Use Of Supernatural In Macbeth

The Witches or Weird Sisters play a major role in the brilliant tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The role of the Weird Sisters represents that equivocal evil in the nature of things which helps to deceive the human will. They are not mere witches although they have some of the powers of witches. Even though they were produced by nature, they share with angels a freedom from limitation of space and time, a power to perceive the causes of things, and to see some distance into human minds (Kermode 1309). The Witches have malicious intentions and prophetic powers that entice Macbeth and captivate his mind. Although they have no power to compel Macbeth, the Witches appeal to Macbeth’s desires, eventually leading him to his tragic end.

In Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses an underlying motif of the supernatural to control the characters and add a new dimension to the play.

How does Shakespeare present the Supernatural in Macbeth? There are several ways in which the Supernatural is presented throughout the tragedy Macbeth, including the abnormal characteristics of the witches, through Macbeth’s hallucinations and through acts of transgression, which chronicle how deeply Macbeth is affected by the supernatural. The witches are presented as dark, sinister creatures as Macbeth was written in 1606, when a Jacobean audience would be very fearful of any type of witchcraft because they were thought to be working with the devil and would bring harm to the Jacobean community. Additionally the witches are a major part of the play because everything Macbeth does is predicted by the witches and due to the Monarch’s obsession and paranoia with witchcraft. One influential way Shakespeare exposes the presence of the supernatural is at the onset of Act 1, Scene 1 when the stage directions call for ‘(thunder and lighting)’

Macbeth's first interaction onstage is with the witches, who predict that he will gain the title of Thane of Cawdor, as well as eventually the crown of Scotland: "Hail Macbeth, that shallt be king hereafter" This expression emphasises the certainty in which the witches spoke to the tragic hero, informing him that he will become incredibly powerful, whilst also fuelling the man's hubris and planting the first seed of conflict within his brain. The idea of Macbeth, a noble and courageous man beginning to doubt his own good morals provides a stark contrast to Lady Macbeth's exposition at the end of the first act. After receiving news of the prophecy through a letter from her husband, the woman begins planning a devious scheme before the tragic hero even returns home to her. She essentially decide that Macbeth and her will have to commit Regicide in order to gain access to the throne, a heinous act to even suggest.

The three witches in Macbeth represent the very essence if the supernatural. They constantly bend the truth and give prophecies to Macbeth about his future. For instance, in Act 1, they proclaim him as king and he does not know what they’re talking about.

Shakespeare's Use of the Supernatural in Macbeth The supernatural is widely used in Macbeth, and covers major sections of it. It is used to generate interest, and to provoke thought and controversy. At the time the play was written, James the 1st was the English monarch.

William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth is highlighted by dramatic tension regarding the weird sisters and the supernatural especially act 4 scene 1. The scene begins on the heath where the weird sisters busy with the cauldron, mixing portions and conjuring spirits. The weird sisters are well aware that Macbeth will come to visit them therefore they wait in preparation, hence their ability to foretell the future. In scene 3 Hecate, the God of the weird sisters orders the witches to deceive Macbeth when he does arrive. She orders them to confuse him by speaking in riddles thus telling him what he wants to hear. As predicted by the weird sisters enter Macbeth, who has comes to see what his future entails and whether or not Macduff is a threat

Although Macbeth is not classed as being a supernatural play or a play of the occult, there are some elements in the play that Shakespeare uses to effect. It is necessary however, to define what is meant by the terms ‘occult’ and ‘supernatural’: the term ‘occult’ is defined as being ‘supernatural beliefs, practises or phenomenon’ and the term ‘supernatural’ is defined as being ‘attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature’; both these terms can be associated with gothic writing. Gothic writing usually involves elements that invoke a feeling of fear, repulsion and abhorrence from its readers or audience. Writers use imagery of the supernatural to achieve this effect, for example in Shelley’s Frankenstein

Most people have their own perspective on supernatural, but questionable with the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In Shakespeare time the people wanted the unreal in a play. His perspective of supernatural was witches, ghost, magic, unnatural, and evil which clearly he interoperated in the play “Macbeth,” as for an example he uses some unusual looking women with the power to control the weather, and to be able to predict the future. The three witches are Shakespeare’s perspective of supernatural. Shakespeare people strongly saw the world as if there was supernatural all around us and most people were afraid of it, so frighten even the king of that time, King James l of England.

The plot of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is pushed forward by supernatural forces. Throughout the play, the characters interact with unusual and often eerie apparitions and images. These forces seem to appear as evil approaches. Each time the characters have experienced, are experiencing, or are about to experience some crime, these supernatural elements appear in the play to warn the audience of approaching wickedness. One of these interactions takes place in Act 2, Scene 1. Macbeth speaks with Banquo about the witches they previously encountered, and after Banquo and his son Fleance leave for bed, Macbeth, alone, sees a dagger floating in front of him. “Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” he says. Shortly after pondering

The weird sisters had a heavy role on the outcome of the play “Macbeth” written by the the famous William Shakespeare. They appear throughout the play, at the beginning as well as the end, always adding a new interesting prophetic effect into the play. These prophecies are essential to the success of the play, adding all the traits of story that the play needs to work, such as tone, character, and plot.

In the play of Macbeth by William Shakespeare in 1606, he used the unnatural and supernatural imagery to show people or audience the theme of the play. During the reign of King James I of England between 1603 and 1607, Macbeth was one of the most popular, tragic play that written by Shakespeare. The use of imagery like supernatural or unnatural is a key element in making the play more interesting.

The play begins with a supernatural scene, where the three witches meet and give many clues as to who they are or what they have control over,

What is interesting is what each supernatural element represents in Shakespeare’s society and in our current society. The supernatural elements in Macbeth include fate, the witches, mythological beings, ghosts, and apparitions. I believe that the witches in Shakespeare’s time, in the play and in real life, represent the power of choice. The power to be able to decide to commit murder or any other heinous act or decide to let things naturally happen shows the classic choice between good and evil, but the witches themselves are not evil. While they are viewed as treasonous in this time, that is simply because they were believed to be associated with the devil and a threat to the king. In reality, Macbeth is the evil one because of his actions. I would even argue that Macbeth was the one who sealed his unfortunate fate once the king was murdered. Because of the downward spiral Macbeth, and even Lady Macbeth, faces after the murders, his eventual insanity proves that the act he committed was in fact evil because of the repercussions he faced. The repercussions themselves could be viewed as evil because the “supernatural evil could prove to be a better sanctioning mechanism than a punishing god” (Martinez, 334). I think this is comparable to our society today because of how the belief in fate itself constitutes the belief of karma, either good or bad, in that a person gets what he or she deserves. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, I think, got what they deserved in the end. Moreover,

In the play entitled “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, the supernatural is the most important element in the play which leads to Macbeth’s desire for the throne. Throughout the play, supernatural appeals to the audience in various forms which is represented by the witches, the prophecies, the floating dagger, and ghost. The existence of these supernatural elements in Macbeth foreshadows the evil ambitions and actions possess by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Besides that, these supernatural elements also are the key elements to the manipulative play as it evoke the emotions among the audience to perceive the horror, mystery, evil and death throughout the play. The introduction of the three witches with their prophecies in Act 1 Scene 3, about Macbeth after he won the war against the Norwegians, at the beginning of the play has naturally motivated Macbeth’s actions to make the prophecies into reality.