Preview

Supernatural Influence In Macbeth Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
523 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Supernatural Influence In Macbeth Essay
William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ is a play that revolves around a villainous king and his evil wife. There is a significant supernatural influence in Macbeth. Supernatural as defined by dictionary.com as being above or beyond what is natural, explainable by natural law or phenomena. The supernatural influence in Macbeth is evident throughout the play. Firstly Macbeth would not have murdered Duncan if he had not heard the Weird sister’s prophecies. Second of all the ghost of Banquo was important to the play to portray the deterioration of Macbeth’s mental health. Finally witchcraft and the supernatural were relevant to society in the 1600’s as it provided a way for people to understand the happenings that science could not yet explain.
If Macbeth had not been given the prophecies by the Weird sisters it is highly unlikely that he would’ve committed such heinous crimes. Before Macbeth had heard of the witches prophecies he was a war hero and a loyal servant of the king,
…show more content…
‘Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me’, in this line Macbeth is showing the guilt he feels about having his closest friend mercilessly slain. If Macbeth had truly wanted to murder Banquo he wouldn’t feel the need to deny having Banquo murdered. The apparition of Banquo’s ghost would’ve been considered supernatural at the time but it is likely that Macbeth’s vision was a result of the extreme amount of guilt and anxiety he felt, not only for having Banquo murdered but also for killing Duncan and his guards and for framing Duncan’s sons. This display of emotion is significant to the play as it shows that Macbeth is not as evil as he wants everyone around him to believe and that he does feel fear. Banquo’s ghost is significant to Macbeth as it provides the readers or audience to see how Macbeth’s delusion and guilt affect

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “To be thus is nothing, but to be safety thus – our fears in Banquo stick deep.” Macbeth does not say in his soliloquy why he fears Banquo; because Banquo heard the witches’ prophecy and probably suspected Macbeth of the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth feels that Banquo is naturally superior to him, and being near Banquo makes him feel ashamed. Immediately after the murder of King Duncan and his ascent to the throne, Macbeth arranges for the murder of Banquo. He would rather see “the frame of things disjoin, both the worlds suffer,” than continue to “eat our meal in fear and sleep in affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly.” Also, Macbeth has reason to fear Banquo as according to the witches’ prophecy, Banquo would not be king, but his children and their children would be kings, and he does not want a meaningless crown on his head that Banquo’s children would just steal off him.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When you hear the words witches, superstitions, or even supernatural what do you think of? Most likely you think of things such as long pointy hats, black cats, creaking floorboards; and one of our favorite holidays, Halloween. But these have been around since the Medieval Times we have just added our own twist and image to them. A great representation of this today is Macbeth. In the play Macbeth we see how all three of these things make up a big part of Medieval times.…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth was not a victim of the Witch's misleading prophecies and he is guilty of committing murder not because of Lady Macbeth’s manipulation but rather his ambitions to be king and have power. The struggle Macbeth underwent was his desires to get to the throne of Scotland and know right from his rights and wrongs. His wife, Lady Macbeth however urged him to commit murder and it was in their interest to get power no matter what the consequence also making Macbeth fall in the wrong steps of becoming a murder.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The use of the supernatural occurs immediately at the beginning of the play with three witches predicting the fate of Macbeth. The predictions of the witches give the audience a clue to Macbeth’s future” (fieldofthemes.com) Adding a supernatural effect to both the story of “The Adventure’s Of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain and “Macbeth” by Shakespeare add an element of suspense and give the reader more to process and think about. In Huckleberry Finn, Jim feels very strongly about his belief in the supernatural. “ Jim said the witches bewitched him and put him in a trance, and rode him all over the State, and then set him under the trees again, and hung his hat on a limb to show who done it.” (Twain, Mark). This adds humor into Huck Finn and a sense of suspense. Although Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” share a common theme involving the Supernatural, Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” utilizes the theme of the supernatural with greater impact because of the time period, the active supernatural characters, and the predictions that foreshadow the entire play.…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth had invited Banquo to a banquet. Banquo is now dead but actually shows up to the banquet. In this seen we see that Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. This is strange because Macbeth is the only one that could see him. We don’t know if his ghost is real or Macbeth has illusions with the violence he has committed. Macbeth starts talking to Banquo’s ghost, and the other characters notice him as strange. They start to suspect that Macbeth was responsible for Banquo’s death. (In Macbeth, np)…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Is this a dagger which I see before me,/ the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” (2.1.33-34). He realizes that the dagger is just an image in his mind, but decides that it is a result of his fear and continues with the task. This is the first point where Macbeth shows a sign of a mental breakdown, although he is still able to think somewhat rationally. This ultimately evolves into a hardened Macbeth and causes him to continue with his horrific actions until he is out of control. The murder of King Duncan is followed by the murders of many others, including his closest friend Banquo. The build-up of guilt begins the affect Macbeth’s mental state more and more until he can no longer think straight. He begins to hallucinate and on occasion has visions of the ghost of Banquo. The ghost first appears at the banquet, where Macbeth sees the bloody image of Banquo sitting at the dinner table. His horrific reaction alone shows the guilt he has for the murder, and the fact that no other guests at the banquet are aware of the ghost confirms that the ghost has been made up in Macbeth’s head. This is the point at which the…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    English Macbeth Essay

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This Act opens with the three Weird Sisters setting up the entire theme of the play: Fair is foul and foul is fair. A war is taking place against Scotland (the setting of this play) and Norway. Scotland is victorious due to the valiant efforts of Macbeth. The traitorous Thane of Cawdor is captured and executed. King Duncan decides to reward Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor to show his gratitude.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Research Paper

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Shakespeare uses the influence of apparitions twice in his story. One of the apparitions is of the recently murdered Banquo. This ghost visits Macbeth at the banquet right after Macbeth learns that Banquos death was successfully committed by one of the hired murders. Macbeth is shocked and badly shaken by this apparition and looks like a fool to his party guests. The dominating Lady Macbeth tries to calm him down and reassures the guests telling them Think of this, good peers, but as a thing of custom, tis no other, (Act 3 scene 4). This is a turning point in the story as…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prior to the ghost’s entrance, Macbeth is engaging in a feast with his thanes which marks the height of his reign as king. Banquo’s ghost is only visible to Macbeth and provokes very strange behavior out of Macbeth from the perspective of the thanes. Banquo’s ghost comes when Macbeth is tense and leaves when he calms down again showing that the ghost is truly a figment of Macbeth’s imagination. After seeing the ghost, Macbeth said this of his current state, “I will tomorrow (and betimes I will) to the Weïrd Sisters”. Seeing Banquo’s ghost set Macbeth into a frenzy with him wanting to go back to the witches for more prophesies and initiating his demise. With Macbeth deciding to go back to the witches, this shows that Macbeth is not happy where he is currently and still doesn’t feel safe. The witches trick Macbeth into being overly self assured which in the end leads to Macbeth’s downfall with Macduff. Banquo’s ghost inserted the fear that his thanes were betraying him which leads them to turn on him later on. Banquo’s ghost appearing proves that over Macbeth’s murderous ways, he has lost his way to a successful reign and this will be his pivotal downfall.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The hallucinations that macbeth observes show the internal feeling of guilt that Macbeth has about the murder of his cousin and good friend, Banquo. The ghost of Banquo is seen in act 3, by Macbeth as he is about to eat dinner. When told to sit in the seat Banquo is…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth Research Paper

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages

    For nearly all of humanity’s existence, people have believed in some form of the supernatural. Whether it be, ghosts, witches, demons, etc., the supernatural has always has a place in human culture and society. In the renaissance, the idea of witches specifically began to take a prominent place in Renaissance culture. As the ideas of witches and the supernatural spread in Renaissance culture, writes like William Shakespeare began to incorporate these ideas into their work. In one of Shakespeare’s signature works, Macbeth, he incorporates the ideas of witches and the supernatural into the plot and Macbeth’s rise and fall. Elizabethan beliefs are present in…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    But he is already established as an ambitious, power-hungry tragic hero. While supernatural powers did persuade Macbeth into his demise, he still would have followed the same path without the witches evidenced by the fact that he is bullheaded and self-centered. One reason Macbeth would have followed…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This indicates Macbeth’s initial disturbance and repulsion with the thought of blood and murder, consequentially displaying Macbeth’s fears of the repercussions and God’s punishment for his cruel and misguided actions. After murdering Banquo, Macbeth met with the Thanes at a banquet, during this meeting, Banquo’s ghost appeared. Macbeth indicates that the ghost haunts him in accusation. Macbeth protests “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.45-46). The phrase “Gory locks” indicates that Banquo is covered blood. Banquo’s appearance is then a projection of Macbeth’s guilt; his conscience self-accusatory. As the play progresses into act 3 scene 4, we can see how Macbeth’s viewpoint on blood has continued to change. He states that “I am in blood/ Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er” (3.4.168-170). We can clearly see Macbeth’s journey through his…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare includes many instances of the supernatural in Macbeth. To begin, Macbeth meets the witches, who tell him he shall be thane of Cawdor and Glamis. He takes what they say dubiously, saying “come what come may”…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The supernatural contributes significantly to the story in the thrilling play Macbeth, written by Shakespeare. The paranormal signs and powers show considerable overlap with insanity in the case of several characters throughout the play. The superhuman agents that appear or contacted in the play are used for evil purposes in almost all the cases, and are predominantly resulting in the death of a human being. First of all, the three witches are using supernatural powers throughout the play to achieve their baleful plan. In the beginning of the play, the three witches are murmuring incantations for perpetrating metaphysical communications escorted by the supernatural agents. The three witches are undoubtedly seeking evil powers while executing their spellings: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair. / Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (All the witches 1.1.10-11) Fair things are considered to be foul, and foul things to be fair by the witches as they are confessing their ultimate acceptance of evil. They also call the wickedness to hover in the dirty air, therefore they are asking the supernatural to act evil. The filthy air is most probably meaning an atmosphere which is contaminated with dirty or sinful things, such as a war or a murder scene. Secondly, Macbeth 's dreadful visions and Lady Macbeth 's eerie rituals, which both are predominantly in connection with supernormal agents, are showing a substantial overlap with…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays