The prediction will come true - but not quite in the way Macbeth expects. As this seems to be a physical impossibility Macbeth instantly dismisses it ever happening ('That will never be'). Macbeth is told that he need not fear anything ('take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are') until a forest of trees uproots itself and moves. The Witches have conjured up three ghostly visions that make ambiguous predictions. Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill / Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. THIRD APPARITION: Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care / Macbeth falls into their trap and believes that he is safer than he actually is. When the Witches make their predictions, they only say what will happen and not how it will happen. The Witches' chant is in a different rhythm to the way the other characters speak - this also suggests their supernatural nature. Although it is not clear what the spell is for, it is obvious they are up to no good. Into this they throw all manner of foul and evil objects ('poisoned entrails') and cast a spell. The Witches meet around one of the most well-known symbols of witchcraft - a cauldron. Their physical appearance, their style of speech, their actions and their apparent ability to predict the future sets them apart from the humans they seek to control.

The Witches are clearly unlike any other characters in the play.

Rather, they plant ideas in Macbeth's mind and let his ambition do the rest. Their predictions drive matters forward though they never actually suggest direct action. The sisters are believed to be the cause of Macbeths downfall. In part, the mischief they cause stems from their supernatural powers, but mainly it is the result of their understanding of the weaknesses of their specific interlocutorsthey play upon Macbeth’s ambition like puppeteers. Although there is clearly more than one of them, the Witches may be seen as seem as a single character they are often referred to as 'The Weird Sisters'. The opening scene of the play introduces three witches also known as the three Weird Sisters. Characters The Three Witches Throughout the play, the witchesreferred to as the weird sisters by many of the characterslurk like dark thoughts and unconscious temptations to evil.

Three witches macbeth