Act 3, Scene 5 Summary

The Witches meet Hecate, Queen of the Witches. Hecate is mad at them for not alerting her about Macbeth. For Macbeth, to her, is just a "wayward son," who cares not for them, probably not worth trifling with. But, in the morning, all of them will meet and he will shortly know his destiny. She is off to the moon, where she will capture a "vaporous drop," which she will distill to cause great artificial sprites to manifest. These creatures will then draw Macbeth through deep illusions to hold a false security about his life.

Act 3, Scene 5 Analysis

With Hecate, Queen of the Witches, Shakespeare has stepped up the import of the drama. Although discounting Macbeth, Hecate takes extra special measures to assure her involvement in the spell. The importance of Macbeth's fate is enhanced.