then she becomes obsessed with the idea. It may be fairer to say that Lady Macbeth may have made Macbeth become obsessed, by persuading him to go to all lengths however bad they may be. Macbeth on countless times tries to pull out of killing King Duncan but she calls him a coward etc. Macbeth is pressured into the deeds he proceeds in doing.
Knowing the information that Macbeth did the deed himself I have drawn the conclusion that because he was pressured into doing the murder I would say that he is the least responsible for his tragic end. I would say that Lady Macbeth is the next least responsible but she did not do the deed however she really pushed Macbeth to do it. The most responsible would be the witches as they first put the idea in his head and then say that he is invincible to all “woman born”.