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Supernatural elements in shakespeare play macbeth
Influences on Shakespeare's works
Supernaturals in macbeth
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Superstition in William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Throughout Elizabethan times, Witches and witchcraft were considered
to be in existence. Seeing a large proportion of the female community
being condemned to death, which involved either drowning, hanging or
being burnt at the stake was quite plausible at this time. Such savage
practices were urged on by macabre and fevered fantasy of the
supernatural. In my essay I intend examining how Shakespeare deployed
this obsession of superstition in Macbeth and how it is a crucial
element of the play.
To begin with, the tone of the paranormal theme is set right from the
beginning when we are first introduced to the witches. After
decrypting their iambic pentameter we realise that they are conferring
where to meet with Macbeth. We see them speak in iambic pentameter
throughout the play, for example, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,
hover through the fog and filthy air” and “Double, double, toil and
trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble” the witches idiom style is
contrasting from the other characters within the play, who
predominantly speak in simple sentences. This language used by the
witches is used to symbolize their pernicious and evil intent.
The witches’ rhymed speech makes them seem slightly derisory, like
caricatures of the supernatural. Macbeth first encounters the witches
in act 1 scene 3. In their meeting the witches prognosticate Macbeth’s
coming to the throne. Soon after Macbeth’s engagement with the
witches, fraudulent and heinous thoughts begin to torture his mind,
which perceive him murdering Duncan t...
... middle of paper ...
...him into a false sense of security. Macbeth has over trusted the
witches and has only looked at one dimension of their apparitions and
not taken into account that their message could be interpreted
differently. this provesa to be his downfall
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In the play "Macbeth," there were many interesting sections which
could be related on due to the suspense and the involvement of the
supernatural.. Without the witches, the ghost, the visions, and the
apparitions, "Macbeth" would have been a dull and tiresome play, it
was a key element in making the concept of the play work and in making
the play interesting. Looking through each Act and Scene of the play I
have concluded that this ancient superstition of spirits and
witchcraft enhanced the play dramatically.
Works of literature that attract people usually contain some wild thinking. Henry David Thoreau, in his essay “Walking,” makes this assessment of literature: “In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned in schools, that delights us.” In the play “Macbeth,” Shakespeare uses “uncivilized free and wild thinking” in order to make the storyline interesting and entertaining.
As the play continues the supernatural is used more. Act 1 Scene 3 is Macbeth’s first meeting with the witches, and is also the first time the audience sees or experiences the witches’ supernatural abilities.
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.
What I feel is one of the most important aspects of the play is the
Macbeth first encounters the three witches when he is returning to Scotland after defeating his enemy Macdonwald. The witches discuss with Macbeth and Banquo what they can expect in the future. "FIRST WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / SECOND WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / THIRD WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! That thou shalt be a king hereafter! (I.iii.48-50).
and be great, but they didn't tell him the price he would have to pay.
How much of an influence does fate have on the ideals of a person? Is Macbeth acting out the selfish desires of his own accord? Fate is thought to be unavoidable, and all the paths of life lead to a destiny that is inescapable. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, not only is Macbeth’s hand forced in committing a murder, his fate is expedited in the process. Macbeth is in control of his own destiny, but is spurned into decisions by the Witches and his wife. Although Macbeth believes he is controlled by fate, a more thorough inspection reveals his control over all his actions.
When Macbeth first meets the witches in Act 1 Scene 3 he doubts that the witches are “of this earth” and doubts that they are capable of basic abilities such as speech, evidenced by the question, ”Speak, if you can, what are you?” In the second confrontation with the witches, Macbeth believes that the witches are real and thinks them to almost be superior. He shows this by attributing the witches with awesome powers when he says to the witches, ”Though you untie the winds and let them fight against the churches”, meaning that he believes the witches are capable of manipulation of these natural phenomenon. In addition, he asks Lennox if he had seen the witches leave, showing his belief that the witches are, in fact, real entities that exist in his world.
at the end of the play. In the RSC's version, the sword fight is done
middle of paper ... ... Macbeth is tortured, torn apart by his two conflicting sides: his practicality and his morality. His practicality ties him to the throne. Part of him still depends on approval, on the “worldly symbols” he was never truly able to relinquish.
More than a few elements of the supernatural can be discovered within the action and dialogue of Shakespeare's plays. However, the extent and nature of those elements differs to a large degree. There are traces of it to be found in Henry V, "Pardon, gentles all,/The flat unraised spirit that hath dar'd...to bring forth/So great and object" (Lucy 1). There are also elements of it apparent in Winter's Tale, "What I did not well I meant well" (Lucy 1). The supernatural is used most fearsomely in Hamlet, with the ghost of Hamlet's father representing the most frightening apparition in all of the Bard's plays. However, the supernatural is used to an almost whimsical degree in A Midsummer's Night Dream and The Tempest. In both of these plays the supernatural does not assume an evil demeanor, though it does wreak havoc on the lives of those in its midst. Yet, the supernatural is connected more with a generic nature of chance than one that is pure evil as in Macbeth or pure "foul and most unnatural" as it is in Hamlet (Shakespeare 1078).
At the end of an awful, long day one might wonder what went wrong – was the universe against them? Was it a mistake on their part? What have they lost as a result? Such a scenario can be exemplified in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. First, outside forces influence Macbeth into making decisions he would not ordinarily make. Second, Macbeth’s transition from a revered leader to a detested king can be symbolized by the absence of nobility loyalty, and peace. Third, Macbeth’s overwhelming pride and thirst for power leads him to commit a series of crimes. The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare highlights the role of a Tragic Hero signifying that not staying true to ones core values will ultimately lead to their downfall.
Macbeth is an all around, well known play that hides many secrets. Many believe that the Macbeth play is cursed due to the tragedies that has happened on stage. Dated back to the 16th century, Macbeth has been claiming its victims. Luckily, there are many ways to reverse it.
Witchcraft in Macbeth by William Shakespeare Witchcraft is one of the main aspects of the of the play, Macbeth. To reveal this, forshadowing is used in the first part of the play. The three witches were predicting the fate of Macbeth's and Banquo's futures. In addition predicting whether or not that Macbeth would be king, and that Banquo's sons may play a part in the vision. Macbeth would be a fool to believe these wretched hags, they were only pretending to lead him on.
ending of the play is an integral part to the structure of the play in