In Shakespearean times, many people were intrigued by the concept of the supernatural and were influenced by greater forces which controls their fate or destiny. This resulted in many people becoming superstitious and believing in the existence of paranormal characters such as witches, ghosts and other entities. Shakespeare incorporates many elements when writing the play Macbeth. The supernatural is a component that William Shakespeare uses to evoke an essence of nefarious environment and to demonstrate the inability of humans to control their destiny. In the play, “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare, paranormal elements are an essential factor in the development of the play in order to foreshadow the conflict and chaos that the characters …show more content…
Pathetic Fallacy is the literary devices that authors such as Shakespeare uses in order to provide human traits into inanimate objects. An exemplary illustration that was used in the play Macbeth was when the witches stated “All Fair is foul, and foul is air/ Hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.10-11). This statement plays a major role in the concept of the play Macbeth since it foreshadows the future of characters. As an illustration, Lady Macbeth is a character who seems to be viewed as a noble lady at the beginning becomes the character who engages the idea of ensuring the throne and the mastermind of King Duncan’s murder. In other words, the truth in this play is that when things are good; the reality is that they are evil. The concept of the play depicts that nothing or no one can be trusted since the world if full of deception, lies in betrayal. Therefore, this example of pathetic fallacy contributes to the flow of the plot since it tells us that the story will revolve around chaos. In addition, another illustration that is also evident in the play is when Lennox states “The night has been been unruly/ Where we lay,/ Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say,/ Lamentings head I’ the’ air, strange screams of death,/ And prophesying with accents terrible/ Of dire combustions and confused events/ New hatched to th’ woeful time: the obscure bird/ Clamored the livelong night/ Some say, the earth was feverous and did shake” (2.3.55-62). In this statement, the pathetic fallacy were used to reflect the events that occurred during King Duncan’s murder. Words such as “strange screams of death” and “new hatched to the woeful time” are sinister personifications that emphasizes Macbeth’s crime. In result, this description leads the audience to suspense and consider that the murder is a crucial point in the plot of
Pathetic fallacy is a dominant element in Act Two of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The first example of pathetic fallacy occurs on the night of King Duncan’s death. As Macbeth enters Duncan’s room, Lady Macbeth hears the cry of a bird and she senses that her husband is committing the murder. She whispers to herself, “It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman / Which gives the stren’st good-night. He is about it” (II.ii.3-4). The shriek of the owl seems to be nature’s fearful reaction to Macbeth’s act of violence. Another example of pathetic fallacy is revealed through a discussion about the night of the murder. In the morning, Lennox has a conversation with Macbeth and Macduff about the abnormal events from the previous night. Lennox remarks,
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.
Murder, ghosts, and floating daggers are the usual attractions for most that read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and yet there is an important theme that some might overlook. Written in the early 17th century, Macbeth is believed to be based upon historical events listed in Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland and other current events of the time. Shakespeare constructs the memorable world of Macbeth with a mysterious and sinister atmosphere, incorporating diabolical elements into this world with the appearance of Hecate, witches, prophecies and ghostly apparitions. Throughout his story, Macbeth becomes controlled by desire for power, by allowing himself to be influenced, using evil means to gain and maintain power to the point that Macbeth is blinded to all else. In Macbeth, Shakespeare vividly demonstrates a recognizable theme of the weighty pull that power holds over those with authority.
In the play of Macbeth we notice the works of how the supernatural can control or change
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.
The Importance of the Supernatural in Macbeth by William Shakespeare The supernatural is to play an essential part in the play 'Macbeth'; this is made clear from the first paragraph of the play, when the three witches are introduced. It is represented in many different forms, mainly: the witches, the dagger and the ghost of Banquo. Shakespeare's use of imagery and creative language in the play creates tension, fear and clearly displays the importance of the supernatural theme. At the start of the play, the supernatural is disguised in the form of nature, in this case a storm. Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to describe the strong force of nature- "Thunder and lightning - Enter three Witches.
A fallacy is defined as a failure in reasoning that renders an argument invalid, faulty reasoning, or a misleading or unsound argument. There are many kinds of fallacies and even websites devoted to describing the various kinds of logical fallacies. Fallacies, though, are slippery little fiends, which do not hesitate to creep in even where they are unwanted. No one wants their argument proved false, but careful, critical readers can spot these shifty deceivers. On the website of the Center for American Progress, there is an article – authored by Catherine Brown and Ulrich Boser – called “The DeVos Family Dynasty.” This article is a poor example of persuasive communication because there are many cases of ad hominem fallacy, the authors repeatedly
Typical of Shakespeare’s works, the play Macbeth has a protagonist who ultimately experiences a downfall that lead to his demise. The protagonist or tragic hero of this play is Macbeth, once brave and honorable, who eventually becomes tyrannical and feared by many due to what Abrams describes as his “hamartia” or “error of judgment or, as it is often…translated, his tragic flaw.” In this case, Macbeth’s tragic flaw proves to be ambition; however, he cannot be held solely responsible for his downfall. As a result of many outside influential factors, including the witches’ prophecies and a rather coaxing and persuasive wife, one should not hold Macbeth entirely culpable for his actions and tragic end.
From the very beginning of the play, supernatural and unnatural forces have inspired and encouraged Macbeth. They interfere with natural events and completely change the character of Macbeth and his wife. Witches, apparitions, ghosts, and other unnatural images are used to demonstrate the evil effects and consequences those forces can have. Shakespeare is successful in telling his audience that only evil will come when Macbeth or any other person tampers with natural forces for personal gain.
Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the supernatural but the interpretation which we can start with is Shakespeare’s. Everyone of Shakespeare’s time found the supernatural fascinating. Shakespeare interpreted the supernatural as witches, magic, unnatural and evil and he expressed his beliefs in the play, “Macbeth” very clearly, as he portrayed the three deformed women with control over the weather and the ability to predict the future. These three evil witches with magical powers were the creation of Shakespeare’s interpretation of the supernatural. Shakespeare’s contemporaries believed in the supernatural very strongly and a majority of them were frightened of it, including the king of that time, King James I of England.
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.
Thesis: Shakespeare used the same definition of tragedy when he wrote Macbeth, and when he wrote Hamlet; Shakespearean tragedies use supernatural incidents to intrigue the reader's interest, and his plays consist of a hero that has a tragic flaw (sometimes the want for the supernatural) which causes him to make a fatal mistake.I. Introduction II. Spirits III. Comparison IV. Conclusion Shakespeare always used the same elements of tragedy when he wrote his tragedies. These tragedies can be compared easily, especially Macbet and Hamlet. Shakespearean tragedies use supernatural incidents to intrigue the reader's interest, and they consist of a hero that has a tragic flaw (sometimes the desire for the supernatural) which causes him to make a fatal mistake. Shakespeare followed this pattern in all of his tragedies; therefore the similarities between Macbeth and Hamlet can easily be defined and discussed.Shakespeare immediately started Macbeth with a supernatural scene. The three witches set the somber and evil tone of the plot. In Hamlet, Shakespeare also presented a supernatural occurrence close to the opening. The ghost of Hamlet's father presented itself to Hamlet with a chilling story. In both situations, the tragic hero was not sure whether the spirits were good or evil. The presentation of the supernatural began to lead to the final downfall of each of the characters. In Macbeth, the three witches caused him to think and do evil deeds. If he had never met the witches, he would not have been tempted to murder the king; therefore, he would not have placed himself in the position that he felt he needed to kill everyone who crossed his path. If he hadn't been so treacherous, Macduff would not have called for war, and he would not have murdered him. In Hamlet, if he had not seen the ghost of his father, he would not have known that the reigning king had committed murder to gain the throne.
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.
To conclude Shakespeare used the supernatural, to show how easily someone’s fatal flaw can be exploited to bring them to an end. This is extremely relevant to his audience at that time as well, no one knows, but Shakespeare could have been a non believer in the supernatural and wanted to show it as a figment of the mind, that can only result in insanity or he could have believed the popular opinion that the supernatural did exist and caused terror and evil throughout that period. Either way he wrote Macbeth in such a way to leave questions about the supernatural in peoples mind.
...he supernatural is one element in Macbeth that was used cleverly by Shakespeare to get various messages across to the audience. The messages are brought across between the lines of the plays which requires audiences to reflect critically to get the underlying meaning of his play. Shakespeare did not merely show ghosts and witches in the supernatural as a thriller, but also tied in the political and religious aspects of the society during his time.