Act 1, Scene 1 — The Witches on the Heath

Setting of Act 1 Scene 1

An open, stormy heath with thunder and lightning

Who appears in Scene 1

The three witches (Weird Sisters)

When do the witches plan to meet again

When the battle is over — "when the hurlyburly's done"

Who do the witches plan to meet

Macbeth, upon the heath

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"

The witches' paradox meaning appearances are deceiving; good and evil are reversed

Theme introduced in Scene 1

Appearance vs. reality

Graymalkin

The first witch's familiar spirit, a grey cat

Paddock

The second witch's familiar spirit, a toad

Why is the scene so short

It creates an ominous, unsettling mood and sets up supernatural influence over the play

Pathetic fallacy in Scene 1

The storm reflects the chaos and evil about to unfold

"When the battle's lost and won"

Suggests every victory in the play will come with a loss

Dramatic purpose of Scene 1

Foreshadows Macbeth's fate and links him to evil before he even appears

Weird Sisters

Another name for the witches; "weird" comes from "wyrd," meaning fate

Why is Macbeth named before he appears

It creates suspense and connects his name with the supernatural in the audience's mind

Mood of the opening scene

Dark, chaotic, supernatural, and foreboding