The Three Witches and Greek Mythology's Fates

The Three Witches (also known as the weird sisters) are supernatural characters in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. They inform Macbeth that he is destined to be king which urges him to carry out the bloody, ambitious act of murder. They also show him visions of his fate, though their guidance ultimately leads to his destruction. Shakespeare’s witches, fascinating and frightening, appeal to our interest in the supernatural, acknowledging the presence of evil in our world and also the knowledge of one's fate. The Three Witches in Macbeth are closely related to and carry a similar purpose to the Fates in Greek mythology. The Moirai, or Fates were three sister gods, incarnations of destiny and life. Their names were Clotho, the one who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, she who draws the lots and determines how long one lives, by measuring the thread of life; and Atropos, the inevitable, she who chose how someone dies by cutting the thread of life with her shears. The Three Weird Sisters and the Fates share the similarities of being both good and evil, sharing the path of life, prophesying, coming in three, and also all being described as very ugly creatures. The Three Witches in Macbeth, although differing in action of an individual's life compared to The Fates- both share the role of prophesying a main character's future. With that being said, the character then takes this foretelling in whatever way they perceive destined for themselves. In Macbeth's situation, he may have wanted to change his motives if he knew his ending destiny.

Mabillard, Amanda. "The Relationship Between Macbeth and the Witches." Shakespeare 

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Romanova, Anastasia. "The Fates." Citelighter Collections. 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.