In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Macbeth faces various external and supernatural influences. The most influential forces are the three witches, Lady Macbeth and the apparitions. It is these forces, along with Macbeth's greed for power and ambition for the throne, that energize his actions. The opening scene of Macbeth depicts the three witches wandering the moor. This scene has thunder, lightning, and fog, creating the necessary darkness for an evil work. In this scene, the witches demonstrate three powers, they control the weather: "When will we three meet again, with thunder, lightning or rain?" (2.1.1-2). One of the powers witches were thought to have in Shakespeare's time was the ability to change the weather and create a storm. Witches can see the future; “There to Meet Macbeth” (1.2.8). Does this show that the witches expect to meet Macbeth soon? These witches are never called by their names; however they openly discuss when they will meet Macbeth, the main character. Since the witches talk about Macbeth, the audience wonders what relationship Macbeth has with the three witches. Witches speak in riddles. "When the battle is lost and won" (2.1.8). At first glance this statement seems ridiculous, but after rereading it we realize the contradiction. The term "conquered" of the battle refers to the battlefield where he fought honorably and his side won. “The Battle Is Lost” is about the fact that after the battle, Macbeth slowly, throughout the play, loses all of his humanity as he is overwhelmed by evil and selfish actions. Or was the battle a battle against him? The witches have a very powerful influence in Macbeth's life. The witches make Macbeth think in the middle of the paper, in themselves, they constitute a punishment (1619). Macbeth is a tragedy that battles the external forces of good and evil. Regret, greed, power and, above all, ambition, influence Macbeth. However, external forces provide energy to the play and are only a scapegoat for Macbeth's true weaknesses: which are greed, the ability to commit murder, and Macbeth's strong drive to achieve the position of Monarch. Work cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Shakespeare's Complete Pelican. Eds. Stephen Orgel and AR Braunnuller. New York: Penguin 2002: 1616-1662.---. Macbeth .William Shakespeare Macbeth Texts and Contexts .Ed .William C. Carroll Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 1999.---. Macbeth. Shakespeare made the modern English version of Macbeth simple alongside the complete original text. Ed. Alan Durband New York: Hutching Publishing Group, 1984.