The description of the witches' concoction is simply two-fold. First, it serves to define them as witches who perform the black arts. Secondly, it is Shakespeare's usage of actual historical information. When King James I became King of England, he was opposed by certain groups of people. Agnes Seaton and a group of women were among these groups of people who did not want a Scottish king leading England. Originally, they had hoped to poison the King using his own clothing, but they could not find a way to get their hands on his attire. So, they had to resort to curses. In their testimony, they claim to have created a concoction very similar to that of Macbeth's witches in the hope of cursing King James. Part of their curse was to create adverse weather conditions which would sink his ships. As luck would have it, however, a terrible storm did actually occur and destroyed a ship carrying James' wife's gifts from abroad. Rather unfortunate for both the Queen and Agnes Seaton, for Agnes was tried and convicted of witchcraft as a result. Shakespeare uses this information to not only create vivid characters in his play, but to compliment James by using the King's life to inspire his work.
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