The witches, or weird sisters, of Macbeth have remained one of the most popular aspects of the play. The three witches, the first characters the audience encounters, are mysterious beings who set the tone for the rest of the play, most of which takes place in a similarly dark and stormy atmosphere. When the play was performed during the late English Renaissance, the witches would make their initial appearance coming up and out of the trap door on the stage of the Globe theater. Later produc tions included singing, dancing, and flying witches, attached to ceiling wires.

The witches also perform a more serious function than that of entertainment: their appearance in the play poses the question of whether Macbeth's actions are governed by fate, or determined by his own free will. Critics have questioned the meaning behind the witches statement "All hail, Macbeth, that shall...