Macbeth Key Theme: The Supernatural

• Supernatural timeline

  The key supernatural elements in each act of Macbeth:

  
• What are the supernatural elements in Macbeth?

  The supernatural elements in the play include: 

  • The three witches: Shakespeare creates a supernatural atmosphere through their rituals and prophecies
  • Unnatural or supernatural events: Shakespeare refers to storms, day darkening to night and animals behaving strangely (such as horses eating each other) 
  • Apparitions: The witches summon a severed head, a bloody child and a crowned child in Act 4, Scene 1 
  • Visions and hallucinations: Shakespeare uses a dagger, Banquo’s ghost and imaginary bloodstains to sustain the supernatural atmosphere and add to the horror throughout the play 
• The impact of the supernatural on characters

  Through his use of ghostly visions and hallucinations, Shakespeare shows his audience the lasting, transformative effect of the supernatural elements on his central protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. 

  These elements contribute to the dramatic tension and the atmosphere of evil and uncertainty in the play, but also symbolise the characters’ guilt, fear and paranoid by representing the psychological effect of their murderous actions. 
• The supernatural in Macbeth

  
• Macbeth

  Macbeth experiences two ghostly visions, the dagger and the ghost of Banquo, as well as auditory hallucinations when he comments: “Methought I heard a voice cry, 'Sleep no more: / Macbeth does murder sleep” (Act 2, Scene 2): 

  • Macbeth is initially sceptical but becomes increasingly reliant on supernatural guidance as the witches’ prophecies of power channel his ambition, giving him false confidence 
  • The visions reflect his inner conflict, his guilt and his deteriorating mental state and drive his murderous actions 
• Lady Macbeth

  Lady Macbeth also experiences hallucinations (spots of blood on her hands in Act 5, Scene 1): 

  • Her hallucinations reflect her fragile mental state and overwhelming sense of guilt
  • The hallucinations remind the audience of the corrupting power of the dark, supernatural forces in the play
• Why does Shakespeare use the theme of the supernatural in his play?

  1.  Setting and atmosphere 

  • Creates the superstitious, medieval Scottish setting
  • Establishes an ominous, foreboding atmosphere 

  2. Plot driver 

  • Influences Macbeth's actions through prophecies and visions
  • Propels the narrative from the opening scene to the final act

  3. Audience appeal 

  • Reflects the Jacobean audience's fear and fascination with witchcraft
  • Aligns with his patron King James I's interest in the supernatural (author of Daemonologie)
• Dramatic device  

  • Shakespeare starts and ends the play with supernatural elements (opens with “weird sisters” and closes with the fulfilment of the witches’ prophecies)  
  • Adds dramatic tension and spectacle