The Interference Of The Supernatural In Macbeth

Essay, Research Paper

In Macbeth, there were many interesting sections which concentrate on the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions or the hallucinations, the ghost, and the apparitions are all key elements in making the concept of the play work also making the play rather interesting to the audience. In each act of the play you will notice that the supernatural is actaully a major factor on the play style. The use of the supernatural occurs at the beginning of the play, with three witches predicting the fate of Macbeth. This gives the audience a clue to what the future holds for Macbeth. “When the battles lost and won”(Act I, Scene I,) was said by the second witch. It says that every battle is lost by one side and won by another. This may be interrperated that Macbeths fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose mant things along the way possibly even including his soul and true personality. After the prophecies of the witches’ revealed the fate of Macbeth, the plan in which to gain power of the throne is brought up. According to Lady macbeth and Macbeth the only way to gain power of the throne was for macbeth to murder King Duncan. was an easier plan. Lady Macbeth also relied on the supernatural by her soliloquy of calling upon the evil spirits to give her the power to plot the murder of Duncan without any remorse or conscience(Act I, Scene V, lines

42-57). Lady Macbeth has convinced her husband Macbeth to murder King Duncan. On the night they planned to kill Duncan, Macbeth is waiting for Lady Macbeth to ring the signal bell to go up the stairs to Duncan’s chamber. He sees the vision of the floating dagger. The interest of the dagger is that it leads Macbeth towards the chamber by the presence of evil of the dagger being covered with blood. This part may come as a conffusion to the reader bceause one may not be entirely sure wether the murder has already taken place or if it is yet to come. Then the bell rings and Macbeth stealthily proceeds up the staircase to Duncan’s chamber. Once the murder has been committed, some time later Banquo has his suspicions about Macbeth killing Duncan to have power of the throne. There is constantly more guilt and fear inside Macbeth and his wife that they decide to have Banquo killed. Macbeth and his wife attend a banquet in which a ghost appears, this ghost is the spirit of Banquo. Once the murderer notified Macbeth that the deed was done, he observed the ghost of Banquo sitting in his regular seat. This caused Macbeth to act in a wild manner, making people suspicious of his actions. (Act III, Scene VI, 31-120). In conclusion we must realize that without the sense of the supernatural and the interences of the ghost, the hullcinations, macbeth would not have been led to do many of the things he did. His charcter in general would be completly different.