Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I [Round about the cauldron go]
by William Shakespeare
The three witches, casting a spell
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights hast thirty one
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse,
Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
I have always enjoyed this passage from Macbeth. It’s such a wonderful mixture of words, and is perfect as Halloween approaches.
Joe
The Closet Professor 
October 23rd, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Interesting – male witches!!! I have only been exposed to the female variety, pointed nose, cone shaped hat, etc. Yours add a new depth!Add to this "Quote the Raven, Nevermore" and Halloween is done!
October 23rd, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Such wonderful ingredients! I want a double portion of "wool of bat" (being a caver and all). Peace <3Jay
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:13 pm
Male witches are called "warlocks"!I love the new Geico commercial of the witch flying around inside a broom factory.
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Silvereagle, I posted "The Raven" last Tuesday. Uncutplus, in Shakespeare, they are actually known as the bearded sisters and though always assumed to be women, they were originally played by men, so they could have just been gay "sisters" LOL.
October 23rd, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Jay, I just love the words.
October 23rd, 2012 at 11:42 pm
Sounds like a pretty poisonous brew with that hemlock in there!But what did Shakespeare have against Jews, Turks, Tartars, and babes (I think meant to be an infant, not a gorgeous woman). LOL
October 24th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Turks and Tartars had invaded the the West and were considered serious enemies. Jews had been officially hated throughout Europe except in Spain under the Moors (they were expelled in 1492) and Queen Elizabeth's Jewish doctor was one of a group of seven beheaded in a plot to kill her. After that the few other Jews known to be in England were deported. I LOVE those male witches. I know of a couple of productions that have cast them as men even when casting the other female roles with women.
October 28th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
wonderful words.
December 19th, 2012 at 12:00 am
@uncutplus,male witches are NOT called warlocks.a male witch is a witch. Being called warlock is highly offensive. A warlock is a witch, male, or female who has been locked out of his or her coven, and the members of the group have turned their backs on the individual labeled as a warlock, because they feel that their tradition, or the craft was in someway betrayed.
December 19th, 2012 at 12:27 am
Very interesting, anon.