supernatural

• Who influenced Shakespeare as a playwright?

  James the First
• What topic fascinated and terrified James the First?

  Witchcraft
• What treatise did James VI of Scotland publish in 1597?

  Demonology
• What did James VI instigate in the 1590s?

  A series of witch hunts
• What statute did James I pass in 1603?

  The harshest statute against witchcraft
• Who were the typical targets of witchcraft trials in Renaissance England?

  Poor cranky old women
• How did Shakespeare consider the portrayal of witches in Macbeth?

  He thought deeply about it
• What does Stephen Greenblatt suggest about Shakespeare's writing of Macbeth?

  He explored the fantasies in the king's mind
• What did Shakespeare risk by engaging with supernatural topics?

  His reputation as a playwright
• What dramatic device was popular among Renaissance play-goers?

  Ghosts
• What is the association of ghosts in Senecan tragedies?

  They call for revenge
• How does Banquo's ghost differ from other ghosts in Shakespeare's plays?

  It neither speaks nor seeks revenge
• Why might it have been unwise to stage Duncan's ghost?

  It could offend the living king
• What is the core focus of Shakespeare's works?

  The individual and their responses
• How do supernatural elements function in Macbeth?

  They amplify human characters' complexities
• What is the significance of the line "fair is foul and foul's fair"?

  • It is a paradox.
  • It suggests good can be evil.
  • It implies evil can lead to good.
• What does the first witch's vow to drain the sailor dry foreshadow?

  Macbeth's mental torment and sleeplessness
• What does Macbeth hear after killing Duncan?

  A voice cry "sleep no more"
• What does Macbeth associate with witchcraft in his hallucination speech?

  Wicked dreams and disturbed sleep
• What historical event might Shakespeare allude to with the tempest-tossed ship?

  The North Berwick witch trials
• What does the tempest-tossed ship symbolize in Macbeth?

  The chaos of malicious forces
• How does Banquo's reaction to the witches differ from Macbeth's?

  Banquo challenges their existence, Macbeth embraces them
• What does Banquo's analogy about the witches imply?

  They are figments of the mind
• What does Macbeth's desire for the witches to stay reveal about him?

  His longing for their knowledge
• What does Macbeth's powerlessness signify in the play?

  His inability to control supernatural forces
• How does Macbeth react to Banquo's ghost?

  He is terrified and powerless
• What does the ghost's appearance signify in Macbeth?

  Macbeth's guilt and mental turmoil
• What is ironic about Macbeth's power?

  He is powerless despite gaining power
• How does Macbeth demonstrate his powerlessness in Act 1 Scene 3?

  He cannot command the witches to speak
• What does Macbeth's encounter with Banquo's ghost reveal?

  His inability to control the supernatural
• What does Macbeth cry out when he sees Banquo's ghost?

  "Pray, see there! Behold!"
• How does the personification of charnel houses affect Macbeth's power?

  It exposes the uselessness of his murders
• What does Macbeth mean by "thy bones are marrowless"?

  Banquo's ghost represents his own guilt
• What does Macbeth ask Banquo's ghost to do?

  To quit his sight
• How does Macbeth's description of Banquo's ghost reflect on himself?

  It shows his own cold-blooded nature
• What does the phrase "take any shape but that" imply about Macbeth's fears?

  He fears the ghost more than anything
• What does the term "horrible shadow" signify in Macbeth's context?

  It represents his guilt and fear
• How does Macbeth's need for certitude affect his actions?

  It drives him to irrational decisions
• What does Wittgenstein's analogy of the piece of paper illustrate about Macbeth?

  He is controlled by external forces
• What advice do the witches give Macbeth?

  Seek to know no more