The Influence of Clairvoyance on Human Behavior Supernatural is often defined in as something paranormal or unable to be explained by science or laws of nature. This abnormality or paranormal behavior occurs throughout numerous scenes of Shakespeare 'sThe Tragedy of Macbeth. The play is set in mid 11th century Scotland and there was a stark contrast between the way of life back then and today. The Scottish general and Thane of Glamis, Macbeth, is a powerful man, but not a virtuous man. Banquo, who is another general and co-leader of the Scottish army along Macbeth, finds out that his children will be the future king.He is easily persuaded by his devious wife Lady Macbeth of achieving a higher rank in the kingdom of Scotland and they will go …show more content…
The witches are said to resemble a man like figure and have a great influence on each of the characters ' fate. The word "wierd” comes from an old english term "wyrd" meaning fate ,so therefore the witches should have an association with controlling and influencing the fate of individuals. The two individuals specifically Banquo and Macbeth are given insight into what fate they will have. The Wierd Sisters starts to manipulate their fates by putting a curse on Macbeth and allowing him to "sleep shall neither night nor day." He must "hang upon his penthouse lid" and shall "live a man forbid weary sev 'nights, nine times nine." (Shakespeare I,iii, page 15) The first witch puts a curse upon Macbeth that prevents him to sleep for many weeks specifically eight-one weeks. Since sleep is necessary Macbeth gets sicker as each day passes as a result of the curse and thus becomes disillusioned and paranoid. After hearing the witches revealing that "Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter" (Shakespeare IV,i, page 125) he believed anyone else questioning his authority might cause him to lose his position as king. The first witch states that Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, but the other two witches are referring to what Macbeth will become in the future. Macbeth becomes …show more content…
Macbeth feels omnipotent with his prophecies and little does he realize that the witches are equivocating with him. It was said Macbeth "shall never vanquished be until Great Britain wood to high Dusine Hill shall come against him." (Shakespeare IV, i, page 127) Apparitions that were evident was the "invocations of evil spirits and apparitions from the underworld and the workings of black magic." (Cusick) Apparitions derived from the bad intentions that Macbeth had due to the lust of power and wealth. The ghosts came as a result of Macbeth, but can be seen by Macbeth himself. The first apparition tells Macbeth to "beware of Macduff and beware the Thane of Fife" ( ShakespeareIV,i , page 125) and to fear for Macduff 's actions. Macbeth orders the murder Macduff 's son and wife to protect himself and be defensive ,but this backfires enraging Macduff even more to complete the quest of getting back at Macbeth. As Macbeth becomes a tyrant he could not be "for non of woman born shall" harmed. ( Shakespeare IV, i, page 125). This foreshadows the later events of the play stating Macbeth being lustful for blood and becomes more of a tyrant by making cruel acts in an impulse showing instability and
...two apparitions make Macbeth feel like his title as king is safe. He thinks this because Macbeth takes all of what the apparitions say literally and straightforward. Macbeth feels that it is impossible for Birnam wood to move towards the castle, this is ironic because the audience knows that the bark and branches from trees from Birnam wood have been used to camouflage the number of soldiers heading towards Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth does not think of it in this point of view, therefore making him feel very safe and confident about the war. The apparitions told warned Macbeth that Macduff is a threat to his title as king, and Macbeth took action by hiring murderers to kill Macduff’s whole family. Macbeth lies to the murderers and makes them believe that Macduff has been unfaithful to them just so that the murderers would go through with his plan.
Thirdly, feelings of paranoia and guilt cause Macbeth characters to make damaging choices. When Macbeth asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to him, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears. First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff. Macbeth says that he has already guessed as much. Later when Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth in reply says, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; / Seize upon Fife; give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line.” (4.1.149-152). As Macbeth descends to madness he becomes obsessed with eliminating any threats to his power. Macbeth orders the murderers to kill Macduff's family and eliminate any threat to him. Ironically, this is the moment that Macbeth seals his own fate, by murdering Macduff's family he ensures Macduff's retaliation against him, which ultimately leads
Apparitions were also involved in the telling of the story and helped to portray an eerie air. The Apparitions appeared in the first scene of the fourth act after being summoned by The Witches, “Come, high or low; / Thyself and office deftly show!” (4.1.71-72) As The Apparitions spoke to Macbeth about his future and his ultimate demise, the first witch warns Macbeth that the apparition can hear his thoughts so he should refrain from speaking to them, “He knows thy thought: Hear his speech, but say thou nought” (4.1.69-70). This warning gives off a feeling of fear and unpredictability that proves the supernatural world is beyond any human control or comprehension (Boyce 1). The Apparitions, along with The Witches, add a unique theme to the play itself, however, The Witches bring the theme to life at the beginning of the play and The Apparitions carry it through until the
The first apparition is the form of a disembodied head. Letting Macbeth know, he needs to be wary of Macduff. To deal with Macduff, he kills his family, resulting in Macbeth's own death. The second apparition is in the form of a bloody child. Explaining, that he should fear anyone born of a woman, for they would harm him. Though everyone is born by a woman, Macbeth feels he has nothing to fear. The last apparition is in the form of a child wearing a crown with a tree in his hand. This apparition claims that Macbeth will not be beaten until Birnam Wood travels to Dunsinane Hill, actually telling Macbeth that Macduff is coming to kill him. Though because Macbeth is blinded by his own superiority, he believes that these apparitions are a hoax. These apparitions justify Macbeth being the serpent because he takes everything into his own
`Act 1- The three weird witches meet and they are planning on when they are going to meet again to talk to Macbeth. In the next scene King Duncan talks to the injured captain about the battle against the invaders, who are under the command of Macdonwald. The captain tell King Duncan how he saved Malcolm and Macbeth was very violent and fought with great force. Then the Captain is taken away by the servants then Ross enters and he tells Duncan that Cawdor has been beaten and the Norway army retreated. Then King Duncan comes to the decision to kill Cawdor and then Macbeth will "become Cawdor". Then Duncan sends out Ross to go tell Macbeth about what had happened at this time. In scene three the witches approach Banquo and Macbeth when they were on their way to Forres. The witches inform Macbeth and Banquo about what had happened in the kings court and they tell him he is the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis and that Macbeth will eventually become king. Then Banquo is told riddles that his children will be royal and he will not. After the witches disappear then Ross and Angus come up to them and Ross informs Macbeth the news which he just heard. Then Macbeth contemplates whether he will have to spill blood to become king, then when he is done they all continue to Forres. Then Duncan finds out that Cawdor dies because his son killed him. Then Ross, Angus, Banquo and Macbeth arrive. Then Malcolm becomes the heir to Duncans throne and Macbeth has Duncan dine at his castle that night so he rides to tell his wife. When Macbeth gets home he tells his wife the news and she starts to plot the murder of Duncan and Macbeth fallows. Then Duncan and the Scottish lords arrive and they are tak...
In the early 1600’s, William Shakespeare penned an Aristotelian tragedy ‘Macbeth’ which provides his audiences both then and now with many valuable insights and perceptions into human nature. Shakespeare achieves this by cleverly employing many dramatic devices and themes within the character of ‘Macbeth’. Macbeth is depicted as an anti-hero; a noble protagonist with a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. This tragic flaw of Macbeth’s, heavily laden with the themes of ‘fate or free will’, and ‘ambition’, is brought out by Shakespeare in his writing to present us with a character whose actions and final demise are, if not laudable, very recognisable as human failings.
“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir?” Macbeth ponders after three witches foresee that he will become king in the tragic play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare (349). Macbeth is wondering how he could become king of Scotland without him intervening as he is not in line for the throne. He believes that he will have to take action to gain this position. Macbeth was right to doubt fate, because his choices led to his ascension to the throne and, later in the play, to his downfall.
The witches play a highly influential role in Macbeth, and their appearance in Macbeth’s life is uncontrollable. Although Macbeth chooses to believe the witches, they have a plan to destroy Macbeth that is out of Macbeth’s hands. He also cannot help that the witches are evil in nature, as evidenced by a conversation between the witches: “I will dra...
In this passage Macbeth has come to visit the witches and demand that they tell him his fate. The witches decide to tell him his fate in the form of apparitions. The first apparition (not included in this passage) is to beware Macduff. The second apparition is called the “bloody child” ( 97), while the third is named “a child crowned, with a tree in his hand” ( 97). The witches play into Macbeth's ego when informing him of his fate, making them appear simple at first glance. These prophecies give Macbeth the idea that he’s invincible, leading him to believe that he can manipulate and control his fate.
Prior to deciding whether or not conflict is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH, one must consider all the dramatic factors that contribute to the Shakespearean play. The gradual decline of the protagonist , the role portrayed by characters and the order in which the events occur, greatly influence the direction in which the development of the play takes place. After reading the text MACBETH, by Shakespeare and viewing the film version, directed by Roman Polanski, it is logical to see that ambition and the deceptive appearances of what really is, is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH.
has sent to her, Lady Macbeth begins to plot and plan how Macbeth can become
Another influential power of the Weird Sisters was their ability to create visions and apparitions. Early in the murder scene of Duncan, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger and in a phantasmagoric state, remarks, "Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, / And such an instrument I was to use,"(II, i, 51). Macbeth also states, "Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings,"(II, i, 60). Both of these statements may suggest a supernatural force in the affair. The witches' powers also extend to the summoning of apparitions that foretell future events. The three apparitions tell Macbeth, "Beware the Thane of Fife,"(IV, i, 81), "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," (IV, i, 91), and "Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him,"(IV, i, 106). These visions and apparitions, as seen later on, have a profound effect on Macbeth's actions.
In Shakespearean times, many people were intrigued by the concept of the supernatural and were influenced by greater forces which controls their fate or destiny. This resulted in many people becoming superstitious and believing in the existence of paranormal characters such as witches, ghosts and other entities. Shakespeare incorporates many elements when writing the play Macbeth. The supernatural is a component that William Shakespeare uses to evoke an essence of nefarious environment and to demonstrate the inability of humans to control their destiny. In the play, “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare, paranormal elements are an essential factor in the development of the play in order to foreshadow the conflict and chaos that the characters
text of the play seems to imply that Macbeth is indeed responsible for his own
The deliberately ambiguous apparitions play on Macbeth’s hubris and they make him feel so overconfident that he feels invincible and unstoppable. In his castle, Macbeth jokes that he will never fail “till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane” (V.iii.2) thinking that the apparition literally means that the forest will pick itself up and move to Dunsinane which he thinks is impossible despite all the supernatural events he has experienced. However, the forest does not move by itself but it does move to Dunsinane because of Malcolm’s ingenious strategy. As Malcolm approaches Macbeth’s castle with the English forces, he orders each soldier to cut off the branches of the trees of Birnam Wood to use as camouflage. This greatly contributes to Macbeth’s downfall since he was nowhere near ready for an invasion of the English forces. However, because of his hubris, he is still confident that he is unstoppable as he believes no one “borne a woman” (V.iii.6) can harm him. Unbeknown to him, Macduff was born through a caesarean section and thus not “borne” so much as “taken” from a woman. This lack of access to the entire truth sees Macbeth eventually