The witches in Macbeth are very important in the plot and develop certain aspects of the play. They make greater the theatrical experience with images of darkness, thunder and lightning that make Macbeth the tragedy it is. Their actions also add to the play, dancing round the cauldron and chanting ‘Double, double…'. Their appearance as ‘dark hags' adds mystery to the play.

The witches also add a sense of evil and of the supernatural. Their chanting, ‘Double, double, toil and trouble: Fire burn and cauldron bubble' is rhythmic and has an almost hypnotic quality to it. There is a repetition of the magical word ‘thrice'. The fact that there are three witches is emphasised, because in a time where Paganism was feared (three was a magical number in Paganism.), the number three was seen as evil. It was also a magical number because of the holy trinity The ingredients that the witches add to the cauldron are associated with the themes of death: ‘finger of birth-strangled......

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Title: Macbeth: The Importance Of The Witches - Act 4, Scene 1
Approximate Word Count: 1052
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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