SUPERNATURAL

• MACBETH “so foul and fair a day I have not seen“


  -signs of influence from witches which quickly but subtly links him to evil

  -echo witches paradox “fair is foul and foul is fair”- hes slowing becoming a mouthpiece for the witches evil

  -hints at the destructive impact that he will have on scotland

  -lexis on “not seen” implies blindness /loss of vision. could parallel how he's blinded by their prophecies leading him to lose sight of reality
• LADY MACBETH “Come you spirits”


  -willing to embrace supernatural to achieve her ambitions

  -directly calls upon supernatural forces, to help her achieve her goals

  -calling them indicates her belief in their power and her willingness to seek their assistance

  -evidence for her being 4th witch

  -speaks in rhyming couplets whilst persuading macbeth to agree to her plan

  -her command of rhetoric and manipulation intimidates the witches spels

  -her appearance/reality is similar to the witches
• WITCHES “An armed head” “A bloody child” “a child with a tree crowned in his hand”


  -link to hectate who is portrayed as master of witches and actively control the witches

  -summon 3 apparitions which are manifestations or the threats macbeth faces

  -children signify his superficial rule as he cnat produce an heir

  -1st is emblematic of violence and battles which foreshadows macbeths decapitation

  -2nd represents macduff borin by c-section

  -3rd if emblematic of where macbeth lives but could also suggest scotland would flourish under malcolms rule
• MACDUFF “Macduff was from his mothers womb / Ultimately ripped”


  -Born by c section, wasnt “born of woman” in usual way- fulfils witches cryptic prophecy that “none of woman born shall harm macbeth”

  -Tmoment ties macduff directly to supernatural element of play, showing witches words were deceptively true and fate ultimately favoured macduff

  -Connection makes macduff the instrument of justice, foretold by prophecy + gives a sense of divine or fated retribution
• MALCOLM “Those clamorous harbingers of blood and death”


  -Language echoes by macbeth when prophesied by the witches suggest that the supernatural played a role in malcolms rise to the throne, mirroring macbeths fate

  -Malcolms return as king restoring justice, is also presented as a fate, potentially influenced by the supernatural

  -Use of “harbingers” suggests that the outcome of the battle is not entirely either their control but rather influenced by a higher power or destiny
• DUNCAN “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand?”


  -spoken by macbeths as he contemplates the murder of king duncan, shows the influence of the supernatural and his own troubled mind

  -the dagger, a hallucination, is a catalyst for macbeths descent into madness and murder

  -Dagger represents the supernatural forces at play, urging macbeth towards murder

  -Witches prophecies fueled his ambition and desire for power. The dagger (a manifestation of ambition) suggests that supernatural forces are pushing macbeth towards the murder
• BANQUO “What, can the devil speak true?


  -spoken after banquo is told of macbeths promotion reveals Banquos immediate association of the witches with evil and dramatic forces

  -He is surprised that such supernatural beings might be truthful, highlighting his distrust of the supernatural and his understanding of their potentially harmful nature

  -suggest he knows that supernatural things are evil and are surprised they are able to tell the truth

  -Before this he has almost dismissed their claims as lies