The Witches Make Their Plans (Act 1, Scene 1)
Right from the first line, Shakespeare grabs your attention with three witches plotting in a storm. They're not just having a casual chat - they're planning something sinister involving Macbeth, a character we haven't even met yet. The thunder and lightning creates an immediately ominous atmosphere that would have genuinely frightened Shakespeare's original audience.
The witches speak in rhyming couplets that sound like magical spells, giving their words a hypnotic, unnatural quality. When they say "When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?" it's clear they're comfortable with chaos and darkness. Their plan to meet Macbeth "upon the heath" after "the battle's lost and won" shows they know the future.
The scene ends with the famous line: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" - a paradox that hints nothing in this play will be what it seems. This juxtaposition of opposites becomes a key theme throughout Macbeth, where good and evil, appearance and reality constantly blur together.
Key Insight: The witches' familiars (Graymalkin and Paddock) are supernatural animal companions that emphasise their connection to dark magic - something that would have terrified Shakespeare's audience who genuinely believed in witchcraft.
