Marium Hamid
Discuss the role of the supernatural in determining the fate of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
In the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare the element of supernatural in Act 1 is protrayed by The Three Witches or the Weird Sisters. They are the principal element of supernatural present. Our mind harbors uncountable vices, but it is only in promisingg circumstances that these vices surface and start to dominate us. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the three witches or the Weird Sisters not only predict the future but also set in motion the wheels of destruction for the protagonists Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It only takes a rewarding peek into the future for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to let their hidden ambition and greed to surface. It was the witches who first appeared infront of Macbeth and revealed the contents of a prophecy which shaped and initiated the plot for the rest of the story.
The opening scene of the play gives us an indication on the importance of the witches. It infers a sense of foreboding. Upon their arrival in the scenes, Shakespeare creates an atmosphere of evil presence by stormy weather and unpleasant locations to develop a sense of impending doom. It is also an indication of the evil which would surround the plot of the story.The rising action of the play where the Three Witches prophesize with the following lines – “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” These lines startle Macbeth because among the three things they say only one of them is true. The other two were predictions which he could not have dreamt of acquiring. These lines trigger the curiosity of Macbeth who before this scene appeared as a loyal and brave warrior. Even though he seems taken aback by the witch’s prediction, he surely feels intrigued by the words uttered. On the arrival of the King's men Angus and Ross, Macbeth comes to know that the second part of the prophecy has come true. Even if any suspicions existed before their arrival, the news of him being titled the thane of Cawdor changes that. He now knows that the word spoken have the ability to come true. He assumes that the third prophecy which said that Macbeth would be the king is surely to happen. He also assumes that it is he who has to find his path to the predicted bidding of the Witches. When King Duncan announces that his son Malcolm would become the next king, Macbeth expresses in his words what this implies in regards to the witches prediction-''The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies’’. Referring to Malcolm, Macbeth ponders that if he is to gain control of the crown then Malcolm is an obstacle which he has to take care of. The evil and ambitious side of Macbeth has surfaced with the prediction of the witches. His internal conflict becomes an integral part of the rest of the play, where he tries to understand the good and the evil.
