The Witches Plot Their Revenge
The scene opens on a heath during a thunderstorm - classic pathetic fallacy that mirrors the dark deeds about to unfold. Shakespeare uses this stormy setting to signal that something wicked this way comes.
The three witches catch up on their recent activities, with one casually mentioning she's been "killing swine." But here's where it gets interesting - the First Witch is absolutely fuming because a sailor's wife refused to share her chestnuts. Talk about petty revenge!
Her response? She's planning to sail in a sieve (impossible, obviously) and torment the woman's husband at sea. The repetition of "I'll do" and rhyming couplets make this sound like a proper spell being cast.
Key insight: The witches' cruel response to such a small slight shows their evil nature and sets up the supernatural theme that'll drive the whole play.
