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All Site ContentMacbethAct 4Scene 1
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Familiars
Allusion
Act 4,
Scene 1
Lines 1-3

An explanation of the witches’ familiars in Act 4, Scene 1 of myShakespeare’s Macbeth.

[A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron. Thunder. Enter the three Witches]

First Witch

Thrice the brinded cat hath mewed.

Second Witch

Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Witch

Harpier cries, 'Tis time, 'tis time.

According to folklore, witches were believed to have devil spirits, or familiars, as companions who took the form of animals. The first one is a cat, the second is a hedgehog (or hedge-pig), and the third is a harpy ("Harpier"), a monster from Greek mythology with the face of a woman and the body of a bird.