Macbeth’s Destiny The witches, in the play Macbeth, have mysterious powers in which they can affect events and the environment of a person. They use these powers, as seen with the sailor, to make a person’s life more difficult. The witches use these powers on Macbeth. By using these powers, the witches control Macbeth’s destiny and eventually cause his downfall. The powers of the witches can be seen in their first “prediction” in which they call Macbeth the Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (I. 3. 48