A literary tragedy is defined as a drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances. From "Hamlet" to "Othello", Shakespeare created many of history's most memorable tragedies. Perhaps his finest is "Macbeth". It is the story of a man, once honored and respected as a war hero, who became so wrapped up in his own ambition that he transformed into a murderer and dictator-like ruler. Macbeth is not entirely unaided in his descent into evil. He is influenced throughout the play by the Supernatural, and these forces drive the action of the play.
             The first sight of Supernatural forces comes in the form of the three witches, or "weird sisters". They open the play with a short scene that reveals their devious intentions to meet with Macbeth. Though it is unclear what they have in store for him, their quote "Fair is foul, and foul is fair: hover through the fog and filthy air" hints at deception to come. The exact origin of the witches is unclear, though it is speculated they are "partly rules of nature, and belonging to the nocturnal half of this earthly creation; partly human spirits, fallen from their original innocence, and deeply sunk in evil...helping humans to unfold and mature themselves into the evil purpose". (Dowden SLC 3 195) Whatever their physical makeup, they are obviously evil creatures who intend to participate in Macbeth's undoing.
             We see the witches again in Scene Three of Act One; here, they are meeting with Macbeth as they planned in Scene One. Macbeth and Banquo come upon the witches together, "to lay stress upon the reality of the Weird Sisters, the poet has introduced two men beholding them at the same time, so that we cannot well assert the appearances to be a mere subjective delus...