The Supernatural Elements’ use is a way to forecast Macbeth’s

There is a strong role of a supernatural force in Macbeth. The witches who had the power to see the
future, the ghosts and of course the bloody dagger that appeared to Macbeth before going to commit
his murder to the king . all these seems to be supernatural. The Three Witches are the strongest of the
supernatural powers in the play. They made prophesies that effected Macbeth and moved him toward
killing the king and his best friend and finally those prophesies caused his death .

The Witches didn't predict that he will commit murder to become the king but only that he will become
king. The Witches knew how he will get to be a king . The Witches have the biggest affect on Macbeth
because they are the ones who told him their prophesies. The Witches said that no man born from a
woman's womb can defeat Macbeth, that made him feel unbeatable. However, Macbeth does not
realize that Macduff was born unnaturally and he will be the one to kill him.
Macbeth has a vision of a dagger just before killing the King. This vision of a bloody dagger is another
example of the supernatural. This dagger encouraged or "pushed" Macbeth to kill the king. Shakespeare
used the supernatural to add an evil side to the play to attract the people. The supernatural is used in all
places where evil is present.

In the play Macbeth, the supernatural elements primarily include the “weird sisters” and their gang.
These elements are used to pave way to show Macbeth the path of his ultimate downfall.The three
witches instigate Macbeth's inner ambition and greed by luring him. And this they do through their so-
called prophecies. The predictions of the witches and the apparitions are nothing but equivocations in
the name of prophecies. The witches, at first, tell Macbeth that he would be the Thane of Cawdor and
the King of Scotland soon. This is not something extra-supernatural they do, since, it is a matter of
common-sense that, Macbeth, if he would have fought courageously and shown his man-of-the-battle
attitude, he would definitely get rewarded, and if he continues to go after his ambition, would be the
king possibly. Later, the apparitions prophesy that the no human born of women can kill Macbeth ever,
and he would not be killed unless Birnam wood would come closer to his fort. The first prophecy is a lie
in a sense that, Macduff, who is born of his dead mother's body via surgery, kills him.
The second one is an equivocation also, since, though Birnam Wood does not come closer, yet the
soldiers of the opposition hide them under the leaves of the forest, and this makes him think as if the
forest itself is moving towards him, and he loses all his hope and courage to fight further. It is clear
hence that, what the prophecies told was half-truth to destroy Macbeth. Ambiguity they create in
Macbeth's mind throughout the whole play. Ambiguity, or conflict between appearance and reality, is
one of the key themes in this tragedy. The witches just equivocate in a dubious way; implying that, lie in
a way which seems apparently true. And this they do solely to win his trust and make him a devil like
them.

The witches know that, Macbeth is an ambitious man who just needs a spur in order to rouse his
ambition and let it develop fully to achieve his end. They show him what he wanted to see. They tell him
what he wanted to hear. Their prophecy awakens his inner demon and instigates his voracity. Macbeth
is thus deceived. He is told that no human born of woman can kill him; neither would he be killed till the
Birnam Wood come close to his fort. Later, when he finds that the Birnam Wood does not come nearer,
rather soldiers hiding themselves under leaves come closer, and Macduff is found to be born out of
surgery probably because of his mother's illness or death, he understands clearly that, he has been
deceived by the witches' dubious prophecy

Banquo told Macbeth that he suspect him of killing the King . Macbeth feared being murdered and being
discovered of killing King Duncan. So he killed Banquo and at the same night he was invited to a feast.
He saw Banquo's ghost there and that made him went mad and almost crazy though he is the only one
who can see the ghost . This supernatural scene is very important since it is one of the first signs of
Macbeth's fear and guilt.

The supernatural theme is a very important one in “Macbeth”. Otherwise the play would not be as great
as it is now, and Macbeth could not be beaten . Macbeth caused his own death when he relied on the
supernatural. In fact, Lady Macbeth's greed and cruelty increases more once she is aware of the witches'
prophetic statements.
Despite Macbeth being written long before what is traditionally accepted as the first gothic novel: “The
Castle of Ortranto,” it is not to say that Gothic elements such as the supernatural do not exist in
Shakespeare’s plays. It could be argued that Macbeth’s inner turmoil is often expressed through the use
of magic realism and the supernatural, however; the character of Macbeth is much too complex to make
such straight forward statements.

In act 1 scene 1, the audience are introduced to the typical supernatural feature of three “wyrd” sisters.
To the modern audience, the connotations of “weird” suggest themes of unusual and the uncanny;
however, to the audience during the period of 1606, the term “wyrd” reflects the belief of fate and
serendipity. Through the use of the question “when shall we three meet again?”- asked by the First
Witch, Shakespeare immediately portrays the sisters as having power over natural order. In this case:
the sisters being able to determine weather. Therefore, the audience are likely to envisage the witches
as devices for potential corruption, and predict them as a stimulus for evil. It could be argued that the
supernatural element of the witches represent Macbeth’s inner stuggle, as later on in Act 2 Scene 1,
Macbeth cries “The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee.” By asking if the dagger is the
handle coming “towards” his hand, Shakespeare suggests that it is the dagger that taunts Macbeth into
committing regicide, as opposed to being his own inner evil force of the mind. In their abhorrence to
nature, the witches become a tool of delivering Macbeth’s fate, and therefore use their power to
torment the troubled and perplexed Macbeth with a dagger “before [him].” The witches could be seen
as conjuring up an evil plan in order to set up Macbeth’s fall. Here, the sisters’ power over natural order
is reflected by Macbeth calling “Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going,” echoing the idea of
losing the ability to stay in control.

The ghost of Banquo becomes a fundamental element in portraying Macbeth’s transgression from guilt
to madness. Shakespeare uses the ghost to reveal the level of disruption in the character of Macbeth, as
well as evoking a number of different responses from the audience. Certainly, the ghost of Banquo is
purposeful in fulfilling conventions of the Gothic by instilling fear into the reader; but is Shakespeare
trying to do much more than that? In act III scene IV, Macbeth cries “Which of you have done this?”
suggesting he is conscious of the consequences of murdering Banquo: revenge. Indeed, sighting the
ghost of an old “friend” at the dinner table in itself reflects the inner destruction of Macbeth’s character,
as well as projecting a questionable feeling of guilt and madness. Macbeth’s false visions reflect his
feeling of guilt, as he is unable to let go of the sins he has committed and therefore begins to evoke an
almost sympathetic response from readers.

Certainly, another definite supernatural feature of Macbeth is the use of the prophecies. It could be
argued that the purpose of the apparitions are much more than to merely deliver Macbeth’s fate. The
first apparition appears showing Macbeth’s head; despite it reflecting Macbeth’s later destiny, this
apparition also mirrors Macbeth’s inner fear of Macduff that readers are gradually presented.
Macbeth is very unaware as he does not think deeply enough about the prophecies that he is being
given for the future. Macbeth enters the cavern and demands the witches to tell him exactly what he
wants, ‘…you secret, black and midnight hags! What is’t you do?’ Macbeth instantly appears fearless and
has too much confidence. When he is told that ‘none of woman born shall harm Macbeth’, Macbeth
appears oblivious when he says ‘then live, Macduff, what need I fear of thee?’. He is fooled by the trick
within the announcement and believes that no one can harm him. He believes he is invincible and is
unafraid of death, “I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack’d”. Macbeth threatens to curse the
witches if they don’t do as he commands, and this shows that he has over estimated his power. The
supernatural has a powerful, dramatic effect over people’s lives that takes control and causes
character’s personalities to change for the worse. The witches are linked with supernatural and control
the mysteriousness of it all, which is how Macbeth became possessed, leading to his death.

When Macbeth was told the predictions for his future, he made a turn for the worst and used evil
methods to complete the necessary requirements, to fulfil the predictions. We know that Macbeth’s
knowledge of the future took over his life and forced him to become an evil character.

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Name – Prince Chakma

ID-ENG 07107691
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