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Macbeth Natural vs. Unnatural World Essay Example

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Macbeth Natural vs. Unnatural World Essay Example
How Did the Unnatural World Affect the Natural World in Macbeth?

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the story of a man hungry for power. Macbeth does anything in his power to become king, even if that means defying the natural order of the world. When he interacts with the supernatural, his desire escalates and he becomes dedicated to fulfill that desire. Macbeth unnaturally becomes king, is overcome with paranoia, and is ultimately defeated by the supernatural beings that influence his decisions. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth takes steps to become king that disrupt the order of natural being. Macbeth is told early in the play that he will become king by three witches. The three witches represent the supernatural influence on Macbeth. At the time when Macbeth is told his prophecy by the witches, Duncan is the king. The natural successor to the throne is Duncan’s son Malcolm. However, Macbeth interrupts the natural line of succession. In nature, when one species is removed from the food chain, almost every other level is affected. This is mirrored when Macbeth kills Duncan. Malcolm subsequently flees the country, leaving Macbeth as king. Not only did Macbeth kill the current king, he took the place of the next in line, severely disrupting the natural order of succession. As well as disturbing the natural order in Scotland, by killing Duncan, Macbeth disturbed his own mental health. Macbeth was not sure of killing Duncan in the first place, and it took a lot of convincing from Lady Macbeth. Naturally, Macbeth’s conscience forced him to think of reasons not to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, however, called on spirits to unsex her and rid her of her conscience. This interference by the supernatural allowed Lady Macbeth to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. Since he did not want to kill Duncan in the first place, Macbeth suffered severe paranoia following the murder. Macbeth’s delusion leads to the murder of Banquo. Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo after his

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