Supernatural

• Supernatural

  A central theme in Macbeth used by Shakespeare to warn against its corrupting influence
• Shakespeare uses the supernatural theme to play on the anxieties of the time, especially King James I who was obsessed with the supernatural
• Witches

  • They speak in half-truths and equivocations to deliberately mislead Macbeth, leading to his downfall
  • They are presented as devilish characters that disrupt the natural order and influence Macbeth to commit regicide
  • They never lie, but reveal only partial truths
• Quotes about the witches

  • "Fair is foul, and foul is fair"
  • "Hail, Macbeth! Hail, King hereafter!"
  • "Something wicked this way comes"
• The witches' influence

  Sparks wicked thoughts and actions in characters like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, leading to intense guilt and remorse
• Supernatural hallucinations

  • Macbeth sees a floating dagger before killing Duncan
  • Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost
  • Lady Macbeth sees spots of blood on her hands
• The supernatural

  Triggers ambition in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, leading to their downfall
• Macbeth realizes his trust in the supernatural was false, saying "Out, out, brief candle!"
• The witches

  The witches are the first characters the audience see in the play. This shows that they are very significant for what is to come. They manipulate Macbeth to show the evil within himself.
• Lady Macbeth and the supernatural

  Lady Macbeth calls on spirits: "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" (1,5). This labels her as an evil character who wants supernatural beings to help her.
• Who are the first characters to come on stage in Macbeth?

  The witches
• Lady Macbeth calls on spirits: "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" (1,5).
• Significance of the supernatural

  Contact with the supernatural seems to cause the events of the play. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth only hatch the plan to kill King Duncan because the witches tell Macbeth that he will be the king one day.
• Macbeth’s visions - the dagger

  Macbeth has visions throughout the play, such as the dagger before he kills King Duncan, "Is this a dagger which I see before me" (2,1). 

  These could be psychological or they could be premonitions
• Banquo’s Ghost

  A key supernatural event is when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo. He is the only one who can see the ghost. 

  We could argue that this hallucination is a symptom of Macbeth’s mind becoming more and more unbalanced because of the guilt he feels.
• What does Macbeth see before killing King Duncan?

  A floating dagger
• Who’s ghost does Macbeth see?

  Banquo’s Ghost
• Who says “Is this a dagger which I see before me”?

  Macbeth
• Macbeths visions

  • The visions Macbeth has throughout the play could be psychological (of the mind) or they could be premonitions (feelings that something bad is going to happen) and Macbeth is experiencing the supernatural.
• What is premonition?

  A premonition is a feeling or belief that something is going to happen, typically something bad.
• Banquo’s Ghost

  • A key supernatural event is when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo. He is the only one who can see the ghost.
  • We could argue that this hallucination is a symptom of Macbeth’s mind becoming more and more unbalanced because of the guilt he feels, as well as the overwhelming amount of power he suddenly has.
• Macbeth’s visions

  • Dagger — “Is this a dagger which I see before me” (2,1). Could be psychological or premonition. Made himself vulnerable to evil because he has interacted with the witches?
  • Banquo’s ghost — Only one who sees the ghost is Macbeth. Symptom of his mind becoming more and more unbalanced from guilt?
• Role and significance of the witches

  • The witches are the first characters the audience see in the play. This shows that they are very significant for what is to come.
  • They manipulate (control to their advantage) Macbeth to show the evil within himself.
• Lady Macbeth and the supernatural

  Lady Macbeth calls on spirits too. She does this like the witches themselves: ‘Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’
• ‘Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’ (1,5) Analysis

  She uses imperative language (‘come’ and ‘unsex’) which suggests that she thinks she has control over them. This labels her as an evil character who wants supernatural beings to help her
• Supernatural cause bad effects

  Contact with the supernatural seems to cause the events of the play. 

  • Macbeth and Lady Macbeth only hatch the plan to kill King Duncan because the witches tell Macbeth that he will be the king one day – we could argue that, without the witches, none of the events of the play would have happened
• Lady Macbeth calling on the spirits

  • “Come, you spirits/That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here“ (1,5) — Calls upon them like the witches.
  • Imperative language (‘come‘ and ‘unsex’) — Suggests that she thinks she has control over them
• ‘Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’What are 'come' and 'unsex' examples of in this quote?

  Imperative verbs
• What could have made Macbeth vulnerable to evil?

  His interaction with the witches
• Personification of the Earth

  • In Act 2, Scene 3, Lennox tells Macbeth that the previous night – the night of King Duncan’s murder – was ‘unruly’. People are predicting that bad things will happen. 
  • ‘Some say, the earth / Was feverous and did shake’. This personification shows that Earth itself is sick with the events happening in the world of men. The murder hasn’t even been talked about at this point
• ‘Some say, the earth / Was feverous and did shake’ Analysis

  • This personification shows that Earth itself is sick with the events happening in the world of men. The murder hasn’t even been talked about at this point.
  • This could be a message to the audience that people who take part in supernatural events cause huge problems for everyone in the world. The witches in Macbeth have caused nature itself to turn on its head.
• Personification of the Earth ‘Some say, the earth was feverous and did shake’ (2,3)


  • Personification — Shows that Earth itself is sick with the events happening in the world of men
  • Message to the audience — People who take part in supernatural events cause huge problems for everyone in the world. — The witches have caused nature itself to turn on its head