The play opens with the three Witches ("weird sisters") discussing their upcoming meeting with Macbeth. Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, and Banquo, generals to King Duncan of Scotland, have just defeated an invasion of Scotland by the allied forces of Norway and Ireland led by the rebel Macdonwald.
As Macbeth and Banquo wander into a heath the three Witches greet them with prophecies. The first witch hails Macbeth as "Thane of Glamis", the second as "Thane of Cawdor", and the third that he shall "be King hereafter". The Witches also inform Banquo he shall be father of a line of kings. …
