The Supernatural in Macbeth

The Supernatural in Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Macbeth was composed between 1603 and 1606.

Macbeth is the most concentrated of Shakespeare's tragedies. The action

gushes forward with great speed from the beginning to end. The main characters in the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who are very noble, but their evil ambition ultimately causes their downfall and death. The play focuses around ambition, greed and the supernatural. The play was written for the king at that time, James I since he was extremely fascinated by witches and the supernatural.

Elizabethans had many superstitions, and would often relate unusual happenings to the supernatural, as it was the only explanation they had. These include witches, ghosts, destiny and the foretelling of the future. This essay will look into how superstitions and the supernatural affect the events in Macbeth.

The first scene is very short, but full of impact. The thunder and lightning alone give it a dramatic opening, which grabs the interest of the audience, as it shows that something eerie and unnatural is happening; the storm symbolizes chaos and disorder in the land. In Shakespeare’s time, it was thought that when the weather was awful, something bad would happen.

�When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or rain?’ This is the opening line. We are shown the end of the witches meeting, just as they are arranging to meet with Macbeth after the battle for Scotland is over.

Perhaps the most chilling part of the opening is when the witches overturn the values in which we believe: �Fair is foul, and foul is fair’, this basically seems like a warning that things are not what they appear to be, as if they are referring to people, explaining that not everybody should be trusted.

Throughout the play, the witches drive the action. For example, if they had not prophesized to Macbeth that he was to become king the outcome of the story would have been very different.

At the time the play was first performed and at the time that Shakespeare was writing it, witchcraft was a great enemy, people became captivated by these peculiar, suspicious witches. Witch – hunts took place and many people were convicted of being witches and were executed. The witches fit in with the stereotypical perception of witches of that time, including use of familiars such as Graymalkin the cat and Paddock the toad.

It is important for them to start the play, as they are the catalysts for almost all Macbeth’s decisions, so obviously they affect the play quite alot. They can foretell the future, defy the laws of nature and change the weather.

But their powers are ambiguous; they have to answer to Hecate. They can

turn into animals but when one of them turns into a rat it has no tail,

showing their flawed power. They can't make Macbeth kill Duncan;

they can only manipulate him, making him want to kill him.

Of the supernatural phenomenon evident in Macbeth the witches are perhaps the most important. Probably the most significant scene involving the witches is their first meeting with Macbeth, because they prophesize to him that he is Thane of Cawdor (which is true but he does not know it yet) and that he �will be king hereafter’.

Unlike Macbeth, Banquo feels that the witches are “…instruments of Darkness…” and is suspicious of these �weird sisters,’ because he is a good man and therefore the witches have no power upon him. Macbeth on the other hand, wants to know more about what the witches are saying:

“Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more…” Macbeth is anxious to find out more information and is very curious and disturbed with the witches’ predictions. Macbeth cannot see how he can be Thane of Cawdor and believes that becoming king is unlikely. Macbeth can either work his way to the throne, or murder the kind, successful King Duncan.

The three sisters held the power of motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan by

planting the idea in his head that he could be king. Macbeth’s decisions were influenced by supernatural encounters, causing him to tragically meet a doomed fate. Had the witches, ghosts, and visions not occurred throughout the play, what other courses would he have taken to lead himself to his ill-fated destiny? Without the guidance of these forces, Macbeth’s fate would have been altered and the plot would be non-existent.

The floating dagger tempts Macbeth in the same way as the Witches. Macbeth’s interest in the dagger leads