The Importance Of The Supernatural In Macbeth
Uploaded by jameshong on Jul 23, 2007
The supernatural forces are the skeletal structure of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth; it was this dark presence that added an element of suspense and a much-needed escape from the mundane for the audience. Moreover the atmosphere and aura the dark forces create are the backbone of the subplot and are the instruments that bring about revelations in character, plot and the hatred society had towards forces they didn’t understand.
Undoubtedly the under lining of the plot is highlighted with events that have paranormal roots. Both the bloody dagger that intices Macbeth towards Duncan’s chamber and the ghost of Banquo he later sees are dismissed as figments of his imagination. Most psychologists would diagnose him with dementia, but in that day in age these events would’ve been regarded as forces that hopped down to Earth from the supernatural family tree, therefore Shakespeare originally meant for these scenes to be of mystical origin. “Art thou not a fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight?…. Or false creation. (Act II, Scene I Lines 41,42) ” Considering the fact that King James IV, who had a keen interest in demonology and witchcraft, was also in attendance, an extra set of ghostly images would have been appropriate. If these images were real then where did they come from? It’s most likely that the three witches conjured them up to complete the first set of prophecies they gave Macbeth. Shortly after Duncan’s death, his horses eat each other in frenzy, possibly symbolizing the disturbance in the natural order of god. If this is true then it is very likely that the dark forces had a hand in King Duncan’s murder, which leads to this imbalance in nature.
Unquestionably, the first set of prophesies are what started much of the evil in the first half of the play. These predictions let the audience know that something must be done for these to come true and it kept them on the edge of their seats trying to figure out what that might be. In the second half of Macbeth there are three apparitions that give a second set of prophecies, “ beware the thane of Fife…. none of woman born shall harm Macbeth…. Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill. (Act IV, Scene I Lines 78, 85-86, 100, 101, 102) ” After hearing this Macbeth becomes over confident and decides to kill...