THE BEGINNING OF MACBETH, EXPLAINED
As Macbeth starts these witches appear. The thunder and the lightning reveals to us that they may have dealings with the supernatural bearing a multitude of powers and spells, or the thunder and lightning could mean that they bring destruction and rage. They then proceed to say that fair is foul and foul is fair which I believe means that what is fair and beautiful could and possibly will tarnish and become foul over time along with something terrible and foul becoming something majestic and fair or that a belief or superstition appears to be right and just might actually be evil and malicious. This short quote could serve as foreshadowing since they give Macbeth and Banquo their fortunes, but Macbeth starts to actually think about it and it taints his mind a little. He does understand that his thoughts of taking the throne are evil but they could get the best of him. then the witches also say that a battle can be "lost and won" which could also be foreshadowing that Macbeth does plot to take the crow but ends up in serious consequences or the crown itself could end up corrupting his soul.Then they talk of familiars Graymalkin and Paddock whose purpose I do not understand but they are there to serve as a guide to whose fortune or misfortune be told.
In the next scene we have a wounded sergeant who reports on what happened in battle portraying Macbeth as a strong soldier who fight to win the battle sparing no mercy defeating a merciless beast. This rival is named Macdonwald. He makes a fine rival since he has a large army of villains who match his heartless spirit that follow his doing. The poor sergeant says that Macbeth deserves his name since valiant he is in defeating the powerful Macdonwald with his steaming bloodied sword. Scotland was fighting for $10,000 they could use.
Afterwards we actually connect with Macbeth in the flesh instead of having to thear what others would say about him. He traveled with Banquo. Together they encountered three witches. They spoke in poetry and rhyme. I feel that they did this because they were portraying how they were supernatural and otherworldly. The witches told Macbeth that he would become King and they told Banquo that he would give birth to kings though one would not have fortune while the other will. The irony is that they both would be involved with kingly powers, but one would end happy while the other wouldn't and, well, they wondered how that could bee since they both seems great. Banquo, however, does greatly doubt the witches while Macbeth listens and considers their words, but doesn't really believe it. This tells us that Banquo gives things more considerate thought while Macbeth absorbs ideas and thinks about them a bit. One of Banquo's thoughts is "But ‘tis strange!  And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray us in deepest consequence” which tells us that evil souls had come to give them honests truths that would lead to their own downfalls by causing their own deadly behaviors.