Character Profile of the Witches in Macbeth

The Witches, often called the 'weird sisters', symbolize pure evil and darkness in Shakespeare's Macbeth. They introduce the play's themes of fate and prophecy, predicting Macbeth's rise to power and eventual downfall with cryptic messages. Their famous phrase 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' sets the stage for the play's moral ambiguity. The Witches can be likened to the three fates of classical mythology, representing the past, present, and future. Their supernatural nature reflects the societal fears of witches in the early 17th Century, particularly during the reign of James I, who wrote about witchcraft in 'Daemonologie'. They illustrate the theme of control over fate.