06 Wyrd Sisters
06 Wyrd Sisters
06 Wyrd Sisters
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Wyrd Sisters
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This article is about the novel. For the characters from William Shakespeare's
Macbeth, see Weird Sisters. For the band, see Wyrd Sisters (band).
Not to be confused with Weird Sisters.
Wyrd Sisters is Terry Pratchett's sixth Discworld novel, published in 1988. It re-
introduces Granny Weatherwax of Equal Rites.[1]
Wyrd Sisters
Wyrd-sisters-cover.jpg
First edition
Author
Terry Pratchett
Cover artist
Josh Kirby
Language
English
Series
Discworld
6th novel – 2nd Witches story
Subject
Genre
Fantasy
Published
10 November 1988 Victor Gollancz
Awards
Came 135th in the Big Read
ISBN
0-575-04363-6
Preceded by
Sourcery
Followed by
Pyramids
Plot Edit
Wyrd Sisters features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a
large tribe of Oggs and owner of the most evil cat in the world; and Magrat
Garlick, the junior witch, who firmly believes in occult jewelry, covens, and
bubbling cauldrons, much to the annoyance of the other two.
King Verence I of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, Duke Felmet, after his
ambitious wife persuades him to do so. The King's crown and child are given by an
escaping servant to the three witches. The witches hand the child to a troupe of
travelling actors, and hide the crown in the props-box. They acknowledge that
destiny will eventually take its course and that the child, Tomjon, will grow up to
defeat Duke Felmet and take his rightful place as king.
However, the kingdom is angry about the way the new King is mistreating the land
and his subjects. The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years until
Tomjon is able to return and save the kingdom, but by then irreparable damage will
have been done. Granny Weatherwax, with help from the other two witches, manages to
cast a spell over the entire kingdom to send it forward in time by 15 years.
Meanwhile, the duke has decided to have a play written and performed that portrays
him in a favourable light and the witches in a negative light. He thinks this will
cause the witches to lose their power, and the people will like him. He sends the
court Fool to Ankh-Morpork to recruit the same acting company that Tomjon was given
to, which now resides in the Dysk Theatre on the river Ankh.
The company make their way to Lancre, and perform the play for the King as asked.
However, Hwel, the playwright, maintains that there is something wrong with the
plot of the play, something that just doesn't feel right. The witches cast a spell
in the middle of the play that causes the actors to portray the killing of the king
truthfully, and the audience sees that the Duke and Duchess are guilty of killing
Verence I. Felmet finally succumbs to insanity and stabs several people with a
retracting stage dagger, before tripping and falling to his death in the Lancre
Gorge. The Duchess is imprisoned but manages to escape, only to be killed by a
collection of various forest animals who want revenge for the poor treatment of the
land.
Granny Weatherwax explains that Tomjon is the rightful king, and he is due to be
crowned. However, Tomjon does not want to be king; he is an extremely talented
actor and wishes to continue his career with his adopted father, Vitoller. Instead
Granny Weatherwax tells the town that the Fool is in fact the king's son from
another mother, and Tomjon's half-brother, and he is crowned King Verence II of
Lancre. Later on, Granny and Nanny reveal to Magrat that the previous fool is
actually Tomjon's and Verence II's father. The status of Magrat and Verence II, who
have been awkwardly courting throughout the story, is not fully explained at the
conclusion.[2]
CharactersEdit
Esme Weatherwax
Nanny Ogg
Magrat Garlick
King Verence
Leonal Felmet and Lady Felmet
The Fool
Tomjon Vitoller
Olwyn Vitoller
Hwel
Outside referencesEdit
The text makes overt references to the Marx Brothers, The Tramp of Charlie Chaplin,
and Laurel and Hardy, as well as the life and works of William Shakespeare. It
borrows themes and sayings from Macbeth, including "when shall we three meet
again", the "dagger of the mind", "out damned spot", the three witches, and the
title of the novel itself; from Hamlet, including the ghost of the dead King and
the play within a play; "all the world's a stage" from As You Like It; and Duke
Felmet descending into madness in the company of his Fool, derived from King Lear.
In addition, the company of actors includes a playwright by the name of "Hwel" or
"Will", and, at Tomjon's instigation, the company is building a theatre called The
Dysk in Ankh-Morpork, a reference to the Globe Theatre in London.
Adaptations
See also
References
External links
Last edited 7 months ago by BrownHairedGirl
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