The Role of the Supernatural in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

The Role of the Supernatural in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Living in the 21st century, ideas such as ghosts and witches seem

ridiculous to many people in everyway and many people would agree when

said that supernatural elements were much more effective back during

Shakespeare's time than it is today, but why did he include so much

supernatural material?

Before Christianity came about the Elizabethan way of thinking in the

17th century was an overall good vs. evil world and people often used

witches to answer the questions regarding evil and all things linked

within that. This was because during Shakespeare's time, people

struggled to understand life and the world itself. After Christianity

was found, witches were known to be in league with the devil.

Agnes Sampson was a witch supposedly Scottish. She was accused of

trying to cause the death of King James I of England by using her

witchcraft and was seemingly known to have done many strange things

such as christening a cat. It was after this that King James became

fascinated by witchcraft. He even wrote a book titled "Demonology."

Perhaps Shakespeare had written the play for the King in his honour as

he had only recently survived the gunpowder plot, plotted against him.

When Lady Macbeth received a letter from Macbeth informing her of the

visit of Kind Duncan to their home, she realised that Macbeth may well

become King but he would have to kill Duncan in order to get that

position. She does some sort of chanting and is almost calling on the

devil.

"-Come to spirits… fill me with direst cruelty. Thicken my blood to

stop up the access and passage to remorse."

The words Lady Macbeth uses are to the extreme and calling on spirits

to almost possess you is not a normal thing to do but the words do

have a strong effect on the audience adding to the supernatural

elements.

In Act 2 Scene 1 as Macbeth goes to carry out the murder he

hallucinates a dagger before him and as he tells himself it is a