The phrase "Something wicked this way comes" originates from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, specifically Act 4, Scene 1, where the second witch says it to signal the arrival of Macbeth, who has become a figure of evil and wickedness. It ominously announces the approach of a monstrous and morally corrupt character.
This line is famously used as the title of Ray Bradbury's 1962 dark fantasy novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," which tells the story of two boys encountering a sinister traveling carnival. In this context, the phrase evokes a sense of impending evil and danger embodied by the carnival and its malevolent leader, Mr. Dark. The novel explores themes of good versus evil, temptation, fear, and the passage of time.
In summary, "Something wicked this way comes" is a literary expression signaling the approach of evil or something ominous, first spoken by witches in Macbeth and later popularized by Bradbury's novel to symbolize the arrival of a sinister force.
