The+Witches

__Three UGLY witches__
 * [[image:http://www.thearchetypalconnection.com/images/ThreeWitches.jpg]]

Biography:**

The witches enjoy killing swine, carrying severed body parts around, and harassing people. On one such occasion, a witch asked a woman eating chestnuts to give her one. When the woman refused, the witch cast a spell causing her husband's boat to overturn out to sea and him to return to shore, barely alive. They are also psychic and inform Macbeth and Banquo about Macbeth being made Thane of Cawdor after the execution of the previous one for treachery and that Banquo's sons will become kings. Therefore, the witches are really to blame for arousing a violence and hunger for power within Macbeth, for it was them who foretold his succession as King. Without the witches, Macbeth probably would have never considered killing his friends. Before Macbeth has a chance to inquire the witches further, they disappear.

The witches are psychic because they already know that Macbeth is going to become the Thane of Cawdor and eventually the King of Scotland before Macbeth himself knows. Also, before Macbeth even came across them, they heard drums and already knew that it was Macbeth. This proves they are psychic because even though they heard a drum, which could be anyone, they knew it was Macbeth.

The witches are presented in __Macbeth__ as a mixed blessing; their ability to see into the future may enlighten Macbeth under certain circumstances, when they tell him that he will become Thane of Cawdor and eventually king, but they follow up that statement by saying Banquo's children will become kings. The witches fail to tell the pair how their titles will be earned, but rather confuse the two with a series of paradoxes. Before Banquo or Macbeth are able to answer any questions, the witches disappear, literally into thin air. Banquo looks upon the sight with a confused face; not sure whether the news is true or not, they are not fully willing to accept it since completing those prophecies can only mean the upcoming death of the king, and as for Macbeth and Banquo, the two men subconsciously are aware that the king most likely will not die of natural causes. While the witches may foresee "positive" events, the arrival of the witches is an omen, and can be described as the complete opposite of the predictions of the witches, as it foretells a negative event. Once the reader notices the arrival of the witches, he or she can be sure that somewhere in the near future there will be a negative event.

Macbeth decided to see the Weïrd Sisters to find out what is going to happen to him next. He visited the Weïrd Sisters, and they were making a witch stew in which they put a variety of repulsive ingredients (Three cats, a hedge pig, a filet of snake, the eye of a newt, the toe of a frog, the wool of a bat, the tongue of a dog, the tongue of a snake, the sting of a blindworm, the leg of a lizard, the wing of a baby owl, the scale of a dragon, the tooth of a wolf, the mummy of a witch, the mouth of a shark, the root of hemlock, the liver of a "blaspheming Jew", the gall of a goat, slips of yew, the nose of a Turk, the lips of a Tartar, and the finger of a baby). He arrived, and demanded to know what would happen to him. To answer his question, the witches produced their three "masters" (apparitions) from the stew, who gave him three warnings. The first apparition, a head with a helmet, told him to beware of the Thane of Fife. The second apparition, a bloody child, told him that no man born from a woman can harm Macbeth. The third apparition, a child with a crown and tree in hand, told him that he will be king until the Great Birnam Woods move to Dunsinane Hill, which to Macbeth, seemed impossible as trees cannot move. These predictions led to Macbeth believing himself to be invincible, as he thought that all people were born of woman, and that an entire forest moving onto a hill was preposterous. However, after these three warnings, Macbeth still demanded to know if Banquo's sons would be king. Upon his request, the Weïrd Sisters produced a line of eight apparition kings, one who was holding a mirror showing Macbeth's face, and all who were descendents of Banquo, revealing there would be a long line of kings from Banquo's descendents. After this, the witches danced off and vanished.

Key Quotes:


 * "Fair is foul and foul is fair."
 * "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!"
 * "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"
 * "Thou shalt get kings though thou be none"
 * "A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come."
 * "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."
 * "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff ! Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough."- First Apparition
 * "Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn/The power of man, for none of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth."-Second Apparition
 * "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/Shall come against him."- Third Apparition