Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1 – The Witches. The following extract has been taken from Act One of 'Macbeth'. In this extract, the beginning of the play, we are introduced to the witches. Thunder and lightning; Enter three Witches.

Summary:
This extract introduces three witches who plan to meet again after a battle, before sunset, on a heath, to meet Macbeth. They conclude their meeting with the paradoxical line, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."

Writer's purpose:

• Perhaps Shakespeare opens his play with three witches to establish a supernatural and unsettling tone.
• Perhaps Shakespeare opens his play with three witches to warn the audience about the deceptive nature of appearances.
• Perhaps Shakespeare opens his play with three witches to foreshadow the dark events and moral corruption that will unfold.

Extract specific questions:

1. Shakespeare uses "thunder and lightning" and "fog and filthy air" to create an ominous and threatening atmosphere. This stormy weather immediately signals that something unnatural and dangerous is about to occur, setting a dark mood for the play.

2. Shakespeare alludes to the chaos engulfing Scotland through the witches' discussion of "the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won." This line indicates that a significant conflict has just concluded, implying a state of unrest and uncertainty in the kingdom.

3. The warning "'Fair is foul, and foul is fair'" suggests that appearances can be deceiving and that moral values will be inverted throughout the play. Shakespeare may be warning his audience that what seems good or honorable might be evil, and vice versa, foreshadowing Macbeth's descent into tyranny.

Links to other areas of the text:
The witches are seen plotting and scheming again in Act 3, Scene 5, when Hecate chastises them for dealing with Macbeth without her, and in Act 4, Scene 1, when they conjure apparitions for Macbeth in their cave.

Themes:

1. Supernatural vs. Natural: The presence of the witches and their ability to influence events immediately introduces the theme of the supernatural, contrasting with the natural order of the world.
2. Appearance vs. Reality: The line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" directly introduces this theme, suggesting that things are not always as they seem, which becomes central to Macbeth's deception and moral ambiguity.

Extra Challenge task:

• How Shakespeare presents evil forces in this extract: In this extract, Shakespeare presents evil forces through the three witches, who are associated with "thunder and lightning" and "filthy air." Their cryptic language and their intention to meet Macbeth immediately establish them as agents of malevolence and supernatural influence, hinting at their role in corrupting human will.

• How Shakespeare presents evil forces in the play as a whole: Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents evil forces not only through the supernatural influence of the witches but also through the ambition and moral corruption within human characters, particularly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The witches act as catalysts, but the true evil stems from the characters' choices to pursue power through violence and deception, leading to tyranny, guilt, and the destruction of the natural order.