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Influence in macbeth
How was Macbeth influenced
How was Macbeth influenced
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Influence of Supernatural on William Shakespeare's Macbeth
During Shakespeare's time people were frightened of witches as they
were associated with evil. Many people were accuse of being witches
and automatically burnt at the stake. Some of these people were old,
deformed in some or people who were living alone, therefore considered
as abnormal and a threat to society. Witchcraft was taken very
seriously which probably made this play extremely interesting for
people in Shakespeare times as it also settled peoples views of
witches at the time.
Shakespeare has chosen to open the play with the witches on a moor in
thunder and lightening. He has done this to grip his audience from the
beginning and use the witches to play on their fears and emotions.
People at the time believed that witches had the ability to predict
the future, fly, create storms, fog and mist, shorten the hours of
day, appear and disappear, posses people or cause them to be possessed
by the devil and put curses on people which could make them ill and
kill them. Almost all of these powers were used by the witches in the
play.
For example in the opening scene when the witches were in thunder and
lightening also the storms they caused the night of Duncen's death and
how they shortened the hours of day.
When thinking about the influence of the supernatural in Macbeth, I
think it is also important to consider the concept known as the
"Divine Right of Kings," which states that the king has been chosen to
reign by God. Any attempt to remove him from power is therefore an act
against the natural order of life and therefore against God. This
shows the importance of Duncan's murder being started by a
supernatural, unholy source - the witches - as this would make sense
to a Shakespearean audience. Which would also explain why Shakespeare
chose to begin the play with the witches as without them regicide
would not have been justified by the Shakespearean audience.
Shakespeare might have chosen to begin the play with the witches also
Without a general supernatural stigma from the witches, the story would not be as interesting as it is and wouldn’t lay a clear foundation. The reader can enhance their experience by making predictions about the prophecies, thus grabbing the readers attention to continue to read. The role of supernatural is to also create suspense. Suspense of the prophecies gives the reader a sense of what’s to come next. In contrast this will make the reader have motivation to continue as it is a difficult text to understand. The following quote creates suspense as it shows the reader Macbeth is at decline point while constantly relying on the prophecies to save him The mind I sway by and the heart I bear. Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.
The play begins with a supernatural scene, where the three witches meet and give many clues as to who they are or what they have control over,
Anyone suspected to be a witch would be prosecuted/executed. Shakespeare knowing the witches reputation during that era, he used them for him play that eventually became the tragedy of Macbeth. He used the witches to create an eerie, dramatic atmosphere. In the opening scene,Shakespeare used Isolated place and strange weather conditions to show how wicked the witches really were. “When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?” These three weather were known to be very grim and depressing.And anytime the witches met it was neither thunder, lightning, or in rain. The witches predict that Macbeth will be King and Thane of Cawdor, this was taken lightly until Macbeth was given title of Thane of Cawdor, much to his disbelief; “All Hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!” Directly after this scene, the unlikely odds of it becoming true happens, this foreshadows early on that the witch’s other predictions will come true. Macbeth was reconsidering the idea of killing the King to get the throne and the power. By using this three witches, shakespeare did not only set the mood of the play,but the tension and drama for the audience. In the opening act, the three witches were there talking about their evil plans/ deed and talk about when they will met again. This tells the audience that something bad was going to happen and the witches will be a big part of it. The witches uses the
In the play of Macbeth we notice the works of how the supernatural can control or change
The last person you would expect to encourage you to commit a crime would be your wife. Macbeth is motivated by his wife and by three Witches and gradually becomes more ruthless, evil, and murderous as the play progresses.
Throughout William Shakespeare's Macbeth, many characters evolve and many disappear into the background. The main character, Macbeth, travels through utter chaos when he proclaims himself monarch. When he first meets the witches of the supernatural, they tell him of the future. One of the themes amplified throughout the play is the circle of life, from the beginning to the end. The visions provided by the three witches begin Macbeth's quest for dominance. The three main effects of this theme are: the death of Macbeth's friends and family. Second, the deaths of his mortal enemies. The last point is the death of himself. The supernatural amplifies the theme of death.
The Shakespearian audience at this time would have believed in witches, this is because witches were hanged by James1 if he found out that they were one even if they were totally innocence, plus the witches were very life like. The supernatural plaid a small part of the murder of Duncan by putting thoughts in to his head Macbeth goes to see the three Witches and they show three visions in act 4 scene 1 lines 51-60 Macbeth is so desperate he asks for answers even if it means destruction of everything lines 70-71 1st apparition "beware Macduff" 78-80 2n...
on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52. One of these brilliant tragedies was
William Shakespeare, in my opinion starts the play off with supernatural beliefs. The first of characters to speak are the three witches. I feel that the witches are a supernatural element that Shakespeare used. The introduction of the witches depicts the plan they had to meet Macbeth. I would describe the witches as a set of mysterious characters that plot mischief against Macbeth using things such as the apparitions. There predictions are what I think caused Macbeth to par...
and be great, but they didn't tell him the price he would have to pay.
The witches have a strong effect on Macbeth's character; they highly influence him in his accomplishments and awake his ambitions. They give Macbeth a false sense of security with their apparitions of truth. Instead, they prove to be harmful for Macbeth, who takes too much comfort and confidence in his interpretation of the truths. They are the ones who plant the actual idea of killing Duncan into Macbeth's mind. But if it were only the witches prophecies, then Macbeth surely would not have murdered the king. '
The Importance of the Supernatural in Macbeth by William Shakespeare The supernatural is to play an essential part in the play 'Macbeth'; this is made clear from the first paragraph of the play, when the three witches are introduced. It is represented in many different forms, mainly: the witches, the dagger and the ghost of Banquo. Shakespeare's use of imagery and creative language in the play creates tension, fear and clearly displays the importance of the supernatural theme. At the start of the play, the supernatural is disguised in the form of nature, in this case a storm. Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to describe the strong force of nature- "Thunder and lightning - Enter three Witches.
In the English Renaissance, there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. Thus, the supernatural is a recurring aspect in William Shakespeare 's Macbeth and is an integral and important part of the plot. The role of the supernatural in Macbeth is to bring out emotional reactions within Macbeth that cloud his judgement, affecting his actions which ultimately leads to his downfall. This is demonstrated through the ambiguous prophecies of the witches, the supernatural phenomenon that Macbeth sees, and the apparitions that foreshadow how he will meet his end.
It is undoubted that the supernatural is one element in Macbeth that was used cleverly by Shakespeare to get various messages across to the audience. The messages are brought across between the lines of the plays which requires audiences to reflect critically to get the underlying meaning of his play. Shakespeare did not merely show ghosts and witches in the supernatural as a thriller, but also tied in the political and religious aspects of the society during his time. References: Internet Shakespeare Editions (2003). Witches and the King James.
As the play begins, we are introduced to the witches. They speak in rhyming couplets, just as all supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s work do. This could have been to let the audience, which would have been aware of this technique, that the witches are in fact, or simply appear magical. The stage directions indicate “thunder and lightning,” every time the witches appear, this same stage direction is given throughout the play to set the intended atmosphere, this is pathetic fallacy.