The Speaker

The speaker is a third-person narrator who may be interpreted as a storyteller, forest deity, or someone who has come to spy on the witch. Even though the speaker is held at a distance from the central figure, they know a great deal about the witch’s actions and the properties of the plants she harvests. There is a sense that the speaker may be priming the reader or listener to follow in the witch’s footsteps.

The Witch

The witch is the protagonist of the poem, so central to its message that she is featured in the title. This character is also referred to as a “crone” and a “hag” (Lines 6, 23), terms for elderly women that were considered derogatory but are slowly being reclaimed. The witch is presented as both vengeful and powerful, someone who is unafraid to embody their full feminine power even at the...