Final answer:
Shakespeare opened the play with witches to instantly engage the audience with a sense of supernatural intrigue and set up the themes of fate and power. This approach catered to Elizabethan interests in the occult and aimed to leave a lasting impact on the audience.
Step-by-step explanation:
The playwright's main purpose in opening the play with the witches is to capture the audience's attention immediately through an element of intrigue and supernatural mystery. This choice sets the tone for the entire play, suggesting themes of the supernatural and the unknown, which were topics that greatly fascinated the audience of the time. Indeed, William Shakespeare sought to gain the attention of a wide range of Elizabethan spectators, from commoners to royalty, who were deeply interested in witchcraft and the occult, believed to be real and powerful forces.
Moreover, the use of witches serves to foreshadow the overarching themes of fate, power, and the influence of supernatural forces on human affairs, all of which are central to the play's plot. Additionally, Shakespeare likely intended to make a lasting impression on his audience by opening with a jarring and memorable scene. This tactic was an ingenious way to ensure that the play's moral and dramatic messages would resonate with the audience during the performance and long after they had left the theatre.