THE THIRD WITCH -- Rebecca Reisert

Washington Square Press -- hc
New York -- 2001 -- 307pp
ISBN: 0-7434-1771-2

Madness and revenge highlight this story of the third witch from Shakespeare's story of Macbeth.

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I'm never quite sure how to feel about a story that picks up on a minor character from a more famous work. Sometimes it can be done quite well (see Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead) and other times be quite dull (see The Turquoise Ring).

This particular book does a great job of tying in many of the scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and in that it is fun to watch the parallels ... to see what else might have been happening during some of the pivotal moments of the play, and then see how the two works come together in specific moments.

The "take" on this third witch is interesting, and there were times that I enjoyed the method in which she was portrayed. I did have some serious problems with the story, however. I felt it was just plain wrong to have this young woman be the daughter of Lady Macbeth (yes, I understand that this was the motivation for her revenge), long thought to have died.

Perhaps I could have accepted this convention if it weren't for the fact that this young woman, one of the three witches, was also instrumental in saving Prince Malcolm, Fleance, and causing Macbeth's delusions of seeing the dead Banquo (by placing Banquo's belongings on a chair where only Macbeth could see them). According to this book, it was also the third witch who warned the Macduff family of their impending doom, and she even tried to save the children but was trapped by the murderers and only by a bit of luck did she survive where all the others in the Macduff home were killed.

My main problem with this book, then, is that the author tried to weave just a few too many incidents into the work of one person. It might be fun for the reader familiar with the play to see these work together, but it does distract from the "reality" of the story.

And finally, I was frankly disappointed that the story had such an incredibly happy ending. it was contrary to everything else in the book, and contrary to the source for this story. It brought this story into the realm of fairy tale at the very last moment.

Not recommended except for those who might enjoy the Macbeth parallels.