The supernatural are used throughout Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” to great effect. It creates horror, tension and suspense from the beginning and to the end of the story. Is Macbeth going mad after disturbing the natural order of the earth? Or is it all really taking place? Macbeth was a very noble and loyal man who commanded King Duncan’s army but why would he let greed and selfishness control him? In this essay I will explore how the supernatural affects the whole of the play and still manages to be one of the most re-enacted of all of Shakespeare’s plays.
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We first see the supernatural occur at the beginning of the play when the three witches predict the fate of Macbeth “all hail Macbeth that shalt be king thereafter”. This creates suspense as the audience gets a clue as to how the future will unfold for Macbeth. Soon after the second witch states “when the battles lost and won” this means that every battle is lost by one side and won by another. Thunder would have been create during the original play to make it look that the witches were very powerful and they could effect the weather and maybe the natural order of the earth. After the prophecies of the witches reveal the fate of Macbeth, the plan in which to steal the throne is brought up. The only way to gain the power of the throne was for Macbeth to work his way to the throne, or to murder King Duncan.
Act 1 Scene 3 is a vital and key scene, in terms of the supernatural. It is much longer compared to the fairly short opening scene. The scene opens with the witches discussing their mysterious plans. The witches have assembled on a moor, where a dreadful storm is adding to the sinister, eerie mood of the scene. Their actions or what they say, also contribute to this mood. They wait to meet Macbeth – as they already know he is coming. Macbeth and Banquo then stumble upon the witches, after their victory at the battle. Here lies a fairly major point – Banquo also sees the witches. The witches therefore could not be Macbeth’s imagination, as Banquo questions them. He describes them as “So withered and so wild in attire, which looks not like the inhabitants of the earth” “you should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so…’ He says that though they should be women, they are so ugly and withered that they could not be. If Banquo can definitely see the witches then we know that they are not a product of Macbeth’s imagination, driven by his ambition.
Act 1 Scene 3 most likely the biggest supernatural event in the play, because of the predictions the witches make. The three predictions made by the witches for Macbeth change the course of the play, and are the basis for the storyline of Macbeth. These predictions push Macbeth to murder Duncan, Banquo and eventually they drive him to insanity. They predict Macbeth to become Thane of Glamis – this is his current title. However their next prediction is a little more ambitious. They predict that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor, however to Macbeth’s knowledge; the Thane of Cawdor is still alive. The third prediction that pushed Macbeth was that he would become King of Scotland. Each of these predictions comes true and shows the power of the witches.
The witches are one of the largest supernatural influences in the play even though they do not appear in many scenes. They are a great example of a stereotypical witch as they are old and very ugly. They are vital to the play and have the greatest effect on the outcome of Macbeth and his actions. The cast playing as the witches would have struck fear into the eyes of the audience because back in their time, witches were thought to be real, so the display of power Shakespeare had given the witches would had been terrifying.
Act 2 Scene 1 is the scene before Macbeth murders Duncan, and where he is waiting for the signal to commit the murder of King Duncan. Before the bell sounds, Banquo comments on how dark the night is, and how the moon is so far down. Is this the start of the unrest of the natural order of earth? Or is it just a coincidence? Banquo also admits that even though he is tired, he cannot sleep because his mind is not at rest. Soon after Banquo leaves Macbeth alone and Macbeth is still waiting for the bell to ring for his signal. He begins a soliloquy, in which he makes many references to evil and darkness. During this soliloquy Macbeth sees a dagger before him “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” Is this his imagination or conscience, a sign from dark forces who want him to do it or even the witches? The bell rings and after Macbeths speaks “Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell”. The audience now knows that he will commit the crime with out instant remorse.
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The banquet in Act 3 Scene 4 is when we see either the effects of murder on Macbeth’s conscience or the actual ghost of Banquo haunts him. From the start Macbeth plays the perfect host to the lords and they seem to be oblivious to the fact he murdered Duncan and Banquo. Macbeth is asked to sit but he can see the table as full where others can’t, Banquo is sitting right in front of him! The audience back then would have been shocked and pulled into the story further more. Macbeth shouts further more at the ghost of Banquo and lady Macbeth is needed to cover it all up. Has Macbeth not only sabotaged the natural order but his mind as well or is the ghost really real but only he can see it?
The use of the supernatural in Macbeth has been put to great use by Shakespeare in the storyline of the play. The supernatural events, which happen in the play, lead us to question whether these events are actually caused by evil powers or Macbeth’s paranoia and increasing insanity which leads him to believe these things, are taking place. The witches would have appeared to the audience as real life threats and would have made a deep impact onto how they sleep that night just like a modern horror film.
Shakespeare has used the supernatural to inject pure horror into the play and the eyes of the audience. The supernatural is key to the storyline of the play and certainly makes a memorable play.
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