act 1, scene 1: the witches

Question 1

opening line:

Answer 1

“when shall we three meet again?”

• spoken by the witches gathering amidst thunder and lightening. they plan to meet with Macbeth that evening.

Question 2

why witches?

Answer 2

in the jacobean era there was a lot of interest behind the supernatural.

Question 3

king james i and witches:

Answer 3

• wrote daemonologie (1597) about witchcraft.
• in 1607 it became a capital offence.
• blamed witches for the death of his mum (mary queen of scots).

Question 4

!!RHYMING COUPLETS!!
“fair is foul and foul is fair
hover through the fog and the filthy air.”

Answer 4

• re-enforce the idea of supernatural powers and appearance v. reality. shakespeare establishes this atmosphere to the audience from the beginning.