Theme Of Superstition In Macbeth

‘Macbeth’ is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare acclaimed for its ability to immerse the viewer or reader in a plot about the rise and fall of a man fuelled by ambition. The play contains many references to themes relevant to the time it is believed to be produced in 1606 during the renaissance. This essay will explore how the play ‘Macbeth’ is about the diversity of human belief through the subtopics of superstition, science, religion and culture.

Superstition refers to ‘a widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief.’ The play ‘Macbeth is about superstition because it plays to a variety of themes related to the supernatural. At the time of the play ‘Macbeth’, witches were a ‘hot topic’ the belief in witchcraft was widespread, and suspected witches were burnt at the stake. The audience of ‘Macbeth’ would have taken seriously the idea that the character Macbeth was somehow possessed by the witches or that ambition was somehow cast upon him. The idea of fate that was presented to the audience is somewhat controversial, that there could be mysterious forces controlling our lives. ‘Macbeth’ hints to

The physician assesses her condition with an opinion that is far ahead of its time but also shows how mental illness was approached up until very recently. Macbeth tells him to fix the problem right then and there and the doctor states that only she may cure herself of the nightmares she was having. Mental illness is something that people have only started to understand in recent years and much is still not known about how it is caused, but, it is known that experiencing a trauma, such as witnessing a death, may cause mental illness such as Post Traumatic Stress disorder or other anxiety