Macbeth Group

Question:

lala56
lala56
Student
Community / Jr. College

Why do the witches say they will meet "when the battles lost and won" [1.1.4] wouldn't it be more appropriate to say "lost or won"?

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Posted by lala56 on Sunday March 8, 2009 at 7:33 PM and tagged with act 1 scene 4, characters, macbeth, quotes, witches.

Answers:


  1. danylyshen Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The witches and their prophecies are necessarily arcane, occult, and cryptic. When they say when the "battle's lost and won" they may be talking about MacBeth or they may be talking about the struggle for power and the crown of Scotland. There is always a winner and always a loser, but we're not wholly sure WHO the witches are speaking of. Perhaps it's MacBeth, but it may also be MacDuff. The witches speak in riddles and half truths so there's bound to be some mystery about what exactly they mean. Again, that's the power of Shakespeare's words to build arcane worlds of wonder and mystery.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/act-summary-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/three-witches-weird-sisters...

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    Posted by danylyshen on Sunday March 8, 2009 at 8:06 PM