According to the Oxford Advanced Learner dictionary, `supernatural' refers to things that cannot be explained by natural or physical laws. The presence of supernatural forces in "Macbeth," provides for much of the play's dramatic tension and the mounting suspense. In this paper we shall look at some of supernatural elements in the play.
We'll first talk about the witches. Thunder occurs every time when the witches show up. In Act I sence i, it indicates the theme of discorder. When the witches enter, there is stormy weather. The storm attends the three witches when they are gather to express their exploits. They cast a spell that they are going to meet Macbeth. "There to meet with Macbeth." Also, thunder occurs at Act I scene iii, Act III scene iv and Act IV secne i.
In Act I secne iii, the appearance of the witches is supernatural. " You should be woman. And yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so." Witches shows us what their unnatural looks are like. They amaze Banquo when he first sees them. He wonders about their appearance. Banquo's description of the witches is important in seeing how unnatural they are. Their facial hair questions the definition of Gender who look like should be human. But in them the human form is unnaturally distorted. The witches are not existing in nature and we cannot explain them according to natural laws in our world.
Also in Act I secne iii, The main plot line of the play is established when the three witches make their first appearance with Macbeth and Banquo. They are objective that both Macbeth and Banquo can see the witches and even talk with them. It reveals that the witches are real instead of being a product of the imagination of Macbeth.
The witches have superna...
... middle of paper ...
... claims that Macduff cannot hurt him. He decided to do something before considering the consequences of his actions. Therefore, Macbeth orders the murder of Macduff and his family in order to eliminate the threat of Macduff. The prophetic information that Macbeth got from the apparitions lead to his actions in the play later, which finally push him to death at the end.
The apparitions has the supernatural power that they can predict the future of Macbeth and they come true at the end of the play, they are supernatural elements.
We can conclude that there are 5 important events showing the supernatural elements in Macbeth. Namely, the witches, the air-drawn dagger, the unnatural happenings, the ghost of Banquo and the apparitions.
References
Shakespeare's Macbeth (Cliffs Complete) by Christopher Morrow & Sidney Lamb
Yorks Notes: Macbeth by James Sale
Without a general supernatural stigma from the witches, the story would not be as interesting as it is and wouldn’t lay a clear foundation. The reader can enhance their experience by making predictions about the prophecies, thus grabbing the readers attention to continue to read. The role of supernatural is to also create suspense. Suspense of the prophecies gives the reader a sense of what’s to come next. In contrast this will make the reader have motivation to continue as it is a difficult text to understand. The following quote creates suspense as it shows the reader Macbeth is at decline point while constantly relying on the prophecies to save him The mind I sway by and the heart I bear. Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.
In the play of Macbeth we notice the works of how the supernatural can control or change
The witches also kept repeating a quote that has a lot of meaning. They continued to say “foul is fair and fair is foul.” (I.i.12) This means that what seems right isn’t really right and what seems wrong isn’t really wrong. So the whole play is about false faces and how someone who seems normal and innocent isn’t really. The witches also seem to be an illusion. They are in a way human like, but at the same time they are also fake. They talked to Macbeth and told him three prophecies, which caused him to become greedy and kill King Duncan. The first time they told him what they saw was in Act 1. They said
The first apparition is the form of a disembodied head. Letting Macbeth know, he needs to be wary of Macduff. To deal with Macduff, he kills his family, resulting in Macbeth's own death. The second apparition is in the form of a bloody child. Explaining, that he should fear anyone born of a woman, for they would harm him. Though everyone is born by a woman, Macbeth feels he has nothing to fear. The last apparition is in the form of a child wearing a crown with a tree in his hand. This apparition claims that Macbeth will not be beaten until Birnam Wood travels to Dunsinane Hill, actually telling Macbeth that Macduff is coming to kill him. Though because Macbeth is blinded by his own superiority, he believes that these apparitions are a hoax. These apparitions justify Macbeth being the serpent because he takes everything into his own
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are several references to supernatural activity. This supernatural activity is very crucial to the storyline. Supernatural defined by Webster relates to an existence beyond the visible observable universe. The Three Apparitions are spoken of in Act IV of the play, but the supernatural is first introduced by the three witches in Act I. The three witches who speak the apparitions are the opening characters in Macbeth. After reading the book, I fully understand Shakespeare reasoning for including them in the story. Each of the three apparitions depicts a clue of Macbeth’s future.
" This creates a feeling of unrest and tension in the audience, as we can tell that the supernatural is going to be used in the representation of evil. Shakespeare constantly describes the weather - "The mist thins", which gives a vivid picture of the scenery and atmosphere. The gloomy, dark side of nature and the weather is always referred to; it seems that Shakespeare is trying to show how the weather is in union with the Witches, covering and hiding them when they wish to be unnoticed- "They stop suddenly, and a mist hides them. Enter Macbeth and Banquo." "The mist thickens.
More than a few elements of the supernatural can be discovered within the action and dialogue of Shakespeare's plays. However, the extent and nature of those elements differs to a large degree. There are traces of it to be found in Henry V, "Pardon, gentles all,/The flat unraised spirit that hath dar'd...to bring forth/So great and object" (Lucy 1). There are also elements of it apparent in Winter's Tale, "What I did not well I meant well" (Lucy 1). The supernatural is used most fearsomely in Hamlet, with the ghost of Hamlet's father representing the most frightening apparition in all of the Bard's plays. However, the supernatural is used to an almost whimsical degree in A Midsummer's Night Dream and The Tempest. In both of these plays the supernatural does not assume an evil demeanor, though it does wreak havoc on the lives of those in its midst. Yet, the supernatural is connected more with a generic nature of chance than one that is pure evil as in Macbeth or pure "foul and most unnatural" as it is in Hamlet (Shakespeare 1078).
This scene sets the atmosphere for the rest of the play. If this scene was not there it would be difficult for the audience to understand how later scenes are linked or how these three women can tell Macbeth’s future. Also if elements of the supernatural were not used in Act 1 Scene 1, as they have been, the witches could not be shown as sinister and evil. These two elements of horror, “sinister” and “evil” would later be used to explain the cause of the three witches’ behaviour further on in the play.
How could anyone ever imagine what their life would be like if it was controlled by supernaturalism? After Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603, King James I took over. He’s in bloodline with Banquo and by the time Macbeth was written, King James I was incredibly skeptical of witches. He told his judges to be wary and to not be deceived of the supernatural. The play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare was dedicated to King James I and the dedication is seen through various parts of this play. Supernaturalism, such as the witches and apparitions, are what influence Macbeth into committing horrific actions.
The supernatural is arguably one of the most prominent things that fuels Macbeth’s unchecked ambition throughout the play. In fact, the very thing that began his journey into insanity was his conversation with the three witches and Banquo in Act 1, scene 3. The witches said “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”, and if he hadn’t of met or listened to the witches then his fate could’ve possibly been avoided altogether. Banquo in contrast didn’t listen to the witches, and if Macbeth had done the same then neither of them would have died. Of course Macbeth’s downfall can’t be entirely blamed on the witches or the supernatural in general. The supernatural wouldn’t have affected him in the first place if he hadn’t been too prideful and gullible to begin with.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the supernatural and the role they play in motivating characters is apparent throughout the duration of the play. The supernatural is what causes conflict in the play and the prophecies from the witches in act one scene three is the inciting action in the piece. The supernatural causes the future conflict by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could become king of Scotland. Through temptation, the supernatural motivates characters to think arrogantly and for their own benefit. The supernatural in Macbeth presents prophecies which tempt Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power. This leads Macbeth to contradict his loyal and courageous personality by planning a treacherous murder on Duncan with the arrogant intention of becoming king and later killing other characters in the play with the only purpose of keeping his own powers. Both Macbeth and Banquo were also tempted by the original prophecies and showed clear motivation to act upon them. However, there is a clear contrast between the immediacy in which the two characters began taking actions and the logic put into their decisions.
The witches are a very important part to this play. The witches are the real trigger to Macbeths deep and hidden desires. The presence of the witches raises the battle between good an evil. The three witches are also known as the three weird sisters and are referred to that throughout the play. They help set the theme of the play and they influence not only Macbeth’s life but some other characters throughout the play.
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.
As the play begins, we are introduced to the witches. They speak in rhyming couplets, just as all supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s work do. This could have been to let the audience, which would have been aware of this technique, that the witches are in fact, or simply appear magical. The stage directions indicate “thunder and lightning,” every time the witches appear, this same stage direction is given throughout the play to set the intended atmosphere, this is pathetic fallacy.
In the opening scene of the play, the entrance of the three witches depicts the first presence of supernatural in Macbeth. The presence of the supernatural forces of the witches was accompanied by the dark, gloomy and thunderous ambience, perhaps functioning as a foreshadowing of future events that involves evil, wickedness and darkness. This is important as it gives the audience an idea of what might happen later in the play. For example, we see that later on in the play, Macbeth turned evil and wicked, killing an old and honourable King Duncan and a loyal friend, Banquo. I take particular note of the significance of darkness as it was later used by Macbeth when he calls upon the "seeling Night" (Act III. Scene ii. Line 46) which `makes clear vision impossible', as a way to cover up his evil deeds. Foreshadowing of `evilness' which is also a theme in the play is also created when the witches, before leaving the first scene, cried in unison that "Fair is foul and foul is fair" (Act I. Scene ii. Line 11). This line suggests and gives the audience a foreshadow that ...