What is the role of the Supernatural in "Macbeth"?

What is the role of the Supernatural in “Macbeth”?

When Shakespeare wrote this play in 1606 a large majority of people were interested in witchcraft. King James interest in witches and the supernatural was great because he thought they were responsible for his near death in 1590. He was so fascinated by witches that he wrote an article about them called ‘Demonologie´. This may be why Shakespeare has made the witches and the witches´ prophecies play a major part in the storyline and overall feeling of the play Macbeth.

In the time of Shakespeare, witches were not thought to be supernatural beings themselves, but supposedly gained their powers by selling their souls to Satan, and were then instructed and controlled by ‘familiar spirits´. The existence of witchcraft was recognised by English law - an act of 1604 made the practice of it punishable by death. People that were old, female, poor, unattractive, and others were accused of being witches. They were believed to have supernatural powers, that they could create storms, put curses on others, fly and cause people to become possessed by the devil.

There can be little doubt that most of Shakespeare’s audience would have believed in witches, and for the purpose of the play, at least, Shakespeare also accepted their reality. They would have watched with content and have been constantly aware because they thought what they were watching could come true. Now, we watch programmes and plays to do with the supernatural and take it lightly and not give it a second thought because we have the knowledge and scientific explanations for storms and illnesses so we know that it isn’t caused by the supernatural.

In the tragedy Macbeth, the witches are introduced right at the beginning of the play and the brief opening few scenes give an immediate sense of mystery, uncertainty and horror. This is a sign of things to come as witchcraft is used as one of the main themes of the play. The witches create an atmosphere of evil and disorder, and we are introduced into their unnatural world.

A sense of evil is conveyed in the key scenes because in the opening scene, the weather is thunder and lightning which mirrors the way the witches are perceived. When you think of thunder and lightning you think of evil and destruction, this is exactly the way witches are represented in this play. “When shall we meet again? In thunder, lightning or in rain?”

They are evil and cause destruction in Macbeth´s life.

When in Act 1 Scene 3 Macbeth enters and says “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”, we are shown ...

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They are evil and cause destruction in Macbeth´s life.

When in Act 1 Scene 3 Macbeth enters and says “So foul and fair a day I have not seen”, we are shown that he has become like the witches because they too quote the same line: “fair is foul and foul is fair…”

Banquo says in act 1 scene 3 line 124:

"The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence."

He speaks and thinks bad of the witches. He calls them instruments of darkness and the devil. He believes that these prophecies will only bring harm even before anything begins to happen. He can see beyond the witches and can see that they are evil where as Macbeth is taken in by the witches and this sheer ‘blindness´ and weakness is what causes his downhill. Banquo, as his best friend, warns Macbeth before he makes any decisions that the witches are evil, and what they suggest is evil. If Macbeth had listened to his friend Banquo then perhaps the tragic events to follow may not have happened. But Macbeth is driven by greed and ambition. The witches have influenced him but if they had possessed him then surely Banquo would have been affected to, since Banquo visited the witches with Macbeth.

But the witches, who could supposedly foretell the future, add temptation, lure him and influence Macbeth. They had told Macbeth that he would be King. He now has a great surge of greed and ambition and it is this that drives him towards his coming actions. He becomes impatient and takes matters into his own hands. But the witches can’t control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own misery when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure and relies more on the witches help and guidance. The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, each individual´s decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play

Everything that the witches say sounds they are chanting a magic spell. In act 4 scene 1 lines 4-9 :

‘Round about the cauldron go……….charmed pot. ´

Here the poet uses rhyming couplets and a different rhythm to the rest of the play. There is a repeated chorus in which they all join in. ´Double, double, toil and trouble: Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble. ´

The alliteration with the repeated sounds make the chant sound very powerful and rhythmic.

Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose and a one-track mind. She can manipulate Macbeth easily. This is shown in act 1 scene 5:

"That I may pour my spirits in thine ear"

She is selfless, and wants what is best for her husband. Before the speech that Lady Macbeth gives in act one scene five, Macbeth is resolved not to go through with the killing of the king. However, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth's self-esteem by playing on his manliness and his bravery. This then convinces Macbeth to commit the murder. It is like a child who is easily guided. Lady Macbeth knows this and takes advantage her knowledge.

Although Macbeth has the final say in whether or not to go through with the initial killing, he loves Lady Macbeth and wants to make her happy. Lady Macbeth is the dominating individual in the relationship, it seems that she can convince him to do anything as long as she pushes the right buttons in act 1 scene 7 line 39 she says:

" Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour, As thou art in desire?"

This is her asking Macbeth whether he has the courage of his convictions to achieve what he desires, again she is playing on his courage and bravery to try and manipulate him into killing Duncan.

On the other hand, as the play progresses, and Duncan is killed, there is a reversal of natural order, and Macbeth becomes the dominating partner again. Lady Macbeth becomes subservient. She becomes pathetic and only a shadow of her former self. Ambition plays a large role in this tragedy. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have high ambitions that drive them. Lady Macbeth's ambition drives her to manipulate Macbeth into committing the crimes. Macbeth's fierce ambition is present before the witches' prophesies, but, He would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches or Lady Macbeth. Yet the combination of his ambitious nature, the initial prophesies and his wife´s influence leads him to kill the king. It is Lady Macbeth who states, "Thou wouldst be great Art not without ambition." Macbeth states that it is "his besetting sin: I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition." Macbeth's continued ambition is present in his wanting to have a succession of kings after him. Macbeth's ambition is deep within him and because of this, both the witches and Lady Macbeth are able to sway him to evil. It is this ambition that gets him into so much trouble initially.

Once Macbeth kills for the first time, he has no choice but to continue to cover up his wrong doings, or risk losing everything he has worked so hard for. In the end, it all becomes too much for Macbeth. He starts to go delusional and on the night of the Duncan murder many strange things happen. Macbeth has a vision of a dagger, which then leads him to Duncan´s room. He talks to the dagger, and questions its existence, whether it is just a figment of his imagination. The strange and unnatural events, especially the imaginary dagger, show that Macbeth is not fully in control of his own actions and is being influenced by evil.

But everyone is responsible for his own destiny. This is an essential theme in this tragedy. Macbeth chooses to gamble with his soul and when he does this it is only him who chooses to lose it. He is responsible for anything he does and must take total responsibility for his actions. Macbeth is the one who made the final decision to carry out his actions. He made these final decisions and continued with the killings to cover that of King Duncan. However where as some facts show that the results were all of his own doing, in act 4 he returns to the witches voluntarily to find out his fate in order to see what actions he should take. This suggests that the witches did have a great influence on his actions.

Banquos ghost

Conclusion