"Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."
These lines are one of the most memorable couplets in the English language. They were spoken by the three witches in William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Macbeth.
On the following pages you will examine the role of the witches and other supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s masterpiece about a Scottish general who seizes the throne from the rightful king.
This lesson is intended for students who have read Macbeth in its entirety and are comfortable reading Shakespeare independently. We recommend having a copy of the full text of the play on hand as you complete the lesson. Please ask your instructor if you have any questions about completing the lesson.