The Supernatural’s Role in Macbeth

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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. This wasn’t the only instance where the witches came into play. Later on in Act 4, scene 1 Macbeth actually hunts out the witches to confront them about their apparitions, and this only further leads to his demise. Each witch shows an apparition explaining Macbeth’s fate in the most ambiguous way possible. To begin with ...

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