Macbeth and the Three Witches
Artist: Théodore Chassériau (French, 1819-1856)
Date: 1855
Medium: Oil on wood
Collection: Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France
Description
Macbeth and the Three Witches (French: Macbeth et les trois sorcière) depicts a scene from William Shakespeare's 1623 tragedy Macbeth, when Macbeth, accompanied on horseback by Banquo, encounters the Three Witches on the moors.
Act 1, scene 3
Synopsis:
The three witches greet Macbeth as “Thane of Glamis” (as he is), “Thane of Cawdor,” and “king hereafter.” They then promise Banquo that he will father kings, and they disappear. Almost as soon as they are gone, Ross and Angus arrive with news that the king has named Macbeth “Thane of Cawdor.” Macbeth contemplates killing Duncan in order to become “king hereafter” as the witches have called him.
Thunder. Enter the three Witches.