Macbeth¡s pursuit through life: he had never thought of it till it was suggested to him by the witches; he receives their promise, and the subsequent earnest of the truth of it, with calmness¡ (Whateley 178). In fact the original inclination for Macbeth to be king came from the three witches. They were the first to implant the thought into his head. ¡§Macbeth is deeply impressed [with the witch¡s prophecy]. He thinks this over aloud. 'How can I be Thane of Cawdor when the Thane of Cawdor is alive?¡ [cf. I. iii. 72-5] When the mental stumbling-block
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