Macbeth: The Supernatural

Lady Macbeth

-Invocation of spirits: Act 1, Scene 5, when she calls on spirits to “unsex me here,” asking them to strip her of feminine qualities like compassion and fill her with cruelty. This shows her willingness to embrace the supernatural in order to gain the power to commit murder. She also asks the night to hide her deeds in darkness, showing her desire to act against the natural order and moral law.

-Witch-like influence: Although she isn’t a witch, Lady Macbeth mirrors the witches in the way she manipulates and influences Macbeth. She tempts him into committing the murder, much like the witches plant the seed of ambition. -Like the witches, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth and plants the idea of murder in his mind, linking her to the supernatural power of temptation. -While she doesn’t perform magic, her actions and influence mirror the unnatural control the witches have.

-Decent into madness: As the play progresses, she is haunted by guilt-sleepwalking and imagining blood on her hands-suggesting she is being punished or tormented by the same dark forces she once called on. Her psychological actions

-In summary: Lady Macbeth’s connection to the supernatural highlights her moral corruption, her rejection of nature, and her role in unleashing chaos in the play.

The Witches

-They represent dark, mysterious, and otherworldly forces that influence the natural world and human behaviour in dangerous ways.

-Supernatural powers: the witches use prophecy to manipulate Macbeth, telling him he will become king. Their knowledge of the future suggests they have access to supernatural powers that go beyond human understanding. They never lie, but they speak in half-truths, using riddles and ambiguity to confuse and contrail.

-Unnatural presence: their appearance and speech are eerie and unnatural. They speak in rhyming couplets and riddles, making them seem inhuman: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, Scene 1) This quote shows how they blur the line between good and evil, turning the world upside down-another supernatural disturbance.

-Agents of chaos: the witches don’t force Macbeth to act, but they awaken his ambition and set him on a destructive path. This aligns with the idea that supernatural forces in the play tempt and deceive rather than directly control.

-Connection to evil: Shakespeare’s audience would have associated witches with the devil and evil magic. Their presence suggests a world where dark, unnatural forces are real and powerful, feeding fear and superstition.

Banquo

-Encounter with the Witches: Like Macbeth, he hears their strange and mysterious prophecies, but unlike Macbeth, he reacts with suspicion and caution: “What, can the devil speak true?” (Act 1, Scene 3) “The instruments of darkness tell us truths… to betray’s / In deepest consequence.”These quotes show Banquo suspects the witches are evil and warns that they may be trying to trick them, showing a more thoughtful and moral approach to the supernatural.

-His prophecy: The witches tell Banquo he will “get kings, though thou be none,” meaning his descendants will be kings, though he won’t be one himself. This prophecy haunts Macbeth and fuels his paranoia, eventually leading Macbeth to have Banquo murdered. This links Banquo to the supernatural as someone whose fate is also shaped by mysterious forces, even if he doesn’t act on it.

-Ghostly return: After Banquo’s murder, his ghost appears at the banquet (Act 3, Scene 4). This supernatural moment shows Macbeth’s guilt and mental unraveling, while also suggesting Banquo’s spirit may still have power or a presence beyond death.

-In summary: Banquo acts as a moral contrast to Macbeth, showing that supernatural forces don’t control people it’s how they respond to them that matters.

Macbeth

-The Witches prophecies: Their prophecy-calling him future king-plants the seed of ambition in his mind. Though they don’t tell him to commit murder, their supernatural knowledge tempts him: “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.” This shows his eagerness to learn more from them, despite their eerie and unnatural presence.

-Visions and hallucinations: As Macbeth becomes more consumed by guilt and ambition, he begins to experience supernatural visions. Act 2, Scene 1: “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” This hallucination reflects how deeply the supernatural has invaded his mind, guiding him toward Duncan’s murder.

-Dependence of the supernatural: Later in the play, Macbeth returns to the witches for more prophecies (Act 4, Scene 1), showing he now depends on supernatural guidance. Their misleading visions like “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” give him false confidence, ultimately leading to his downfall.

-Isolation from reality: Macbeth’s belief in the witches and his visions show how the supernatural causes him to lose touch with reality. He trusts dark forces more than human reason, which isolates him and drives his tyrannical behaviour.

Hecate

-She is the goddess of witchcraft who appears later in the play.

-She scolds the witches and adds to the idea that dark, magical forces are controlling Macbeth’s destiny.

-“And you all know, security / Is mortals’ chiefest enemy.”