During the early modern period, many people, especially the English, associated witches with darkness and evil. William Shakespeare included these popular beliefs of his time as compelling theatrical effects in his play to invoke suspense and a foreboding tone. In Shakespeare’s renowned play, Macbeth, supernatural beings, such as the Three Witches, control the destiny of the tale’s tragic hero, Macbeth, and lead him into a state of mental deterioration and eventual demise, exemplifying the theme one’s future is controlled by fate rather than free will. Witchcraft gained absolute notoriety after the coronation of James I, who condemned it as a crime punishable by death. Therefore, Shakespeare’s inclusion of the paranormal created an aura of eeriness, unnerving the audience. Macbeth begins with the Three Witches, referred to on numerous accounts as the Weird …show more content…
The word weird is derived from its counterpart in Old English, “wyrd,” meaning fate. Moreover, the Witches bear resemblance to The Fates, the Greek mythological goddesses of destiny. These details emphasize Macbeth’s impending doom and eradicates any notion that the outcome of the play is of free will. Perceiving that Macbeth has hidden ambition residing inside of him, the malicious sisters toy with Macbeth and present to him the idea that he will become king. Macbeth does not kill King Duncan through his own free will, but through the furtive manipulation of the Witches. The “idea of regicide insinuated itself into Macbeth's mind” through the “exciting prophecy of the Weird Sisters” (Yoder). Then, when he debates whether to murder the king in his initial