Supernaturals in Macbeth

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DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPERNATURALS IN MACBETH The supernatural is a powerful theme running through Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Shakespeare uses the supernatural in many scenes and it vital to the storyline of the play, injecting horror tension and suspense into the play – are these supernatural events inside Macbeth’s mind, or do they really take place. In this essay I will explore the theme of the supernatural in Macbeth, how Shakespeare uses the supernatural and how it affects the play.         The first major use of the supernatural is in the opening scene Act 1, Scene 1. In this scene we view three witches meeting on a moor. Here they discuss where they plan to meet Macbeth. One of the biggest examples of the supernatural is introduced here – the witches. At the time Shakespeare wrote Macbeth the idea of witches was something that was taken very seriously by his audience – witches were believed to be real beings, living in secrecy among the good, Christian citizens. Witches were the spawn of the devil, and so this scene would have been very likely to scare, and excite Shakespeare’s audience. This opening scene is a key scene as it sets the mood for the play – from the opening scene we can tell that Macbeth is not going to be a comedy. Shakespeare uses the supernatural in many other subtler ways is this scene – the witches are on an empty moor, for example, and there is a thunder and lightning storm taking place. This makes a huge difference – it brings out the horror and evil in the witches and adds to the tension and the full horror of this scene. The opening scene is vital, to any play. In my opinion Shakespeare has used the supernatural well, to produce an exiting and sinister scene.         Act 1 Scene 3 is a vital scene, in terms of the supernatural. It is much lengthier than the fairly short opening scene. The scene opens with the witches discussing their deeds, since they last gathered. They have all been committing evil deeds, for example the second witch killed the husband of a woman that would not give her chestnuts. Once again, the witches have assembled on a moor, and a storm is taking place, adding to the sinister, eerie mood of the scene. Their actions, or what they say, also contribute to this mood –
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they have all been committing spine-chilling, evil deeds. They wait to meet Macbeth – as they already know he is coming. Macbeth and Banquo then stumble upon the witches, after 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, that look 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 ...

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