The Supernatural in Macbeth
In Macbeth, there are many sections that refer to the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the script, the witches, the visions, the ghost of Banquo, and the apparitions, are key elements making the concept of the play work and in making the play interesting. Witches, spirits, ghosts and apparitions are a major factor in developing the play.
The use of the supernatural occurs at the beginning of the play, with three witches predicting the fate of Macbeth. This gives the audience a clue to what the future holds for Macbeth. "When the battle's lost and won" (1.1.4), is said by the second witch, stating that the battle is lost by one side, and won by another. Macbeth's fate is that he will win the battle, but will lose his soul. After the witches reveal the destiny of Macbeth, the plan to gain the power of the throne is brought up. The only way to gain the power of the throne is for Macbeth to work his way to the throne, or to murder King Duncan. Murdering the king is an easier plan.
Lady Macbeth also relies on the supernatural in her soliloquy, where she calls upon the spirits to give her the power to plot the murder of Duncan without any remorse or conscience. "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty" (1.5.47-50). Lady Macbeth convinces her husband, Macbeth, to murder King Duncan. On the night they plan to kill Duncan, Macbeth is waiting for Lady Macbeth to ring the bell, signaling him to go to Duncan's chamber. On his way, he sees the vision of the dagger. The significance of the dagger is that it leads Macbeth towards the chamber by the ...
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...y, and consequentially, would lose most, if not all, of its significance it holds.
Techers Comments: Your paper contains some plot summary. Avoid re-telling the story. Instead, tell us how the supernatural forces develop that plot. How do Lady Macbeth's spirits lead to Duncan's death? Tell us more about how Banquo's ghost deepens suspicions about Macbeth's deed, etc.
Works Cited and Consulted:
Best, Michael. Macbeth’s Life and Times. CD ROM. Santa Barbara, CA: Intellimation, 1994. Version 3.0.
Cooper, T. The Mysterie of Witchcraft. London: Nicholas Okes, 1617.
Cotton, N. "Witches: Impotence and Magic in Macbeth." Shakespeare Quarterly. 38, 1987: 320-326.
Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. Ed. W. Wright. New York: Pocket Books, 1997.
Truax, E. "Macbeth and Hercules: The Hero Bewitched." Comparative Drama 23. 1990:359-76.
The world of sports is filled with great memories, grand moments and at times complete mayhem. There are moments like hitting a Home Run in game 7 of the World Series or memories of scoring an overtime goal during the Stanley Cup finals. However, there are also incredibly low moments when mayhem occurs such as an action or incident that results in a concussion. An injury such as a concussion can ruin your sports career or potentially your ability to function normally in the future. Concussions are caused by blunt force trauma to the head, a fall or an injury that shakes the brain inside the skull. Recovering from a concussion can take weeks, months or even years to heal. For some, it can impair your mental or mobility functions for life.
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Concussions occur time after time throughout different sporting events and many are familiar with the word concussion, but what really is a concussion? A concussion is a head injury that can leave damaging effects on athletes of all sports and ages. Concussions are regularly caused by a hard hit to the head or body that causes the brain to shake inside of the skull. While there is fluid within the skull to protect the brain, when an athlete is hit hard enough, the brain moves to the point of hitting the skull, causing a head injury otherwise known as a concussion (“Concussions”). Terry Adirim, a medical doctor who writes articles for Clinical Pediatrician Emergency Magazine, says that an individual may have many different symptoms after receiving a concussion. Symptoms can include headache, nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and vomiting, but each of these symptoms do not necessarily happen with every concussion. While many athletes are fine after receiving one concussion, it is the second concussion that can be very unfavorable and even deadly. When an athlete receives a second concussion before the first concussion has fully healed, it ...
Concussions are an injury that falls under the Traumatic Brain Injury category. A concussion occurs when a force causes the brain to rock back and forth inside the skull, and hit the interior walls of the skull. When this happens it can result in bruising on two parts of the brain, the Coup and the Countercoup. This may result in Loss of consciousness, confusion, headaches, nausea or vomiting, blurred vision, and loss of short-term memory. I know from experience the nausea and blurred vision. I noticed that during what I thought was a concussion though after the initial hits my ears would ring and give me very painful headaches.
Sigmund Freud's life work as a psychologist and psychoanalyst has been very influential. Sigmund Freud (1856-1931) attended college in Vienna where he started writing his many treatises and theories on the psychoanalytical approach. In 1881, Freud got his doctor's degree in medicine. From 1885-86, Freud spent time studying the effects of hypnosis and studied hysteria. From 1900 to 1916, Freud wrote many of his most famous works, such as The Interpretation of Dreams, and gave many lectures. Of all his works and theories, Freud is most known for his theories on the unconscious and for the importance he puts on sex (Thornton). With the start of World War I, Freud began studying several patients suffering from hysteria and shell-shock. He died of cancer in England in 1931.
That evening the Ugly One went into the woods; there she drew a magic circle to ward off demons. Then she spoke the unspeakable word, a word which only a true sorcerer or sorceress could pronounce. She used the word to summon a demon to tell her the name of the demon who was possessing the noble’s son. After getting the demons name she went to the nobles house and exorcised the demon. The boy was well again, and soon the Ugly One’s reputation spread throughout the lands and she became known as the Ugly Sorceress.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the supernatural and the role they play in motivating characters is apparent throughout the duration of the play. The supernatural is what causes conflict in the play and the prophecies from the witches in act one scene three is the inciting action in the piece. The supernatural causes the future conflict by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could become king of Scotland. Through temptation, the supernatural motivates characters to think arrogantly and for their own benefit. The supernatural in Macbeth presents prophecies which tempt Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power. This leads Macbeth to contradict his loyal and courageous personality by planning a treacherous murder on Duncan with the arrogant intention of becoming king and later killing other characters in the play with the only purpose of keeping his own powers. Both Macbeth and Banquo were also tempted by the original prophecies and showed clear motivation to act upon them. However, there is a clear contrast between the immediacy in which the two characters began taking actions and the logic put into their decisions.
Sigmund Freud is one of the most influential psychologists and had a very significant impact in psychoanalysis techniques. Not only was Freud considered the father of psychoanalytic theory, but he also developed the first comprehensive theory of personality (Burger, 2012).
There are many types of supernatural phenomena in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. No matter which form each phenomena took, such as a witch or ghost, they all acted as a type of catalyst. When Macbeth first met the witches, they told him he would be a king and when Macbeth saw his friend Banquo's ghost, it set him off on a downward spiral. The Supernatural phenomena all influenced Macbeth and his wife to do things that they would never have thought of doing such as killing King Duncan. All of the projected outcomes came true, however the eventual outcomes that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth predicted did not.
The majority of teens who had encounter a concussion are due to sports. A concussion is a pathophysiological process that impacts the brain, typically caused by a trauma to the brain. Concussions are mainly caused by bumps, falls which makes the head move rapidly back and forth, or by a jolt. The brain is a 3 pound organ floating inside the skull. It’s surrounded by a cerebrospinal fluid, which shocks when its impacted. When the brains starts to move rapidly inside the skull, a concussion has taken place. One common cause is a direct hit to the head. The force makes the brain hit the inside of the skull. When the brain starts to slow down, it hits the other side of the inner skull. The other common scenario is a rotational concussion. This happens when the brain rotates from one side to another. As a result, the brain tissues are strained and sheared. In both cases, fragile neural pathways can be damaged, creating neurological disruption. Scientists suggest if an athlete has already experienced a concussion before, they’re 1-2 times more likely to have a second; 2-4 to have a third; and 3-9 to have a fourth. Surprisingly, research has shown females are more likely to have a concussion, and experience more symptoms compared to males. In addition, women take longer to recover than men. Concussions have shortterm and longterm consequences, or in some cases death.
A concussion is defined as a “mild traumatic brain injury that may cause physical, cognitive, affective and sleep dysfunction” (Yorke). It is usually caused by a direct blow to the head, face, or neck. Ordinarily, when the brain slams against the inside of the skull it will not make one lose consciousness. The person also does not show certain signs of a concussion, making it difficult to find out whether they have a concussion or not. Many players sustained a concussion in practices, preseason games, and/or regular season games in 2015. These numbers grew thirty percent from 2014. The head injuries that occurred during the regular season by themselves went up sixty percent, from 115 to 182 (Breslow). These injuries can lead to serious brain
The supernatural plays an important role in Macbeth and supports the plot. From the floating dagger to Banquo's ghost, the supernatural is greatly responsible for every dark moment in the play. Supernatural experiences is what kept the play going and entertaining in my mind. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are propelled into killing because of the supernatural or them making it happen. The supernatural was scary at the time and the play was risky because of the witches, but doing it made the play even better.
Topic: How important are the witches to Macbeth? Discuss the effects of the witches on character, plot, themes and audience.
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.