RALPH: Today, hurly-burly refers to a busy, noisy activity, like the ruckus in a high school hallway between classes. 

DAVINA: But the expression derives from the word “hurl” which meant to throw, or be driven along, with violence. In Shakespeare’s time, a hurly-burly was a violent conflict, an armed battle. 

RALPH: The witches agree to meet up again after the battle, when the "hurly-burly is done, when the battle is lost and won." 

DAVINA: It's no coincidence to find witches on a battlefield, as Shakespeare’s audience would have understood. Witches need body parts to use as ingredients in their magical potions. 

RALPH: And what better place to find body parts than a battlefield? Church graveyards won’t work, since the bodies are buried in sacred ground. But on a battlefield, the witches can scavenge around and hack off … 

DAVINA: OK, I think we get the idea, Ralph.