The Supernatural In Macbeth - 1858 Words

In the play Macbeth by WIlliam Shakespeare, the supernatural is an ever present force, seen in the witches, the ghost of banquo, and maybe some other places. The way Shakespeare portrays the supernatural, and especially the witches, add a great deal s to the play, and also contribute in key ways to the themes, structure, tone. Mood, and literary devices in ways that are designed to affect the audience of the play. The most important contribution in my opinion, was that they made the play scary, and created a feeling of uncertainty or unease, which felt like an important aspect of the play. In Macbeth, the witches exemplify some of the important themes through their supernatural abilities, and these themes are important to deliver the†¦show more content†¦The prophecies are interesting because we don’t know whether they were predicting the future, or changing it. Does Macbeth kill the king because he was destined to, or because the witches made him think he was destined to? At the end, Macbeth was told he couldn’t be killed by a man born of a woman; was this ever true? Was he killed by Macduff because Macduff had been ripped from his mother s womb, or because Macbeth knew this and gave up? Really, Macduff only attacked Macbeth because Macbeth killed his family after being told he should fear him. The witches caused all of these things somehow, and whether they did it by supernaturally controlling fate or by manipulating Macbeth is one of the more interesting parts of the play to me. These themes (fair vs foul, and one s control over their own fat e) are important in adding a feeling of uncertainty, and creating some level of fear and suspense. The witches in Macbeth would have been especially scary and mysterious to the audience it was originally written for: the people living in England in the early 1600s, including the king himself. Most of the audience at the time would have believed in witches, and would therefore be afraid of them. The idea that there were crazy killers out there, being controlled by witches that could see the future, create scary potions, and recite spells would haveShow MoreRelatedThe Supernatural in Macbeth874 Words   |  4 PagesThe Supernatural in Macbeth 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 powersRead MoreTheme Of Supernatural In Macbeth773 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeares Macbeth, the supernatural and the role it plays in motivating characters is present throughout the duration of the play. 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