Macbeth - Opening Scene

The opening scene of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is indeed a very short scene, but is no doubt highly significant and has definitely a strong impact on the whole play. The thunder and lightning alone give it a dramatic opening, which grabs the interest of the audience. Instead of meeting the title hero in the very first scene, Shakespeare's audiences are made to meet three weird-looking women on a desolate heath. The witches introduce us to a dark, dangerous play, in which the theme of evil is central. Also, they introduce us to the additional themes of ambivalence and equivocation which form the keynote of the play. Although the actions start only in the second scene where we get to meet the proper characters, this first scene sets the mood of the play - creating appropriate atmosphere to suit the theme and the later actions.

One might initially wonder why Shakespeare began his most famous play with the three witches rather than the protagonist or some other proper character. However, this he might have done keeping in mind quite a few reasons. Firstly, the satanic theme of inversing fair and foul had to be addressed in the beginning. Secondly, without this scene, the ironies of the play would not have been made effective. And moreover the witches are independent characters and thus need not bear much of a link with other characters in the play.

The play opens with Nature in its primeval state: the bleak and rugged landscape of the Heath is a fitting environment to the tragedy; the thunder and lightning reflects the elemental connection between the microcosm and macrocosm, suggesting turmoil in both. The dramatic sound effects help to set the eerie and supernatural atmosphere typically associated with the witches. It is also to be noted that the play opens on a "heath" - bearing an allusion to the witches' rough, "choppy" and "skinny" appearance; and it is significant that the witches devise to meet Macbeth on this heath. The barrenness of the heath can be related to the barrenness of Lady Macbeth, and later to the "barren" scepter that the witches (as Macbeth accuses) did put in Macbeth's gripe.

As the witches announce their plans of meeting Macbeth "when the battle's lost and won", the audience is yet to learn about the battle. However here we certainly get to explore the paradox that continues to rule throughout the play: the theme of winning and losing. Macbeth's fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose the battle for his soul. The paranormal powers, i.e. the witches, are in control of Macbeth's destiny with their "hurly burly" and their prophesying abilities.

The most striking aspect of this very short scene is in the twelfth line where the three witches chant in chorus "Fair is foul, and foul is fair". Here perhaps lies the genius of Shakespeare, who, through this single line, succeeds in delivering to his audience the main purpose of the drama: the difference between appearance and reality. What appears to be fair is quite the opposite in reality. This might refer to the fact that Duncan was beguiled by Macbeth's noble appearance and was