How Does Shakespeare Present Human Belief In Macbeth

Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, now more commonly known as ‘Macbeth’, demonstrates a variety of different human beliefs. This is communicated to the audience using a number of different literary techniques. Topics such as the supernatural and its effects on the characters, psychology in relation to different mental states, religious beliefs and culture differences are all present in the play. This shows the variety of human belief in Elizabethan times. Although not all are personally held by Shakespeare, all the topics presented, are cleverly woven in with a purpose.

In the play ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, the belief in the supernatural is the basis for a lot of superstition. In the first scene, witches appear, and are later used as a symbol of evil,

The different culture of this time is also linked to this topic as the culture came into play when Lady Macbeth wanted Macbeth to murder King Duncan.

In order to be a man you must be brave, is a strong theme that was represented in ‘Macbeth’. The bravery aspect is a large area in which Macbeth struggled with. He believed he was a man, but was too honourable to do what his wife wished. In Act 1 Lady Macbeth is trying to convince Macbeth to murder King Duncan to become king, Macbeth is unsure about this, but once Lady Macbeth starts to call him a coward, Macbeth succumbing to this is shown in the below extract.

“What beast was’t then,

That made you break this enterprise to me?

When you durst do it, then you were a man;

And to be more than what you were, you would

Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place

Did then adhere, and yet you would make