The fact that the witches, or "weird sisters" open Macbeth is key to the events of the plot, the tone of the play, and the way readers see Macbeth himself.
In the opening scene, the weird sisters announce that they're going to meet Macbeth after a battle has ended, and they part with the famous "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" line. First, this is the witches' creed; they like what's foul or evil...
The fact that the witches, or "weird sisters" open Macbeth is key to the events of the plot, the tone of the play, and the way readers see Macbeth himself.
In the opening scene, the weird sisters announce that they're going to meet Macbeth after a battle has ended, and they part with the famous "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" line. First, this is the witches' creed; they like what's foul or evil and rotten, but the line takes on added significance once we arrive at Act 1, Scene 2, and we learn that Macbeth had a key part in winning the battle.
The Sergeant tells King Duncan and his son Malcolm about the fight and declares that "brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name" faced their enemy in combat and beheaded him. Macbeth is a faithful servant to his king, and a war hero who helped defend their kingdom. In the words of the witches, Macbeth starts out as "fair" or good. However, they've also warned us what will happen- Macbeth will become foul (or maybe he already is on the inside).
Later, when the witches interact with Macbeth and start to show him visions of himself as king, which is the impetus for him to commit murder and treason, it could be argued that the witches "foul" Macbeth by hexing him or infusing him with evil. Or, it could also be argued that the witches are figments of Macbeth's already rotten inner desires. In any case, the general story is just as the witches predicted in the opening scene; Macbeth, who once was fair, grows more and more foul throughout the play.
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