Macbeth: Superstitions
The tragedy of Macbeth was written by Shakespeare in 1606 and produced
in 1610. 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
evil, greed and the supernatural. The play was written by Shakespeare for the
king at that time, since he was a big believer of witches and the supernatural.
Supernatural is classified as the unnatural or the explainable mysteries of our
universe. In Shakespeare's time many people would relate many of the unusual
happening against the supernatural, since this was the most simplistic of an
answer to give. Elizabethan's have several beliefs in superstitions. Some of
these superstitions include that they believe in witches, ghosts, destiny, and
the foretelling of the future. This essay will investigate superstitions and how
they are used in the play Macbeth.
Witches were believed by many people in Shakespeare's day. The
supernatural was believed by everyone from the educated to the non-educated.
When something was not explainable they would relate that problem to the
supernatural, even though today that same problem was explainable in scientific
terms.
The witches in this play are named by Shakespeare as the "weird Sisters".
These witches had all the features of witches in those days; old people, dirty
broken clothe and come together in groups of three. These witches have many
animal's but in this play - a cat, and a toad are used - who are actually evil
spirits who have taken this form. In Macbeth we here about the owl quite often
which has to relate to the witches. The owl gives a sense of scariness which
makes the paly thrilling to read. It keeps the reader hooked to the play and the
suspense increases with every scary sound. Macbeth had many nightmares, which
were caused by the witches, even so hallucinations, such as the "air-drawn
dagger." that Macbeth seen before he went to kill Duncan.
The very - word "nightmare," often called in Shakespeare's time "the
riding of the witch", which refers to a witch riding wildly through the night on
horseback, visiting bad dreams on her victims.
Supernatural is the unusual, unseen, and the unknown. The supernatural
occurs in many parts of the play. The supernatural occurs in the appearances of
the witches, in the strange behaviour in nature on the night of Duncan's murder,
in the appearance of Banquo's ghost, in the apparitions with their prophecies,
Macbeth written by William Shakespeare somewhere between 1605 and 1606, was a play performed at the Globe theatre. There is no doubt that the play was intended for the king at the time, since he had become a patron of Shakespeare’s theatrical company. By the 1590’s Shakespeare was already an established writer of the time by 1599 he had already founded the Globe theater with 6 other associates whom called themselves “The King’s Men”. Around that moment in history, most people were known to believe in superstitions which included witches, ghost, and other supernatural beings. Some of the literature of the time included plots with such themes as it can be seen in Macbeth.
"Taiping Rebellion (Chinese history)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 22 Apr. 2013. Encyclopedia Britannica. 15 Dec. 2013 .
Fairbank, John King, and Merle Goldman. "The Nationalist Revolution and the Nanjing Government." China: a new history. 2nd enl. ed. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006. 279. Print.
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Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a recognized classic tragedy portraying the victory of good over evil. This paper will explore the various expressions of evil within the play.
Unquestionably, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth show how ambition mixed with greed and unchecked morales can ultimately lead to one’s downfall. Shakespeare excellently portrays this through the main characters in his play Macbeth. By using two protagonists, Shakespeare allows the reader to view two different ways the meaning of the play can have an effect on people. Undeniably, the Macbeth’s greed based off ambition is thoroughly shown throughout
Chapter 4: China's Qing Dynasty & Its Collapse." East-Asian-History Home. Penn State. Web. 06 Apr. 2011..
Macbeth a play written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century shows the unexpected happens when it is least expected. In the beginning of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is stronger and more ruthless then her husband Macbeth because her only interested in gaining power. She plans and executes a death with little remorse. Macbeth is soft, kind, loyal and initially has a conscience. Over time, Macbeth's character takes a turn for the worse. He goes from the scared man that he first was into an evil man. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become the people that the reader least expects them to be. In the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth is much more ruthless but throughout the play this changes and Macbeth becomes even more ruthless then Lady Macbeth.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth introduces numerous characters whom possess traits of genuine humility and righteousness and genuine insanity and greed. Taking a closer look at the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, there is a noticeable difference in each of these characters’ analysis of being wicked. Although both characters originally act together as deceitful, murderous, and heartless individuals, Macbeth continues to be overcome by this dark persona. Thus concluding, that Macbeth displays a more wicked character than Lady Macbeth does because he lacks emotional suffering, he becomes that which he originally suppressed, and because he carries a paranoia around him that is distinctively malicious.
shows the witches are ones who believe in evil spirits, as most witches are portrayed as.
In the English Renaissance, there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is a recurring aspect in William Shakespeare 's Macbeth and is an integral and important part of the plot. The role of the supernatural in Macbeth is to bring out emotional reactions within Macbeth that cloud his judgement, affecting his actions which ultimately leads to his downfall. This is demonstrated through the ambiguous prophecies of the witches, the supernatural phenomenon that Macbeth sees, and the apparitions that foreshadow how he will meet his end.
In the Shakespearean era, there was an eruption of superstition and alleged witchcraft. The people of that time had strong hatred for the ‘devil worshiping’ witches and had various trials and tests to determine their fate. Shakespeare used this as inspiration for his play ‘Macbeth’
The supernatural was a popular element in many of the plays written in Shakespeare's time (including Hamlet) and everyone of Shakespeare's time found the supernatural fascinating. Even King James I took a special interest in the supernatural and wrote a book, Daemonologie, on witchcraft. It must be remembered that, in Shakespeare's day, supernatural referred to things that were "above Nature"; things which existed, but not part of the normal human life and unexplainable. The play Macbeth involves many supernatural actions that act as a catalyst for suspense and thrill, insight into character, foreshadowing of future events as well as making connections with the theme. In the opening scene of the play, the entrance of the three witches depicts the first presence of supernatural in Macbeth.
The Shakespearian tragedy, Macbeth has been said to be one of Shakespeare’s most profound and mature visions of evil. In Macbeth we find not gloom but blackness, a man who finds himself encased in evil. Macbeth believes that his predicaments and the evils that he commits are worth everything he will have to endure. In spite of this towards the end of the play he realizes that everything he went through, was not worth the crown, or the high price he had to pay of losing his wife, and finding himself alone. Macbeth is shown as a kind and righteous man in the beginning of the play. He is the Thane of Glamis, and a brave warrior among men and is highly regarded by the king of Scotland. All these traits make Macbeth great. Conversely, several factors transform this one great man into a great tyrant and a malevolent murderer. Macbeth grows great throughout the play yet in reality becomes less and less as a man. Macbeth proves that wearing a crown and having the power does not fulfill all of one’s dreams and fantasies. Being the king does not necessarily make the man.