In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the witches, also known as the "three weird sisters," greet Macbeth with three distinct titles. These titles serve as almost an outline for the play at large, predicting Macbeth's future and igniting his ambition to be king.
In Act 1, Scene 3, readers are already familiar with the witches, who opened the play in Scene 1. As Macbeth and Banquo return from battle, they happen upon the Weird Sisters. Banquo suggests they seem to be supernatural, and Macbeth bids them to speak and clarify who they are. They greet him first as Macbeth, Thane of Glamis. This is, in fact, his current title.
"All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!" (First Witch).
However, readers know that, in Act 1, scene 2, King Duncan has received word that the King of Norway has been defeated because of Macbeth's leadership. He also knows that the Thane of Cawdor has been proven a traitor, and he orders the Thane's execution. He also orders Ross to go to Macbeth and inform him that Macbeth is to be the new Thane of Cawdor. This is the second title with which the Weird Sisters greet Macbeth.
"All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!" (Second Witch).
The third title is news to Macbeth, Banquo, and readers. The third witch greets Macbeth:
"All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!" (Third Witch).
It's interesting to note that the language of this third greeting is different than the others; the first two greetings were present tense, as, though Macbeth didn't know he was Thane of Cawdor, both were already official. The third greeting is future tense, "thou shalt be," indicating a prophecy.
In summary, the three titles with which the Weird Sisters greet Macbeth are:
1. Thane of Glamis
2. Thane of Cawdor
3. King of Scotland
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