Macbeth supernatural essay

• Tragedy "Macbeth"


  Shakespeare illustrates the malevolent forces of the supernatural, and their innate desire to cause destruction upon the world
• Macbeth's misplaced ambitions


  First awoken by the witches, allowing him to be continuously manipulated, and used as a puppet for the witches' perfidious schemes and to turn Scotland into a state of despair
• Macbeth's progression into a state of insanity and tyranny 


  Shakespeare invites the audience to view the tragic consequences of relying on the supernatural and acting upon their prophecies
• Relying on the supernatural and acting upon their prophecies

  Leads to tragic consequences
• Shakespeare further warns the audience to not be misled down a route of evil, and to never strive for illegitimate power
• Topic sentence

  Shakespeare opens the play in media res, with the witches, to convey a sense of secrecy and danger and to illustrate how they will hold a significant influence throughout the play.
• Thunder and lightning”- pathetic fallacy, sinister nature

  “When shall we three meet again”- sense uncomfort and plotting

  “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”- world will be turned upside down, the boundaries between good and evil will become blurred
• Topic sentence

  Shakespeare demonstrates the strong influence the supernatural has over Macbeth, as he is instantly attracted to the “wither’d” witches and their prophetic language. Furthermore, emulating their paradoxical phrase by expressing “so foul and fair a day i have not seen”, which depicts how he is already being subconsciously controlled by the witches.
• Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more”- imperative “stay”- Macbeth is drawn to their equivocations and can’t stop himself from wanting to listen to their prophecies. “imperfect” - suggests their prophecies are half formed and may be harmful. This showcases Macbeth’s foolishness in listening to them. Macbeth’s eagerness is driven by his unchecked ambition.
• Macbeth: '"This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good"'
• Macbeth's character


  • His honour and loyalty starts to fade away
  • He shifts from being the epitome of patriotism to contemplating over treason
• Shakespeare expresses the internal conflict they cause, and emphasises their power
• Opening sibilance of the "s" sound


  • Creates a seductive tone
  • The witches are tempting him with ideas he secretly craves, but knows is "against the use of nature"
• "Cannot be ill, cannot be good"


  Parallels the witches earlier and follows the motif of "fair is foul and foul is fair"
• Macbeth's is increasingly being influenced by the supernatural
• Macbeth is wary of the supernatural


  However his "ambition" for more surmounts his caution towards the "soliciting"
• The anaphora depicts his lack of ability to decide to stay moral or not
• Topic sentence

  Banquo’s hesitant reaction to the witches, juxtaposes Macbeth’s eagerness, and reflects the true volatile and devious nature of the supernatural which is hidden behind their equivocations. Furthermore emphasising how Macbeth is blind to the dangers of the supernatural, as his misplaced ambitions and desire for illegitimate power, clouds his sense of judgement and consequently makes him highly susceptible to the witches' deceit.
• The instruments of darkness tell us truth, win us with honest trifles to betray us in deepest

  consequence, Instruments”- metaphor, illustrates how the prophecies they speak are pleasant to hear, which makes them hard to ignore, however in truth they cause destruction.

  Shakespeare implies how Banquo is a morally good character, so can’t be manipulated by the witches.
• Topic sentence

  Shakespeare portrays Macbeth’s state of mind deteriorating as a result of the influence the witches have had on him. The hallucination “is this a dagger I see before me, the handle towards my hand” reflects the internal turmoil in his mind, with “dagger” suggesting his mind has become corrupted by the witches’ prophecies.
• Macbeth is filled with uncertainty and doubt


  The question "is this" is representative of his state of mind
• Male leaders in a patriarchal society


  • They were not meant to have doubt
  • They were meant to be powerful, certain and strong
• Macbeth has become a weaker warrior


  Since the warfare on the battlefield in act 1, as a result of the witches
• The supernatural placed the dagger in Macbeth's mind


  In order to steer Macbeth's internal conflict into committing regicide and causing chaos upon the country
• Shakespeare wanted to portray the supernatural in a negative light and be seen as corrupt in order to please the King
• Topic sentence

  The supernatural continues to torment Macbeth through his time on the throne and are portrayed to be the catalysts for Macbeth’s downfall
• Banquo’s ghost could have been implemented by the supernatural to lead Macbeth down a route of paranoia and self-destruction as he becomes increasingly isolated.

  “Never shake thy gory locks at me” -Nobles start distrusting Macbeth and people start turning on him.

  “Hence horrible shadow, Unreal mock’ry hence”-alliteration, feels mocked and exploited by the supernatural
• “I am in blood/ Stepp’d in so far”-foreshadows Macbeth's insanity progressing further and Scotland turning into a state of despair
• Topic sentence

  Shakespeare continuously portrays the ominous nature of the supernatural, and their wickedness to illustrate how Macbeth was always going to be defeated by their horrific magic.
• This night I’ll spend/ unto a dismal fate and end”- Hectate is illustrating how she is in full control of Macbeth’s fate and “spend” has associations with careful planning and scheming to ensure his “fatal end”.

  “Dismal” implies an unheroic end for a once great soldier, moreover the conjunction “and” lengthens the sentence and extends the pain Macbeth will feel
• Finger of birth-strangled babe”- imagery of one of the many horrific ingredients that goes into the witches cauldron. This evidently portrays their innate evil, and how Macbeth was always going to be destroyed by their detrimental powers.

  “Babe” is a symbol of pure innocence being destroyed, linking to the destruction of the previously good Macbeth. “Birth-strangled” highlights the extreme cruelty of the witches.
• Up until his death, the witches continue to equivocate and manipulate Macbeth, filling him with a false sense of safety, through the double meanings of “but none of Women born shall harm Macbeth.”Repeatedly he readily believes their prevaricate words as the audience ultimately feel pity for him and his naivety
• Topic sentence

  Shakespeare illustrates Macbeth's nihilistic view to his futile life, as he realises his mistake in letting the prophecies dictate his life into a state of ruin and isolation
• Macbeth was only a “a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage”, as Macbeth finally understands he is under the control of evil forces. He is simply an actor who has his fate controlled by the witches, and will then be forgotten. The image of Macbeth as a “poor player” contrasts the previous image of him being a powerful “cannon” in Act 1.

  Verbs “struts” and “frets” are both weak, indecisive decisions- that suggest lack of control and power
• Conclusion

  Audience is made to question whether Macbeth’s tragic end was a result of him being too ambitious and trusting the witches too much, or whether Shakespeare was presenting how even a “valiant” soldier can be constructed to fall from grace and be seen as a “dead butcher” if supernatural forces are there to dictate, guide and steer anybody to madness and a state of disrepair.

  Shakespeare’s purpose was to please King James, thus portraying the supernatural as evil and wicked.