Act I, Scene iiiRead “Macbeth Act 1 Scene 3” by William Shakespeare on Genius |
The witches are back from doing their thing: killing pigs, placing curses on a sailor whose wife angered them. They encounter Macbeth and Banquo on the heath as the two soldiers return from battle. The witches, a.k.a. the Weird Sisters, make three prophecies:
1) Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor. Promotion! 2) Then he’ll become king. Details here are vague. 3) Banquo will never rule in Scotland, but he’ll father a line of future kings. The witches disappear. Ross and Angus arrive with the message that the king has given Macbeth the thaneship of Cawdor. Macbeth and Banquo can’t believe it: the first prophecy has come true. Additional Text NotesComment: In witchcraft, 9 was the
diameter of a perfect circle, which was needed to cast powerful spells. Comment: The three Weird Sisters are casting a spell over the fate of the man. Comment: Watch for the three-fold prophecy Comment: Literally, Banquo neither beg favors nor fears hate; this characterizes Banquo as a foil to Macbeth, who is entranced by the witches; the use of parallel syntax heightens the impact of the paradox. Comment: The paradoxical nature of the prophecy indicates several things. First, like Greek prophecies, it may so difficult to interpret as to be meaningless to the hearer. Second, while it can be literally true, its purpose is to mislead the hearer into evil actions. The dual nature of the prophecy serves to highlight the contrast between Banquo and Macbeth. Banquo realizes the dangerous nature of the witches’ prophecies and tries to convince Macbeth of it. Comment: The witches' words are either cryptic and/or ambiguous Comment: Sinel was Macbeth’s father Comment: Macbeth wants to know what/who their sources are for this information? He is looking for worldly sources. Comment: corporal - bodily Comment: "post with post" - as fast as possible Comment: Ross' news of the immediate fulfillment of part of the prophecy leads Macbeth into thinking that the entire prophecy is accurate as he sees it. Comment: Reference to the witches, who are allied with the devil. Comment: Macbeth is often portrayed as wearing garments that do not fit him, i.e. he is an imposter. This particular metaphor furthers the larger metaphors of deception as acting that are seen throughout the play. |
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