Preview

The Supernatural In Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
736 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Supernatural In Macbeth
According to Merriam-webster.com, the supernatural is something “unable to be explained by science or the laws of nature : of, relating to, or seeming to come from magic, a god, etc.”. Anything ”unable to be explained”, like religion, is strictly left to the interpretation of the person and what is sensible to them; if they choose to believe their deeds will be affected consequently. Shakespeare’s Macbeth validates how, just like in real life, one’s faith in and interpretation of the prevalent supernatural contributes to their actions and beliefs.

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”
…show more content…
The author portrays Macbeth as skeptical because many first doubt supernatural forces until it’s proven that what the forces are saying is plausible. Although, later we see that Macbeth gives in and is convinced by what the witches had to say; he chooses not to let things happen on their own and takes matters into his own hands and kills Duncan, allowing Macbeth to take the throne. Shakespeare includes this quote to exhibit how Macbeth interpreted what the witches and apparitions had to say had a big effect on what he chose to think, then do. Macbeth chooses to interpret that the witches mean that in order to be king, he has to kill Duncan, when in fact, the witches never said that, it all stemmed from his impatience and eagerness. Macbeth is also told that no man born of woman can harm him and he takes this to note as well (4.1.91-92). Not only does Macbeth listen to the witches, he also listens to the apparitions, another supernatural force, which tell him to “beware Macduff” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 523 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 Critical Lens

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages

    "It is the responsibility of the writer to expose our many grievous faults and failures and to hold up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams, for the purpose of improvement." This quote suggests that writers must face their failures and confront their dangerous desires for purpose of learning from their own mistakes, people who don't learn from past mistakes are bound to repeat them. This quote holds true in a lot of literature, for example two examples are Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Lord of the Flies by William Golding.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The supernatural is frightening to some people, but to others a way of life. It just depends on the way people look at the supernatural. Some people may see it as the world afterlife or life after death. To the people that see it as evil might think of it as a way of controlling someone. Like the famous play by William Shakespeare, Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth encounters three witches after fighting the thane of Hardwell. There the three witches’ plant a seed of madness inside Macbeth’s head by telling him the future and he commits unspeakable crimes to make their predictions come true. Macbeth suffers for his crimes but was but was it his own fault or was the witches mischief and meddling to blame.…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tizbeth slumped down and an arrow struck the ground where she had been standing. She swore and rolled away. Syd, on her feet, created a protection bubble.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the play everyone seems to rely heavily on what the witches have to say. Everyone has a common belief that the witches know all and that they should trust what they say. Macbeth is one of these people. He puts so much faith into what these witches have to say that his mind begins to play tricks on him. At one point in the play Macbeth has a man named Banquo murdered. Of course the witches already new this and his conscience began to play tricks on him. He thinks he sees the ghost of Banquo. He gets so wrapped up in all this superstition that he begins to go mad. In this day they did not have all the advances in science and studies that we have today and therefore did not have much of choice to not believe in these superstitions.…

    • 424 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Shakespeare’s novel of Macbeth explores the theme of chaos evolving into madness as a result of the protagonist’s actions. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth interfere with the natural order as they are driven by ambition, which they perceive as being fate.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ambition In Macbeth

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The second apparition told him "Be bloody, bold and resolute; laugh to scorn the pow'r of man, for none of woman born shall harm MacBeth" (IV.i.79-81). This contributes to this feeling that he is invincible because he thinks that no one can not be born of a woman. This will later lead to MacBeth's demise and death, as he is not ready to face MacDuff, who was born through a C-section, which means he is technically not "born" of a woman. Also, the third apparition says, "Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. MacBeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him" (IV.i. 90-94). This made him think that he will not be defeated until the forest of Birnam Wood moves and he doesn't think a forest will move. While he feels invincible because of this, the army MacDuff and Malcolm assembled is using the Birnam Wood as camouflage so it technically looks as if the forest is "moving". MacBeth, after feeling invincible and very cocky, dies by the sword of MacDuff, the man who was not born of woman. This is the third and final way ambition plays a big part in the…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth Research Paper

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages

    During the first witch encounter, one of the witches says, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.50). Obviously, this may be the most significant line for the plot of Macbeth as a whole, and for the theme that everyone is a victim of fate. This line alone is really what ultimately sets Macbeth down his path towards kingship, and eventually, mental breakdown and defeat. After Macbeth heard this line, he began contemplating how he would become king, and Macbeth immediately thought about killing Duncan, which would fatefully lead to his downfall. Another example of how the supernatural reinforces the theme everyone is a victim of fate is when the second apparition says, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute! Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.79-81). This deceiving and ultimately, mostly false, prophecy from the apparition is really what give Macbeth his final false confidence to openly challenge Macduff to a final fight on the battlefield. Macduff eventually reveals that he was born by cesarean section, which would technically make Macduff not born of woman, and fatefully Macbeth is then slain by Macduff. Ultimately, due to the predictions of the witches, Macbeth was a tragic victim of his own…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbewth

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As Macbeth fought off the invading armies, he later encounters the visit of the three witches. The three witches gave Macbeth the words that he will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually become the King of Scotland. At that point, Macbeth surely did not believe the words from such mysterious witches. However, later Macbeth meets up with King Duncan’s men and they told him the news of Macbeth made thane of Cawdor. At that very moment that is when Macbeth felt the certainty of what the three witches has told him. This sort of shows a minor hint of what Macbeth is as a person early in the play. Macbeth seems to be easily convinced as long as there is some truth to it. Shakespeare also gives reader a sense of uncertainty as well. In the beginning as I read the play I see Macbeth as a loyal and courages soldier fighting to protect his land. However, as the three witches’ words became somewhat true in Macbeth’s eyes, I slowly see the loyal soldier shifting toward a greedy power seeker. This made me as a Shakespeare reader deciding whether if Macbeth was good or evil.…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    macbeth critical lens

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other.” This means ambition can cause people to have desire to do things at a much faster rate. I agree with this statement because if a person has a reason for what they’re doing they tend to achieve their goals faster. However in the play Macbeth the main character Macbeth gave up his morals and beliefs to become king and receive the power which motivated him to do unreasonable things.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to the escalating power of evil in him, Macbeth takes evil actions to keep his power, causing the natural world and himself to face the consequences in an unnatural way, validating that the power of evil doesn't just affect you but also the world around you.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Multitudes of Shakespearean plays have had ghosts and other supernatural beings featured in their theatrical workings. They have been portrayed in different ways, with some appearing onstage and some not being seen in the play at all. In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the ghost of Banquo is featured in scene three. Different versions of the play show his part in two different ways: onstage and offstage. Between the two methods, Banquo appearing onstage would be better rather than Macbeth pretending a ghost is present.…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    * Lady Macbeths mention of the supernatural shows how desperate she is for her desire as she craves to posses characteristics of a man by calling upon the ‘spirits’ and this possibly confirms the dark affiliation she has to…

    • 2057 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The second encounter with the witches, further reinforce the sense of power in Macbeth and the gullibility of man. Upon this encounter, the witches tell Macbeth that no man can be harmed by. Once more Macbeth believes what he is told and that he is invincible. This feeling of invincibility is shown in the final battle he undergoes, where he is attacking all those around him with no hesitation. The element of invincibility is deeply rooted in Macbeth, due to the fact of the fulfillment of he becoming king. The witches' influence is apparent, in that…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics