RALPH: Welcome to the show. It's so nice to have you here. Hecate. I hope I'm saying that right. Hecate? 

HECATE: It's perfect, yes it's Hecate. You know, I'm sensing a little nervous energy. I'm trained to notice such things. You're not nervous, are you? 

RALPH: No. Not at all. Well, okay maybe a little. It's not everyday you get to interview a goddess. And in this case, the goddess of the moon. And also of witches. 

HECATE: Yes, that's correct. But don't let that little detail make you nervous, either. 

RALPH: You mean the part about the witches. 

HECATE: Yes. We're very misunderstood. 

RALPH: Yes. Or at least hard to understand, if I may say so myself. And that sometimes leads to misunderstandings. 

HECATE: Well, perhaps this interview will help some of those things. 

RALPH: Well, that would be wonderful. Thanks so much for putting me at ease. 

HECATE: Where shall we begin? 

RALPH: Well, let's see. Well, maybe we could just start with what's happening right now, and then dig into some of the issues. 

HECATE: Sounds perfect. You're very good at your job. 

RALPH: Well, thanks. We'll see how it goes. So let's see. So you're meeting with the witches. The ones that met with Macbeth. And one of them asks why you look angry. Are you angry with them? 

HECATE: Of course I am. 

RALPH: Oh, dear. I'm sorry. 

HECATE: Have you seen them? Incredibly rude. How dare they play with Macbeth, trafficking in riddles and affairs of death? 

RALPH: Oh dear, so they've gone rogue, as we might say? 

HECATE: I'm their boss. None of the things they do can happen without me pulling the strings. 

RALPH: So, right, so, what is that stuff exactly that they're doing? And how do they do it? 

HECATE: My point is none of this happens without my approval. They run the risk of giving us a bad name in the process. And all for that Macbeth who cares only for what's good for him, like the rest of you lot. And cares nothing for us. 

RALPH: So, you mean your powers should be reserved for those who would honor you? Like the goddess that you are? 

HECATE: I need to put those three in their place. Tell them to get going. We'll meet later in the pit of Acheron. 

RALPH: Acheron? You mean the river in hell? You're going to meet them in hell? 

HECATE: Macbeth is on his way. He wants to know his destiny. Everybody wants to know their destiny. Lucky for us. The weird sisters will have to bring their entire bag of tricks. I'm headed back to the moon now. I'm going to prepare some apparitions to bring this all to an end. 

RALPH: Yes. That's interesting. And here's where I think we could dig in a little. I think our audience would love to know more about how all of this works. The magic, the role of destiny-- 

HECATE: There's a lot of power in the moon. And I'm going to collect it. I will distill a vaporous drop from the moon, and I will create such illusions for Macbeth, strong illusions that will draw him further into his confusion. He will reject fate. He will laugh at death. And his hopes will outweigh his wisdom and fear of death. 

RALPH: Is that such a bad thing, to not fear death? 

HECATE: The sense of safety, Ralph, you know overconfidence, is the most dangerous mortal enemy that humans have. 

RALPH: Our greatest enemy? A sense of safety? I guess you're right, that it's good to be always a little bit worried about the future. But if we could get back to how all of this really works. 

HECATE: Did you hear that? I'm called. 

RALPH: No, I didn't hear anything. 

HECATE: My little spirit, see, sits in a foggy cloud and stays for me. 

RALPH: A foggy cloud? Here in the studio? I don't see anything. Well, we learned a little bit there. Right?