The witches are the first people the audience see in the play. The audience are introduced to the evil to show what the rest of the play is going to be like. The witches symbolise evil and supernatural and are significant because they predict the story before it happens. Although we only see the witches three times they are the most memorable characters because they can do supernatural actions and can foretell the future. The first scene suggests that they are evil and are going to influence the rest of the play in some way. The witches even call them selves ‘‘weird sisters’’ which exemplifies the fact that they know they are evil and abnormal.
When asked when the witches should meet next, one witch suggests ‘‘when the hurly burlys done’’. The hurly burly means the disorder or chaos. We can see disorder and chaos when Duncan is killed. The natural order of the earth is changed and the old man reports ‘‘a falcon tow’ ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl killed’’
We can see that the natural order has been changed because now we have smaller animals killing bigger ones, where usually it is vice versa. Another example of hurly burly can be seen when Ross says ‘‘by th’ clock ’tis day and yet dark night strangles the travelling light’’. This shows us that even though it was daytime the sky turned black like the night. Black is a symbol of evil, disorder and chaos, which shows us that all three devices are connected.
Another says ‘‘when the battles lost and won’’. This has several meanings in different parts of the play. At that time we know that Scotland is battling Norway, so it could mean that when the battle with Norway is over they will meet. This is the lateral meaning, the metaphorical meaning could be the battle inside Macbeth. We can see this when Macbeth says ‘‘ I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’er leaps itself and falls on the other’’ After Macbeth is told he will be king, he is continuously battling with his conscious whether he should kill Duncan or not. He says in this quote that he does not have any other reason to kill Duncan apart from ambition, which is not a justifiable reason to kill somebody. Scotland then loses its battle against Macbeth from becoming king.
The witches use language that is often juxtaposing. An example of this can be seen when the witches say ‘‘ Fair is foul and foul is fair’’. The quotation suggests that things are not what they seem. What appears to be one thing, Is actually another. The witches use this juxtaposing language to confuse both audience and characters, but it also has some other meanings. At one point in the play this theme is developed further. In Act 1 Scene 3 Macbeth says ‘‘so fair and foul a day I have not seen’’. Here we can see the link between his language and the witches and this shows that the witches have some influence on Macbeth. The quotation also hints that what is good is bad. We can see this in Macbeth when he turns from the valiant soldier slaying all the Norwegians in the first scene to the terrible and corrupt ruler near the end.
Act 1 scene 1 is very revealing to the rest of the play. All the aspects in Act 1 Scene 1 are effective because they are echoed throughout the rest of the play. The opening act tells us what is going to occur but does not tell us when, this keeps us interested and makes us want to keep watching the play. Shakespeare creates an exciting blend of controversy and treachery to create an amazing play that has never grown old.
