Why are there usually three witches?

Answer 1

After the ghost of Banquo appears to him, he starts to worry about MacDuff and why he did not come to the banquet. He says "I will tomorrow and betimes I will, to the weird sisters. More shall they speak, for now I am bent to know, by the worst means, the worst."

Before the murder, Macbeth was concerned that by doing the murder "we do but teach bloody instruction, which being taught returns to plague th'inventor." Having himself treacherously murdered his king, he now expects everyone to copy his example and try to treacherously murder him. In order to try to forestall this he becomes obsessed with having complete intelligence and spies everywhere ("There is not a one of them but in his house I keep a sevant fee'd"). But even this is not enough--he wants more and more information, so he determines to return to the witches, so he can "know by the worst means, the worst."

Answer 2

It's probably the way the first scene begins. "Thunder and Lightning. Enter Three Witches."

Of course thereis anotherin the Folio text, called Hecate. Buther part is invariably cut from performances of the play, becauseit'srather silly and not particularly good, and probably by Middleton rather than by Shakespeare.

Answer 3

There are three witches in Macbeth because that is what the script calls for: "Thunder and lightning. Enter three witches." That's the original stage direction from 1623 when the play was first printed. They might represent darkness, chaos, and conflict, or the three fates from Greek mythology or the trio of maiden, matron and crone in Neopaganism if you like.

Answer 4

The role of the witches in Macbeth is ambiguous. It could be that they are giving a glimpse of a possible future to Macbeth and Banquo as a test of their character only. However, in some productions, their efforts are an intentional effort to control the lives of Macbeth and those around him, who are thus puppets of the witches. This kind of interpretation was used by Orson Welles in his film version of Macbeth in 1948. Welles painted the witches as diabolical agents, opposed to a kind of Celtic Christianity (Malcolm and his army wear Celtic Crosses, and Ross is portrayed as some kind of priest).

On the other hand, most productions do not acknowledge this kind of power in the witches themselves. Some even view the second witch scene (the cauldron scene) as being a dream or fantasy in Macbeth's mind. At the most extreme interpretation, the witches have no control over what happens or even insight into it, but what they say inadvertently gets Macbeth going. In this reading they could be completely innocent.

Answer 5

In Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," there are three witches, commonly referred to as the Weird Sisters. They are often portrayed as a trio to symbolize the concept of three being a potent and mystical number in folklore and superstition. The witches' threefold presence also adds to the sense of supernatural power and ambiguity in the play.

Answer 6

Up on a heath in Scotland.