The Role of the Supernatural in the Play Macbeth

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The Role of the Supernatural in the Play Macbeth

‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’ such a well-known line from the play

Macbeth, with such power behind the words. I have reason to believe

that the role of the supernatural plays a very important part in

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, we can say that the supernatural occurs 4

times throughout the play that we can call supernatural because they

are physically unnatural things to be seen, e.g. the appearance of

Banquo’s ghost, the prophecies and the air-drawn dagger etc. But I

have gone further into depth to find that the supernatural isn’t just

physically noticeable but also mentally through hallucination etc. I

have many reasons to believe this because the supernatural is involved

throughout the play and also progresses. The supernatural raises all

sorts of questions concerning reality and appearance, it is seen

physically through the witches but also unrealistically through the

power of the mind. With this kept in mind, this causes an argument to

say that some of the hallucinations and power that is not seen

physically as supernatural, but from my point of view I feel that this

is not the case. From the very start of the play does the supernatural

begin, and this is seen in the form of the witches. This is the most

important and known form of the supernatural to be seen in the play

Macbeth.

This first scene shows the first glimpse of the witches and this

appeals to the audience straight away. By having the witches speak in

rhyme it seemed more real for the audience as they believe that when

the witches made potions and spells, they spoke in rhyme. The rhyme

also made them seem more ev...

... middle of paper ...

... supernatural is the evil in

the world through different forms, in Macbeth’s case, through his own

mind. Because witches were hated so much at the time the play was

written, Shakespeare composed the play; it was a perfect opportunity

to use witches, so that the audience would be more interested and

entertained in the play. The witches were the most well known form of

supernatural occurring in the play because of their history. The

supernatural is the plot of the play, without it, it would be dull and

boring. I feel that the supernatural was a very entertaining part of

the play and that as it increased I also became more entertained, the

role of the supernatural is the role of the evil in our lives. The

Evil in our thoughts, the unnatural beings that occur rather than the

natural and good things that occurs in out life.

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