Supernatural in Macbeth

Act 1

Act 3

Act 2

Prophecies

Hallucinations

Witches

Darkness in order to kill

Apparitions

Witches

a child with a crown, holding a tree

An Armed Head

A Bloody Child

Porter knocking on the gates of Macbeth's castle; suggesting that hell is knocking on their gates because their fate is now destined to be in hell after the disruption of the great chain of being.

Lady Macbeth

Calling upon Evil spirits to 'unsex' her and achieve evil deeds

Thane of Cawdor

King hereafter

Thane of Glamis

All of the prophecies later came true which meant that Macbeth's fate was told to him

Fate

Witches are believe to tell the fate of an individual, this can be a link to the supernatural because the prophecies and apparitions that are created throughout the play are later proven to be true, this supernatural occurrence could've been done by Shakespeare to highlight the power of the supernatural and that no man can contend against it, even if they had the power of the King.

Banquo's ghost

Macduff's child is killed

Macbeth has to go into battle

Nobody is suppose to see the ghost of a dead person; this supernatural appearance shown to the audience was done to portray Macbeth's guilt as he proceeded to hallucinate

Outside of the Play

Witchcraft was a crime that was punishable by death; it only applied to women with particular traits of independence and acting unusual

James I

James was the King of England during the writing of the play and the public had a huge belief in the supernatural, James also had a book called Daemonologie which is against witchcraft

Religion

Protestants vs Catholic

Beliefs in the great chain of being

God was above all, King coming 3rd on that chain

Controlled thunder and lighting at the start of the play

Told prophecies to Macbeth and already knew his ambitions prior to interaction. Prophecies later came true

Witchcraft is against the state

Near death experience caused by a tempest whilst he was on a voyage, could suggest why the witches' entrance at the start of the play consists of lighting and a storm

'Fate' from a mysterious person sent a letter to him warning him about the gunpowder plot; the poem could be a scenario where fate did not benefit the King but benefitted the assassin

Witchcraft opposes the great chain of being

Witches are always in a group; possibly necessary for a ritual or ceremony

Believed that those opposing the king is in an alliance with the devil

Stars hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires

Hallucinations of the daggers prior to killing Duncan; supernatural elements of his fate leaves him to be stressed and guilty about using the dagger to kill King Duncan

Getting rid of feminine traits

Turning Milk to gall (Bitterness)

Supernatural ability lure in vulnerable people to commit devious acts

These apparitions are visual representation of spirits which can be seen by supernatural abilities; Shakespeare could've used these rather than the prophecies to expose the broad range of abilities that the witches have and highlight the power of the supernatural

Lady Macbeth

'Out damn spot'

Lady Macbeth as a women is driven insane as she is suffering from the guilt of the murder of Duncan; her supernatural connections to the evil spirits are starting to wear off which leads to her coming to the realisation of the actions she has committed, the blood she has spilled and chain of being balancing itself slowly by getting Lady Macbeth to kill herself.

Visited Danes which hunted witches, found it intriguing

Themes

Ambition

Gender

Power

Light vs Dark

Guilt

Lady Macbeth uses Supernatural abilities in order to avoid feeling guilty for her actions of killing King Duncan

Macbeth feeling guilty for the murders he has committed, sees the ghost of Banquo, a friend that he killed

Powers of the supernatural elements used by the witches give control over chaos and Macbeth

Macbeth is an ambitious character that uses supernatural abilities in order to foresee his future (through prophecies)

In a patriarchal society, some female characters are seen as more powerful than male characters. This is caused by their connections to supernatural elements within the play.

Supernatural elements swaying the dark forces in the winning side of the battle against the light and dark.

'Stars hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires'