Macbeth Act III Scene 5 Summary

Plot Summary / Story-line

The three witches meet with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, in an undefined supernatural realm. Hecate expresses anger that the witches have been dealing with Macbeth without consulting her first. She criticizes Macbeth as unworthy, describing him as "wayward, spiteful, and wrathful"—a man interested only in his own ambition rather than the witches' darker purposes.

Nevertheless, Hecate agrees to participate in tomorrow's meeting at the pit of Acheron. She declares that she will engineer visions that will give Macbeth false confidence, luring him toward his ultimate destruction and confusion. Hecate commands the witches to prepare, stating that she herself will orchestrate events leading to "a dismal and fatal end."​​

Commentary on Act III, Scene v

This brief scene is controversial among scholars, with many arguing it was added by another writer rather than composed by Shakespeare himself. Regardless of authorship, the scene raises profound questions about fate, agency, and moral justice.

Hecate represents a higher order of supernatural malevolence—while the witches seem amoral or playful in their manipulations, Hecate explicitly works toward Macbeth's destruction as a form of cosmic justice. Her criticism of Macbeth as "wayward, spiteful, and wrathful" suggests that the supernatural forces are not merely indifferent agents but active judges of moral transgression.

Significantly, Hecate states that Macbeth's downfall will come through his own overconfidence—the witches will show him visions that give him false security, and in trusting these visions, he will engineer his own defeat. This reveals a sophisticated understanding of how prophecy operates: not through direct causation but through the hearer's interpretation and response.

The "dismal and fatal end" Hecate promises suggests that cosmic order demands retribution for Macbeth's crimes. The scene emphasizes that ambition and tyranny ultimately invite supernatural justice.