In William Shakespeare's play,
Macbeth, the Weird Sisters (or three witches) make three
predictions for Macbeth.
First the women address him by the
title of "Thane of Glamis." (A "thane" is like a Scottish earl.) Of course, Macbeth
already has this title, but it is still interesting to note that they know who he
is.
The next prediction the women make is to call him by a
new name:
All
hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of
Cawdor!
This is something
Macbeth does not understand because the Thane of Cawdor is alive, and Macbeth knows
nothing about the circumstances surrounding the traitor's
capture.
Their last prediction
is:
All hail,
Macbeth, that shalt be king
hereafter!
The witches have
just told Macbeth that he will one day be King.
Macbeth is
distracted by their words, contemplating what this could mean to him. (Banquo notices
his preoccupation and points it out to him.)
When Macbeth
then receives the title and lands of the former Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his
valiant service to the King during battle, he begins to believe that the witches' words
must be true. And with this is mind, he anticipates he will be
King.
Whereas Banquo is cautious about the witches'
predictions, seeing them as servants to the "powers of darkness," Macbeth does not
hesitate to embrace what they have promised him (as he sees it), and he begins planning
what must be done.
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