Shakespeare Quotes

When shall we three meet again

1st Witch:
"When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"

Macbeth (I, i, 1-2)

With these words Macbeth begins. This dark tragedy opens with three of the most memorable characters in literature, the Weird Sisters, ugly evil hags, witches who stir their cauldron and conjure up curses and predictions ("Fair is foul and foul is fair." I, i,12). They set a brooding stage for their encounter with Macbeth, a Scottish warlord who aspires to be King. They agree to meet again later that evening on the heath which Macbeth will cross as he returns from battle. During this meeting they set into motion a course of events that will lead to Macbeth's tragic downfall. This trio of howling, shrieking witches, who cackle with glee over their evil plans, will return later in the play to complete the final marriage of chaos and murder.

Themes: prophecy, supernatural phenomena

Speakers: 1st Witch