The nature of the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth is a controversial subject. Mildred Tonge suggests in her essay Black Magic and Miracles in Macbeth that witches represent women who serve a dark power, most likely Satan, or even that they are a form of Satan himself (Tonge, p. 1). Other critics propose that all three are figments of Macbeth's imagination – apparitions that he conjured up to justify Duncan's murder, a thought he had entertained long before the play began. However, a close observation of the text suggests that witches are far more connected to humanity than might first appear. Although not illusions of Macbeth's mind, nor evil beings in themselves, the three witches are outward manifestations of human vice, who appear for the purpose of tempting the unwary, giving voice to their secretly odious desires. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Witches make notable appearances twice in Macbeth, both in Act 1, Scene 3, and in the Act 4, scene 1, two crucial moments in the main character's story. development. The first time they arrive is to approach Macbeth and Banquo on their return from the war. It is at this moment, when Macbeth is undoubtedly more powerful than at any other time in his life, that the witches decide to tempt him. If there was ever a time when his political ambition would be at the forefront of his mind, it is now. His success had earned him accolades and moral support from his peers and superiors, and earned him a reputation far greater than that of other men. The strange sisters approach him and prophesy that he is destined to become king, and Banquo, the father of kings. They tempt them both with the prospect of gaining great power, bringing them to the crossroads of morality. Banquo continues on the path of loyalty and justice, while Macbeth takes a darker path. Despite hearing the prophecy, Banquo decides to leave fate alone. Macbeth's mind, however, is immediately tormented by the idea of ​​killing Duncan, much to his dismay: "Why do I yield to this suggestion/Whose horrible image undoes my hair" (1.4. 137- 138). The witches' divinations so easily take hold of Macbeth because rising to the rank of king through regicide was a thought that Macbeth had already unconsciously entertained. By speaking his aspirations out loud and predicting his success, they give Macbeth the justification he needs to turn his thoughts into actions. He then uses the witches and the fate they prophesied for him as an excuse to delve into the bogs of murder and corruption, so that he does not have to recognize his own immorality. This is proven by the fact that Macbeth is said to have killed Duncan to fulfill the prophecy and fulfill his destiny, but on several occasions thereafter, Macbeth disregards destiny, in his attempts to overthrow it. Witches are, as Banquo later states, “instruments of darkness [who] tell us truths” (1.4. 126-128). They act as the instrument through which Macbeth can see himself. They reveal to Macbeth not only what awaits him in the future, but also the inner composition of man himself. Furthermore, the three witches are projections of Macbeth's mindscape. “[The witches] simply betray Macbeth by reflecting him, and in this way they resemble [a] dark mirror” (Favila, p. 17). Although witches are stern and wicked creatures, they show no evidence of being,. 2014.