The M play

MACBETH AND THE SUPERNATURAL

EXAMPLES OF THE SUPERNATURAL

·  The strange behaviour on the night of Duncan’s murder

·  Banquo’s ghost

·  Apparitions with their prophecies

·  The “air drawn dagger” that guides Macbeth towards his victim

Macbeth’s conflict with the supernatural was whether to make his future that which the witches had prophecised, by his own hand, or be a loyal subject to the king and ignore the witches’ prophecies and let fate take its course. He deliberately chose a series of actions which would make the witches’ prophecies come true.

·  He took his wife into his confidence

·  He allowed her to persuade him, against his better conscience

·  He killed Duncan

·  He allowed his wife to clean up after the murder

·  He killed the guards

THE WITCHES’ ACTIONS

The witches had power over nature. They also had influence over the soul, but only over one which had already admitted evil into it. They master the thoughts of Macbeth because they are already in tune with them. The influence of their prophecies on Macbeth is great but it is an influence and nothing more. Shakespeare did not have Macbeth having things forced on him. He was tempted only by himself. He speaks of “supernatural soliciting” but they did not solicit, merely announcing the events. They baited the hook and Macbeth swallowed it whole. The idea of fulfilling the murders of Duncan and Banquo was entirely his own. Macbeth thinks of the witches constantly; the thoughts of what they have promised lie in the back of his mind and he seems determined to make them come true. Macbeth and Banquo are affected differently by the prophecies: Banquo represents innocence and Macbeth, guilt. Perhaps the witches were only good judges of character; they could read Macbeth’s flaw and were playing with him.

About the witches:

·  There were 3; its multiples were said to have magic significance.

·  Powers: to foretell events; create tempests and storms; sink ships; ride on the blast; sail the sea in a sieve.

·  They could not, however, do fatal harm to their victims, if the victims did not renounce God.

·  Sexless in appearance.

·  Symbolically they represent Macbeth’s evil actions. Banquo sees them too, because at that time he had unworthy ambitions. Their second appearance is a manifestation of Macbeths’ growing arrogance and fury.

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THE SOLILOQUIES
These are the greatest cues to Macbeth’s character and raise the question of Macbeths’ relationship to the supernatural.

Things happen that repeat the act of Macbeth murdering Duncan: the mouse killing the hawk, and the parallel drawn between Duncan’s horses and his subjects. This seems to show how close Macbeth’s actions are to the supernatural.

THE THREE APPARITIONS

In the second meeting with the witches, Macbeths’ demands lead him to the presentation of the three apparitions, accompanied by three speeches.

·  The armed head: “Beware Macduff!”

·  The bloody child: “None born of woman shall harm Macbeth.”

·  The boy with the hand: the Birnam wood warning.

Again, Macbeth only believes what he wants to believe. This time he did not take as much notice of the supernatural; he thought he could get around Macduff by killing him; He had all the prophecies worked out. Had he been less frenzied, less arrogant, he might have been warned abut the possible equivocal (double) interpretation and would not have been led by overconfidence to his destruction.

The first set ouf prophecies, Macbeth took into his own hands. The second set, he takes to mean what he wants.