If that one moment, the meeting with the witches on the heath, had not happened then Macbeth would have no doubt gone on to be a loyal and respected subject of King Duncan and later king Malcom. Nevertheless the meeting did occur and the powerful force of ambition was unleashed within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
It is clear that the witches are responsible for commencing the events which led to Macbeth's tragedy. The witches greeting to Macbeth:.
"All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.
All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.
All hail Macbeth, that shall be king hereafter" (Act 1 Scene 3 Page 6).
went directly to his heart and his ambitious nature, inspiring Macbeth with the thought that he could become king. Moreover, we could also state that the witches would be credible to anyone who came across them since in Shakespeare's era many people believed in witches and their power to see the future. In addition, their strange appearances and inhuman characteristics, along with the fact that they vanish after the first meeting with Macbeth, add to their credibility. The prediction of these witches would of course focus Macbeth's mind on the fact that he must soon become king. Hence, leading us to believe that the witches were exploiting the situation for their own evil ends, and are giving Macbeth what he wants to hear because they want to lure Macbeth to harm.
The time when the witches revealed their knowledge to Macbeth is exceptional since soon after their meeting, Macbeth is appointed thane of Cawdor and cannot help but speculate whether the second part of the witches" prediction (that he will soon claim the throne) will also prove accurate. These thoughts rest in Macbeth's head and his inner ambition begins to develop now knowing that he will achieve his ultimate dream. We can visible as when Banquo tries to distract Macbeth away from the witches prediction by saying that the forces of darkness will use truths to make us trust them and then deceive us in more important matters, Macbeth thinks differently and begins to see himself as king.
