People can let their emotions such as fear, anger, and pride influence their decisions. But what could influence a once noble warrior to think he could take over the throne, slaughter numerous innocent people, and quiver in front an audience of dinner guests? Throughout the play “Macbeth," Shakespeare incorporates supernatural forces that present themselves in multiple forms and have a specific effect on the protagonist. This essay will detail exactly what those forces were, their importance in when they present themselves, and how Shakespeare 's strategic placement of those evil forces in his play progressively led to Macbeth 's transformation from nobleman to murder and ultimate demise. The first form of supernatural forces in Macbeth that …show more content…
It is in Act II Scene I while Macbeth is contemplating killing king Duncan when the dagger appears to him. The reader knows the dagger is a supernatural force because Macbeth cannot make sense of it, this is prevalent when he says “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?” (Shakespeare 2.1 44-51). The witches supernatural force is made present again to make Macbeth feel obligated to fulfill the prophecy causesing him to see the phantom dagger, while the dagger influences Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Hence why it is important that the dagger presents itself as the supernatural force at this moment, because if it was not, Macbeth might have not been able to follow through with the assignation of Duncan and his guards. Shakespeare’s strategic placement of the vision of the dagger being the second supernatural force progressively led to Macbeth 's transformation from nobleman to murder and ultimate demise because the dagger represents Macbeth slowly losing control of his conscious to shed blood for his own personal gain. Macbeth starts to question himself in this scene when he says “Mine eyes are made the fools o …show more content…
In Act III, Scene I, Macbeth hires a pair of murders to kill his great companion. The witches supernatural force can be seen again influencing Macbeth 's decision to murder Banquo because his death ensures that the prophecy protected. Even though he is not a direct threat to Macbeth’s crown, the prediction that Banquo’s descendants will be kings is(Shakespeare 1.3. 67). Macbeth feels he has no other choice than to kill because of what the witches predicted in Act I. After the murderers have slaughtered Banquo, Macbeth invites an abundance of people over to partake in ceremonial banquet. As Macbeth is searching for a seat at the table he was greeted by horrific sight of a man drenched in blood. This appearance of Banquo’s ghost is a form a supernatural force because only Macbeth is able to see the apparition. It influences him to act like a mad man in front of his dinner guest and question his sense of reality. This questioning of reality can be seen when Macbeth begins to address Banquo’s ghost in front of the surrounding crowd, “Prithee, see there! Behold! Look! Lo! How say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too. If charnel houses and our graves must send those that we bury back, our monuments shall be the maws of kites.” (Shakespeare 3.4. 67-72). It is important that Banquo’s ghost presents itself during the ceremonial banquet because it allows
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
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.
and be great, but they didn't tell him the price he would have to pay.
The legendary plot of Macbeth, like those of many Shakespearean plays, relies heavily on the influence of the supernatural. The play itself reflects on the dark inane tendencies of humans to be evil, especially when faced with a thirst for power. Throughout its course, the reader is able to witness a man’s transformation from a brave soldier to a murdering madman. Without the impact of certain apparitions, hallucinations, and three bearded witches, the events of the story would not have unfolded as they did. The root evil is first planted in the minds of two ambitious people, creating in their minds a projection of how things will turn out. Unbeknownst to our two leading lunatics, the eventual outcome of the play will not be the scenario drawn up in their twisted minds.
...on of the dagger alters his thoughts and actions, revealing that figments can lead one to his or her downfall. Last of all, Macbeth’s outrage upon Banquo’s ghost exemplifies he has transformed to an insane figure, just by the factor of ambition. At the banquet the Ghost of Banquo confronts Macbeth before the nobility and he furiously breaks out into, “Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee. / Thy bones are marrowless; thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with.” at Banquo’s ghost, revealing Macbeth loses all self-control (3. 4. 13-16). In point of fact, Macbeth fails to keep aware of his surroundings and converses to the ghost as if they were alone. Even with Lady Macbeth’s reasoning for her husbands madness, it is visible Macbeth exemplifies his insanity by acknowledging the fallacy.
Banquo's ghost highlights Macbeth's hypocrisy, when he tries to deceive the others at the banquet, at drinking a toast to his friend Banqo, making him realise that he cannot easily hide behind pretence. All these forms of the supernatural help to play a huge roll in the destruction of Macbeth, and without the supernatural, the play would not be as interesting and exciting, and also would not end with the same disastrous consequences. The supernatural causes Macbeth to betray his king, as well as becoming a traitor to his own country, which he certainly would not have done if he were his own self. The supernatural therefore shapes the events of the play; while the narrative gives the audience and readers insight into the central characters, and makes them feel emotionally involved in the story.
In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, imagery plays a key role in the audience's understanding of the theme of the play. One type of imagery that is prevalent in the story is supernatural or unnatural imagery. With the sense of the supernatural and interference of the spirits, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are led to dangerous, tempting things. Macbeth's character changes dramatically from the brave soldier to the evil king. Lady Macbeth's character also changes from the loving wife and strong woman to the crazy, paranoid woman. Shakespeare uses witches, apparitions, ghosts, and other unnatural events to show the evil effects and consequences that interference by these forces is anything but good.
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.
to almost possess you is not a normal thing to do but the words do
Myths and religions often include divine or devilish beings with incredible powers. William Shakespeare incorporated witches with bizarre powers in his play, Macbeth. These witches possessed devilish powers to set the course of events in the plot and added to the flavor of the story. The witches' powers included omnientness, vision and apparition creation, and the ability to set the conditions for disaster, and the utilization of these abilities sets the movement of the play.
The last person you would expect to encourage you to commit a crime would be your wife. Macbeth is motivated by his wife and by three Witches and gradually becomes more ruthless, evil, and murderous as the play progresses.
This is first shown in Act 2 where Macbeth begins his monologue, “I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing.” (II I 46-48) Before reuniting with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger floating in the air. The dagger appears shortly before Macbeth proceeds to murder Duncan. The dagger in this instance is used to symbolize Macbeth’s hesitation as at this point in time, Macbeth could have chosen to turn back and abandon his pursuit to becoming king. Macbeth chose to persist however, and the blood covering the dagger was a prognostication of the crime he would soon commit. Shakespeare imparts here that emotions like hesitation are meant to be pondered over, not skimmed over. Macbeth took reckless actions, and his abysmal situation reflects that. Macbeth’s inner-conflict is further shown in Act 4 where he states, “For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me And points at them for his.” (IV I 129-130) Macbeth is visibly shaken by the sudden appearance of a bloody Banquo. The appearance of Banquo is due to the three witches summoning him by ceremony, much to Macbeth’s dismay. Macbeth’s petrified reaction tells of how he is still constantly tormented by his murdering of Banquo. Macbeth begins to shout and command for Banquo to disappear. The summoning of Banquo continues to tell of Macbeth’s human nature
In Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, the appearance of Banquo's ghost plays an important role. But it also leaves us to wonder if it is a sign of Macbeth's failing sanity, or an actual apparition appearing to frighten Macbeth. Closer examination shows evidence that this is indeed a figment of Macbeth's imagination. First, it is not the first, but the third, or arguably, the fourth time Macbeth has seen or heard was isn't there. His wife too, will have struggles along the same lines. In addition, it can be argued and demonstrated the Macbeth had lost his sanity before this point. And in a broader view, we see that the ghost of Banquo is treated much differently than ghosts used in Shakespeare's other works are.
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 supernatural and written 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.