Often the role of the Weird Sisters in Shakespeare's Macbeth is overlooked by Shakespearean scholars. Macbeth is obviously a violent play about the downfall of man. However, its connections to the world of the supernatural are often disregarded. It is the only Shakespearean drama, in which witchcraft, black magic, and the supernatural do not merely play an important part, but provide the vital pivot on which the entire play depends. Furthermore, the complicity of the Weird Sisters is intriguing as many diverse interpretations exist concerning the origins and the role of these essential characters in Macbeth.

The belief in the existence and power of witches was widely accepted in Shakespeare's day, as demonstrated by the European witch craze during which an estimated nine million women were put to death for being perceived to be witches (Ellwood NP). The credence in such an illogical belief was due to society's inability to explain tragedies (i.e. illness, death, natural disasters) because of a lack of technology and knowledge that existed. It was much easier and comforting for people to blame something on a person who seemed a little ou

Critics have offered three main descriptions of the role of the Weird Sisters: simple theatrics, true witches who controlled Macbeth, or just characters who gave Macbeth the confidence to act on his treasonous thoughts. The use of the supernatural was a common theatrical trick of the period. It was used to give characters secret information or to set a dark mood of the play. However, in Macbeth Shakespeare modifies the theatrical tricks of the supernatural (in this case the witches) and makes them integral elements of the play. By this perspective, the witches in the opening scene are to create a sense of danger and evil to come and an atmosphere of confusion. Brander Matthews describes them as "Theatrically effective...they fully inhabit a play as black as this and as thickly seeped in horror." (Lawless NP). This can be seen in the following scene from Macbeth:

Whether the Weird Sisters are seen between the two extremes, as true witches or merely characters that serve to set the mood of the play and provide a link to the supernatural, the fact they play an important part in the development of the plot cannot be contradicted. In the words of Anthony Lawless (from which most of the information has been obtained), "The form that they take is irrelevant in light of the role they play as Macbeth's deepest and darkest thoughts in physical form."

By each at once her choppy finger laying

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Approximate Word count = 3180
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)