Theme Of Superstition In Macbeth

‘Macbeth’ is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare acclaimed for its ability to immerse the viewer or reader in a plot about the rise and fall of a man fuelled by ambition. The play contains many references to themes relevant to the time it is believed to be produced in 1606 during the renaissance. This essay will explore how the play ‘Macbeth’ is about the diversity of human belief through the subtopics of superstition, science, religion and culture.

Superstition refers to ‘a widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief.’ The play ‘Macbeth is about superstition because it plays to a variety of themes related to the supernatural. At the time of the play ‘Macbeth’, witches were a ‘hot topic’ the belief in witchcraft was widespread, and suspected witches were burnt at the stake. The audience of ‘Macbeth’ would have taken seriously the idea that the character Macbeth was somehow possessed by the witches or that ambition was somehow cast upon him. The idea of fate that was presented to the audience is somewhat controversial, that there could be mysterious forces controlling our lives. ‘Macbeth’ hints to

the idea of fate in multiple scenes.
• Act 1 scene 3 - Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and reflect on their prophecies
• Act 2 scene 1 - Macbeth sees the dagger as confirmation that he should kill the king
• Act 6 scene 1 - Macbeth returns to the witches to get more predictions (or manipulation)

The play ‘Macbeth explores the diversity of human belief through science specifically in act 5 scene 1 when a physician is consulted about Lady Macbeth’s ailment.

The physician assesses her condition with an opinion that is far ahead of its time but also shows how mental illness was approached up until very recently. Macbeth tells him to fix the problem right then and there and the doctor states that only she may cure herself of the nightmares she was having. Mental illness is something that people have only started to understand in recent years and much is still not known about how it is caused, but, it is known that experiencing a trauma, such as witnessing a death, may cause mental illness such as Post Traumatic Stress disorder or other anxiety

disorders.
‘Macbeth’ often cites topics and themes related to religion such as sin, the question of ‘can Macbeth’s soul recover from murdering a man?’ Guilt, Macbeth’s fatal flaw. Metaphors throughout ‘Macbeth’ allude to religious themes and beliefs which were widespread at the time. And a number of times the okay uses phrases said to originate in the bible even though now the phrases may be common place possibly due to Shakespeare’s influence on the English language. Also the appearance of ghosts (which also shows the supernatural or Macbeth’s fragile mind) or more specifically spirits. Although the bible is clear that there is heaven or hell and no in between, it does reference the existence of spirits and also the belief in ghosts during the time the play was released was widespread and some say Shakespeare’s plays played a role in this.
• Ross: God save the king! (1.2.48) – the saying originated in the bible
• Macduff compares King Duncan's body to a holy temple.
Culture is another aspect of human diversity found throughout ‘Macbeth’. Culture, among other relevant definitions can be defined as “the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group.” The culture back in the 17th century, the time the play is written for and the 11th century, the time the play is set in is much different to the culture of our modern society. One example of this is the way women were portrayed. The women in ‘Macbeth’ were secondary characters but had a lot more power and influence on the plot that the men in the play, women were witches or Lady Macbeth who gave away what is expected of her to stand by her husband’s side on the way to the top or the complete opposite of personality, Lady MacDuff who died as a good mother and loving wife. Another example of diverse culture in the play Macbeth is the Class structure with a model of a tree representing the levels of social class.
In conclusion, as found in quotes throughout the play and discussed specifically in this essay William Shakespeare’s great tragedy ‘Macbeth’ is about the diversity of human belief and it is discussed through a variety of topics that arise throughout the play such as superstition science, religion and culture.