Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Macbeth, Act IV.i ·Three Witches
"Bubble bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble."
Not quite the line.
How it's usually quoted
"Bubble bubble, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble."
What Shakespeare actually wrote
"Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble." Three Witches — Macbeth, Act IV.i
Why it matters
Persistent misquote even among actors. "Double" doubles the sorcery; "bubble" just describes the cauldron. The rhyme ("trouble/bubble") pulls the mishearing toward itself.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.