In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, supernatural powers are used by the three witches. These
powers are called familiars. A familiar is a spirit often embodied in an animal and is
there to serve and guard a person. Each of the witches possesses a familiar except for the
third witch. Her familiar is never laid on the table for us to see. In my paper I will show
how the owl is the familiar of the third witch.
     First you must understand what a familiar is. In Websters dictionary the word
familiar is defined as a closely acquainted; an intimate associate or companion, a spirit
embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person. The cliché of a
familiar is associated to witches and demonic characters. But, this is a very untrue
statement. A pet can also be a familiar to a regular person. There are four types of
familiars. The first is a physical creature who lives with and has an emotional bond with
a human. The second type of familiar is a creature which attaches itself to a human for
the purpose of aiding him or her. The third type of familiar is an element spirit. Some
witches call upon a spirit to overcome an obstacle. The fourth type of familiar is the sprit
of someone who has died. They come back for some reason or purpose usually to set
straight an event. These are all different types of familiars, but the one of my focal point
would be attachment. In Macbeth, the owl aides the witch and also offers protection and
acts as an overseer.
     The owl is a familiar which is associated with both good and evil. In ancient
Greece, the mythological Athena, the goddess of wisdom, held the owl as her bird. The
owl served a s a protector to her and accompanied armies to war. The owl was also an
inspiration in everyday life for the common man. Some village healers also used
familiars to help diagnose illness and to find lost objects and treasures. But, most
commonly, the owl is said to be the root of all evil.
     In Roman mythology, a superstition was that witches transformed into owls and
sucked the blood from innocent children. Another superstition which surfaced during the
middle ages in Europe, was about an owls appearance at night. It is said that when
people are helpless and blind, the owl is linked to the unknown, and if an owl called at
night, the air would be filled with apprehension: a death was imminent with some evil
hand at work. In some middle eastern cultures the owl represents the souls of people
who have died unavenged. This all adds up to the events surrounding the murder of
Duncan and the third witch.
     We learn in the beginning of the story that the first witch carries the cat as her
familiar. The second one carries a toad. But, the third witch just says “ Anon”, which
means at once. This shows us she is calling to something that we do not know about yet.
This gives us our clue that we must look in the play and that there is a familiar lurking.
“ I heard the owl scream....” ( II, ii, 14) this is said by Lady Macbeth when asked if she
heard a noise on the night of the murder. Why might she hear an owl? She hears it
because the owl is the guide to the underworld. Lilith the first wife of biblical Adam was
a witch. She would not submit to Adam and was exiled from the garden. When she was
exiled, she took the shape of an owl. That is why the owl is such a powerful symbol in
witchcraft. I think Shakespeare was trying to create a mood of betrayal and misery.
There are continuous mentions of a bird call throughout the play.
     The owl is brought up in Macbeth at the eeriest times. It is also brought up in
some ways that it makes in completely obvious to us that the owl is third familiar. In act
IV, scene i, line 3, we learn the name of the third familiar is Hapier. We know that it is a
familiar because it is said on the side notes. It mentions a spirit attending the witches.
Well a familiar is a spiritual aid, right? Another point would be in the witches “hell
broth”. This may be insignificant, but it rang a bell in my head. In the pot, all the
familiars were thrown in. There was a cat, toad and owl. They may be doing this so the
spirits will be sent up. Another time you see the owl is on the night of the murders.
     “.....and confused events new hatched to the woeful time: the obscure bird
clamored the livelong night.” (II, iii, 58). The obscure bird is the owl. Lennox describes
how it was hard to sleep that night because of the noise and commotion outside the
castle. One of these annoyances was that of a shadowy bird. Why would they pick the
owl? It all leads back to one thing. In the beginning I discussed how the owl represents
the souls of people unavenged. Maybe the owl screamed because Duncan had no reason
to die. He was the unavenged soul. This is just one more significance in Macbeth.
     I believe that the owl is the third familiars witch. I have shown that in numerous
points in the play thus far, how the owl was brought up with the presence of evil. Even
though it was never said, we can assume that she possesses the owl, just like we infer
other aspects from this play. Even if the bird isn’t the third familiar, it is a significant
character in the play.