Show How Shakespeare Uses The Supernatural To Develop Macbeths Character Essay Example for Free

Show How Shakespeare Uses The Supernatural To Develop Macbeths Character Essay Shakespeare has written five tragedies, and Macbeth was his shortest. It was written between the years 1603-1606 during Elizabethan/Jacobean times which was when James I came to the throne. It was written and performed to James I as he was already James IV/V of Scotland and reputedly a descendant of Banquo; it is widely accepted that there is an element of truth in the story. At these times there was a strong belief in the supernatural and the fact that the devil was real and could come before anyone or send sub-devils instead, in the case of Macbeth it was the witches. This belief and use of dark magic in the play helps to show us key aspects of Macbeths development throughout the play. Before Macbeth even meets the witches in act 1 scene 3, we see how capable of evil they are, Weary sennights nine times nine shall he dwindle, peak and pine. They sent a storm upon a man and his whole crew when they were at sea, just because his wife refused to share her chestnuts with one of the, the witches are capable of trickery and dont tell the whole truth. When Macbeth enters the scene, he is with Banquo and they have just won in battle; we see that Macbeth is proud of victory because he didnt care that the weather is so bad So foul and fair a day I have not seen. Banquo realises that the witches are supernatural beings from the first moment and is wearier to trust them than Macbeth, What are these that do not look like thinhabitants of o th earth. Macbeth realises that this must mean they do have powers of some sort and must be able to see the future. He hears the idea of him being Thane of Cawdor and then King, and he is inclined to believe them because they knew he was Thane of Glamis. He is very easily persuaded and you can tell that the idea of being king was planted quite firmly into his mind You greet with present grace and great prediction of noble having, and royal hope. He is open to suggestion and is deeply affected. Upon hearing the prophecy, Macbeth questions the witches further, eager for more news, Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear your favours nor your hate. Hence the three witches move on to making a prophecy for Banquo, Lesser than Macbeth, and greater Banquo and Macbeth hail all. The witches have begun to play mind games with both Macbeth and Banquo because they are seemingly not making sense. After this, Macbeth begins to question the witches because it contradicts the prophecy made about him, how can Banquo father kings of he isnt one himself? Speak I charge you! but the witches vanish, leaving confusion and soon to be murder in their wake. Macbeth soon dismisses his doubts however, as the idea of so much power is so appealing to him and the suggestions of the prophecy stay with both of the men long after the witches have left Macbeth says: Your children shall be kings, and Banquo replies: You shall be king. After having heard Banquo say this, Macbeth is now certain upon which path to take. Macbeth was a proud and loyal soldier who was fond of King Duncan up until this point. Everyone did bear thy praises in his great defence, and when the messengers go on to tell him he has become thane of Cawdor, he interprets this coincidence as a supernatural confirmation. He adopts the frame of mind two down, one to go and expects more greatness to come his way, Glamis, and thane of Cawdor. The greatest is behind. In the asides he thinks of further ways to become king. He weighs up the good and evil represented by the witches prophecy because he has realised Banquo is afraid he might do something bad or scary this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. The good point that came from this was that he became Thane of Cawdor but the evil over powers him and he finds himself considering murdering Duncan for the first time, Why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair. This new idea that is planted in Macbeths head is not the witches doing this time, but the creation of his own self. He has not however had murderous thoughts towards Banquo yet, presuming that he is thinking the same and wants to share this gruesome experience, Think upon what hath chancd, and at more time let us speak our free hearts each to other. The famous dagger scene (act two scene one) reveals a lot about Macbeths character and also how much he has changed due to his supernatural experiences. Before Banquo departs from Macbeth he makes it clear that he remains unaffected by the prophecy even though he has had the same experience of the supernatural as Macbeth, yet he has still managed to resist evil; But I still keep my boson franchised and allegiance clear. This suits Macbeth very well because he wanted to change the subject, I think not of them, whilst in fact he is, and didnt want Banquo to have these thoughts on his mind while the murder is being committed. Soon after the departure of Banquo, Macbeth experiences a second supernatural event, Is this a dagger I see before me? The dagger seems to be a product of Macbeths own imagination or else he may be supernaturally bewitched. He sees the dagger and wants to grab it, seeing it as signalling him towards what he is about to do, and his wanting to clutch it shows how willing he is to commit murder. Come let me clutch thee, I have thee not yet I see thee still. He becomes very open to suggestion and blames his fevered state on the sin he is about to carry out, Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible. He begins to doubt his perception of the dagger but he still tries to touch it and when he cannot, yet still can see it before him, he interprets the meaning for himself, Thou marshalst me the way I was going. Macbeth was longing for approval, and he imagines the dagger point towards Duncans room, a sign he has indeed set on the right path. He repeatedly mentions the fact that he cannot touch the dagger but he can still see it, thus it must be real. Mine eyes are made the fools o the other senses. He suddenly sees the apparition of the dagger in a different way, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood. Giving the impression it has been used already. It is the beginning of a very dark and powerful supernatural passage. The witches have enabled him to find a murderous streak within his own nature. At first he would never have considered murder or treachery and now hes ready to kill King Duncan in order to get to the throne. It is the middle of the night and the time is right for murder, Now oer one half world nature seems dead and wicked dreams abuse. Everything seems still and dead and spells are best cast during this time when supernatural thingas happen. It is a full moon (A.K.A witches moon in this era) and Macbeth takes it as another sign, he summons the supernatural power of witchcrafts to give himself strength and asks Hecate to grant mortals their hearts desires Witchcraft celebrates pale Hecates offerings. He hears a wolf howl and he feels that the coast is clear for murder, the wolf acts like a night watchman, Whose howls his watch. As he gets ready to set off for the murder, he longs for secrecy to hide the actions he is about to commit because he knows he is forcing the prophecy to come true by unnatural and evil means Moves like a ghost Macbeth realises he is talking and not acting he doesnt want to talk himself out of the murder because he knows at heart that he has changed so much due to this wicked prophecy. But the dagger encourages him onwards, Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives. He hears a bell as his last and final signal but it is like a death bell for Duncan and Macbeth doesnt care if Duncan goes to heaven or to hell, he just needs him out of the way, The bell invites me that summons thee to heaven or hell. In conclusion it could be said that Macbeths character has developed and changed dramatically through the course of the play. The supernatural encounters that he experienced show us complex aspects of Macbeths character and how he went from loyal and fond of King Duncan to murderous and a liar. Macbeth ended up dieing due to his arrogance and high ambitions and Shakespeare uses this theme to say that a small idea that gets planted into your mind can grow into something big and dangerous.