MacBeth is a classic tragedy – the one whose name cannot be said (or bad things will happen). Wyrd Sister (in German called MacBest) is a story from Terry Pratchett that decided to focus on the witches – and it is glorious. 

Admittingly, I have never seen MacBeth in a theater. Maybe I missed something, maybe I will see it and it will be horrible (I am kind of scarred since I have seen a rather weird interpretation of Hamlet). Yet, I know, as most people, the general plot of the story. For those who forgot, let me summarize quickly: the story revolves around the name-giving general, who receives a prophecy of three witches that he will one day become king. Driven by his own greed and his wife’s encouragement, he murders the king. He then gets paranoid and kills more and more people. The tragedy ends with the death of both MacBeth and his wife. As said, this is a real short summary, because I don’t want to talk about MacBeth today, but it’s a little bit lesser known cousin: Wyrd Sisters. 

shakespeare gets the terry pratchett treatment

The german title already suggests it – MacBest is a parody of the tragedy from Shakespeare (with the english title you have to think outside the box). Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series, uses his world to parodize a lot of topics (including, but not limited to: money, the postal service, football or rock’n’roll), also world-famous works of other artists. Wyrd sisters is – as the name kind of gives away – not a tragedy at all, instead it gives a fun view on the whole topic. 

Wyrd Sisters is the sixth novel of the Discworld series. Pratchett decided to focus the story on the three witches. One of them, Granny Weatherwax, was already introduced in another one, her two companions are new to the series (but will be met again in later novels). The three witches, Granny Weatherway, Nanny Ogg, and Margrat Garlick, couldn’t be more different from each other. Granny is an experienced witch and a loner, her best friend (although she would never admit that) Nanny is also an experienced witch, that is more interested in drinking and making the life of her many daughters-in-law a living hell, while Margrat is a young witch who believes in crystals and cycles of nature. 

The novel starts in the style of a theater play, with a list of parties you will meet in the novel. Then the story starts – in the classical style of MacBeth in a dark and stormy night – where the witches are meeting up in a dark forest. As the novel parodizes MacBeth, the king of Lancre dies, killed by his own cousin Duke Felmet, who was persuaded by his wife to do so. A servant, who was travelling with the king, takes the crown and the king’s son to the witches to make sure he is saved. The witches, not knowing what to do with the child, give it to a group of travelling artists and hide the crown close to the boy, believing that faith will find its way. 

However, the new king (the murderous cousin) is a horrible ruler of the country. As the witches cannot wait for the child to grow up, they cast a spell over Lancre, so that while the rest of the world is experiencing 15 years, the country is only spending some days. 

The king is angry with the witches and his unflattering view by the people and tries to right this with the performance of a play that will portray him in a favourable light while destroying the witches’ reputation. By a coincidence (or faith doing its job) he hires the same acting troop that has adopted the former kings’ child to do the job. They do as asked (and being paid for) but the witches again intervene in the middle of the play and cast a spell to show the truth about what has happened – exposing Felmet as the murderer of the former king. Felmet – true to form of Shakespeare – goes finally insane over that revelation and dies. His treacherous wife is imprisoned and can escape, only to be killed by wild animals that take revenge for her treatment of the land. 

macbeth or wyrd sisters?

While Shakespeare doesn’t show what happens after the death of MacBeth (he only implies that MacDuff will become the new ruler), Pratchett decided to move on. He declares a new ruler to the kingdom of Lancre – the former kings’ fool. 

Pratchetts’ Wyrd Sisters shows that there is a chance to retell old stories in a new light. He shows that you can take the material and fully rearrange it, while also staying true to form. Pratchett takes the main ingredients of the tragedy, spices them up and provides us with an original story that doesn’t devalue Shakespeare’s original MacBeth but is way funnier and more enjoyable. 

In the end, by rewriting the story of MacBeth Pratchett was able to create something new. And maybe the new and funny creates also interest, in reading the original. By that, new stories, that rewrite something, can also increase the interest in the classics.