The Witches

The Witches are normal witches: real witches. They are human females consorting with the powers of darkness; in other words, engaging in idolatry. They do so in order that they can accomplish things in the real world by utilizing the spiritual power conferred on them by their spiritual masters.

Certain objections to their humanity might be made: one of them intends to attack a sailor at long range, and they are described as having beards. The attack against the sailor in Aleppo might not be a physical attack; it could be something done with astral projection, and our editor notes the possibility of the witch performing as a succubus. Then just because a witch is perceived as having a beard might not disqualify her as a human being. According to Keith Thomas, “It was proverbial that bearded women were likely to be witches, and physical ugliness or deformity could thus awaken suspicion.” (Religion and the Decline of Magic, p. 568). Banquo seems to observe our witches as bearded. My conception of them has them partake of the characteristics of Lorelei or Sirens, so they had to be beautiful; it took awhile to get around the bearded description without just cutting it out. The Elizabethans had costumes signifying invisibility, and costumes signifying identity with another, so maybe they had costumes signifying nudity; it could make Banquo’s remark into something close to a joke, especially if he is unsure of the nature of the hair he is seeing, and the audience is not.

As to their function in the play, that is something tied to the conception of the nature of the universe in the play. I’ve come across something that might be relevant.

I will again boldly state my world view position in reference to spiritual warfare: It represents the context in which all of life is lived. Everything from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20 that has occurred, is occurring, and will yet occur, occurs in the context of warfare between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of evil supernaturalism. (Ed Murphy, The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare, Preface to the Second Edition).

Apparently there are still people who believe in this kind of thing. But suppose this is the context in which Macbeth is set. First we have regular warfare: the Norwegians are attacking Scotland. It might not be an accident. In the eleventh century Norway was mainly pagan territory, whereas Scotland was ostensibly Christian. Of course the Vikings raided everywhere, but it might not be an accident that they raided Ireland, for instance, and attacked monastaries, since Irish missionaries were largely responsible for evangelizing northern Europe. This counter-offensive might have its inspiration from the powers of darkness themselves, perhaps with a high territorial spirit or other, of the kind spoken of in Ephesians. The witches would then be analogous to demonically inspired “secret agents” operating behind enemy lines. Their general mission would be to make trouble, defile and destroy, and attack that which is of God. Macbeth might have made a good king, a defender of the faith, and it would seem that is the possibility the witches are trying to avert.

The witches seem to know the future, but I’m not so sure. Witches would have access to the knowledge of their familiar spirits, which would have been great.

For the whole aerial surroundings of our planet are densely peopled with a hostile race of beings unutterably superior in wisdom and power to ourselves; having had during a vast number of years every conceivable experience of the weak points of humanity; possessing the incalculable advantage of being themselves invisible, though as spiritual intelligences they are probably able, not merely to judge of us by our words and outward expression of countenance, but even to read the innermost thoughts of our heart; co-operating with the most perfect and never-failing organization; and lastly, directed by a leader of consummate wisdom and skill, who is assisted by powerful princes, and finds his subjects so numerous, that, if we are to lay any stress on the word “legion” in the memorable narrative of Luke, he is able to spare some six thousand of them to guard one miserable captive (Luke viii. 30). (G.H. Pember, Earth’s Earliest Ages, p. 45)

The method of attacking Macbeth by “revealing” his future might instead be a bold ploy, founded not upon absolute knowledge of the future, but on knowledge of Macbeth’s character, which of itself might tend to bring about one possible future. This likelihood might be increased by the maneuvers of the witches. Macbeth is lured by them, and he succumbs to the temptation: he “falls,” is destroyed, and presumably is damned. They attack Banquo also, but he does not succumb.

Hecate, who is not a witch but rather an actual power of darkness, seems initially unaware of the activities of the witches. Either she is out of her “jurisdiction,” or the witches are acting largely on their own initiative. I chose to pursue the latter alternative, as it is consistent with the youth I have assigned to them. They are trying to move up in the hierarchy.

References

Murphy, Ed. The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare. Rev. ed. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Edwin Muir. The Arden Shakespeare. London: Methuen, 1979.

Pember, George H. Earth’s Earliest Ages. New ed. Ed. G.H. Lang. Grand Rapids MI: Kregel Publications, 1975. Reprint of 1911 ed.

Thomas, Keith. Religion and the Decline of Magic. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971.