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October 30th Vaagn Gouchtchian Participation Quiz Name/Surname

The three witches are introduced in the opening scene of Macbeth. They enter during a thunderstorm, setting a gloomy and supernatural mood. Their rhyming dialogue takes on a spell-like quality as they discuss meeting Macbeth. The scene ends with the cryptic line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," foreshadowing betrayal and deception to come. This brief opening scene skillfully establishes the dark tone of the tragedy and hints at Macbeth's questionable character through his connection to the ominous witches.

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91 views3 pages

October 30th Vaagn Gouchtchian Participation Quiz Name/Surname

The three witches are introduced in the opening scene of Macbeth. They enter during a thunderstorm, setting a gloomy and supernatural mood. Their rhyming dialogue takes on a spell-like quality as they discuss meeting Macbeth. The scene ends with the cryptic line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," foreshadowing betrayal and deception to come. This brief opening scene skillfully establishes the dark tone of the tragedy and hints at Macbeth's questionable character through his connection to the ominous witches.

Uploaded by

Ani Babayan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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English Literature-E&C 121

October 30th Vaagn Gouchtchian

Participation Quiz
Name/Surname Ani Babayan

Write a comment on the character of the three witches, how do they open the play, what mood do
they set from the start? (400 words, to be returned to me via email by noon today, with "Macbeth-
Opening" in the subject box)

As one of the greatest writers of all time, Shakespeare made a careful choice regarding

the scene descriptions to create a particular effect and shape the audience's reaction. In his "The

Tragedy of Macbeth," which is about an ambitious general who assassinates the King and takes

over the throne, Shakespeare has used techniques to create a certain mood for the scenes. The

first scene, as short and trivial as it may seem, has great significance as it introduces the three

central characters, sets the mood of the tragedy, and gives the audience hints regarding the

continuation of the narrative.

The scene opens with three witches discussing the further meeting with Macbeth. The

first thing that grasps the readers' attention is the "Thunder and Lightning" through which the

witches enter the scene. After that, one of the witches asks when the three of them will meet

again— In thunder, lightning, or the rain (Shakespeare, 2005). The thunder and lightning set the

spooky, dismal, and supernatural mood of the scene. The reader gets the idea of how dangerous

and mystical the witches are. Shakespeare uses a language with menacing rhythmic sounds of

rhyming couplets (again/rain, done/won), presenting the conversation as spell-like and

inauspicious. Moreover, they talk with animals and spirits, which highlights their portentous

personalities.

The scene closes with the words "Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and

filthy air" (Shakespeare, 2005), which is a hint through which the audience can predict future
English Literature-E&C 121

October 30th Vaagn Gouchtchian

Participation Quiz
events in the narrative. The meaning that lies underneath this expression is that not everything is

what it seems to be. What seems good and trustworthy can be evil, and what might seem

malignant can be benign. This deciphers the betrayal of Macbeth, which, being described as a

worthy gentleman, a hero for his country, murders his King to get his throne. Besides, knowing

that witches will meet with Macbeth and realizing that those hazardous creatures have some

connection with the protagonist, the reader can also deduce that Macbeth's character is somewhat

suspicious.

To sum up, every scene has a role in a literary piece, and it conveys certain information

through descriptions and dialogues. This scene described the gloomy, dismal personalities of the

witches as well as gave background knowledge about the central character.


English Literature-E&C 121

October 30th Vaagn Gouchtchian

Participation Quiz
References

Shakespeare, W., Raffel, B., & Bloom, H. (2005). Macbeth. New Haven: Yale University Press.

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