ipl-logo

Supernatural Force In Macbeth Essay

841 Words4 Pages

The Tragic Force of Macbeth In Macbeth, by Shakespeare, the play tells the story of a tragic hero: Macbeth, and his rise and fall to power. Murders, wars, suicides, and many more horrific events are exhibited during Macbeth’s disastrous rule. Throughout the play, supernatural elements are intertwined with dramatic conflicts and characters. Aside from many beliefs of what forces are responsible for Macbeth’s tragedy, the main force held accountable for his downfall is the supernatural. The supernatural forces play a key role in progressing the tragedy’s plot. The most prominent supernatural force, the Weird sisters (witches), influences Macbeth heavily and serves as an inciting incident through their prophecies: First Witch: ‘All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!’ Second Witch: ‘ All hail, Macbeth! …show more content…

All of his actions (mainly about murder) are primarily up to him and he can simply refuse the supernatural persuasions. He chooses to depend on them and this leads to many setbacks and catastrophes so it is understandable that it is his responsibility. However, if it weren’t for the supernatural, would Macbeth dare to come up with these thoughts and go forth with his actions? In the play, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about the witches and thus begins his long journey of murder. In his letter, he writes, “...these Weïrd Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’” (1.5.8-10). Macbeth is influenced by the supernatural and if he did not tell his wife about this encounter, Lady Macbeth would have never “persuaded” Macbeth to kill King Duncan and eventually have this go out of hand. The supernatural tempts him to think of becoming king and by simply passing this prophecy to Lady Macbeth, he can never return to his former, noble life. The supernatural prevails in Macbeth’s

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Who Is To Blame In Macbeth

    1297 Words  | 6 Pages

    Although he was falsely led by the witches, Macbeth was not cautious enough to protect himself. The witches made him believe that he was safe from all, which he was not. Macbeth did not recognize the ambiguity of the prophecies, which led to his demise. The dubious prophecies paired with Macbeth’s lack of caution and his false sense of security resulted in his own

    Read More

  • Similarities Between As I Lay Dying And Macbeth

    1158 Words  | 5 Pages

    This lust for power and improved social status leads Macbeth to an evil that fails his destiny and leads to his downfall. He justifies his actions through the belief that fate is working on his side, and he uses the witches’ prophecy as a scapegoat on which to blame his poor

    Read More

  • Macbeth Quotes Analysis

    682 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Dbq Essay

    1294 Words  | 6 Pages

    Even if he was pressured into killing Duncan he did it anyway. After he has committed the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is plagued by guilt and remorse. This suggests that he recognizes the gravity of his actions and is

    Read More

  • How Does The Supernatural Influence Macbeth

    781 Words  | 4 Pages

    The supernatural motivates Macbeth comprehensively, to the extent that he murders King Duncan, Banquo and Macduff 's family. It galvanises him to do things that otherwise he would have thought were ludicrous. Firstly, the witches prophecies stimulated Macbeth to kill the ones he loves, as a consequence losing friends that were loyal to him. Additionally, Banquo 's ghost caused Macbeth to feel guilt and fear, causing him to rely on the witches’ predictions and having a false feeling of security. Finally, the vision of a bloody dagger that appeared right before the murder encouraged Macbeth to kill King Duncan.

    Read More

  • External Forces In Macbeth

    967 Words  | 4 Pages

    Of all the failures human beings experience none are as crushing as those that are a result of following someone else’s desires. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the protagonist self-destructs because of his external forces as well as his own poor choices. An external force that influenced Macbeth includes Lady Macbeth’s strong goals, which she forced on her husband. Additionally, the witches impacted Macbeth’s choices by offering him their tricky prophecies. The blind greed that took over Macbeth’s life also impacted his choices.

    Read More

  • Comparing Morality In Macbeth And Animal Farm

    1260 Words  | 6 Pages

    Macbeth could not intervene with faith and was basically losing control of his life. After he had received the prophecy from the witches his wife Lady Macbeth pushed him to commit murder. While doing so, she remarked how "full o' the milk of human kindness" he was (I.v.15-18). This exchange also helps with sympathy for the character by showing he was pressured into it. To know that he fell victim to temptation makes his character more sympathetic.

    Read More

  • Outlandish Claim Of Macbeth

    223 Words  | 1 Pages

    The witches in the play Macbeth constantly speak in a strange way. They talk in riddles that often have more than one meaning. I think the reason why Macbeth is giving the witches attention to them is because of their outlandish claims, and confusing riddle-like way of speaking. Any person that talks, or physically appears strangely automatically gets more attention than someone who looks ordinary. Since the witches are also strange in appearance, this only makes them stand out from the ordinary.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

    340 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people have the ability to choose between different courses of action throughout their life. Along with everyone else, Macbeth had the same opportunity to make choices out of free will rather than letting fate carve a path for him. In Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is aware of his fate due to the prophecies of the three witches, but he rather take matters into his own hands to challenge his fate. After Macbeth recognizes his urge to become king he kills Duncan with the help of his wife, Lady Macduff. After killing Duncan, Macbeth has a guilty conscience that is taking over him.

    Read More

  • Internal And External Forces In Macbeth

    1241 Words  | 5 Pages

    Often times in literature, the downfall of a character arises due to both external and internal forces. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare demonstrates that the downfall of Macbeth arises due to both internal and external forces, but among the two, internal forces have a greater influence on the outcome. The forces of Macbeth’s own nature, the supernatural and Lady Macbeth all contribute to his downfall but the true deciding factors are the forces within. The external forces that affect Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the witches, prompt Macbeth into doing actions and making decisions that lead to his downfall.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Decisions Essay

    595 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, when making these choices to further his own prosperity, there may be some other sources that affect his thinking. When Macbeth makes the decisions to murder and torture the people in his way, he gets some influence from the witches and his wife; nevertheless, Macbeth’s choices that lead to the tragedy of the story were completely all on his part. In the very beginning of the production,

    Read More

  • Causes Of Macbeth's Downfall

    876 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth started off as a valiant and courageous soldier, who would do anything for the king. By the end of the play, Macbeth was a tyrant and a horrible leader who killed those who trusted him to maintain the throne. It takes many factors to take a strong man and transform him into an evil monster. Macbeth’s downfall was caused by the deception and temptation of the witches and their prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s greed and aspirations for her husband to be king, and Macbeth’s own greed, jealousy and ambition.

    Read More

  • Supernatural Influence On Macbeth

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth Essay: Influence of the Supernatural Throughout the Shakespearean play, Macbeth, the supernatural plays a part in all the events in the play. The witches, the floating dagger, and the prophetic apparitions are all examples of the supernatural intertwining with the play. From the murder of King Duncan to Macbeth’s eventual death, the supernatural played a part in most of Macbeth’s actions.

    Read More

  • Death And Despair In Macbeth

    689 Words  | 3 Pages

    The three witches introduced to the reader were the initial characters to plant the seed of greed in Macbeth’s mind. The prophecy they state reads that Macbeth will or has attained multiple levels of power, “All hail, Macbeth...Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor...that shalt be king hereafter.” (Act 1, Sc. 3, lines 51-53) While it was rather brief, this introduction lead to Macbeth essentially taking course and making these occurrences actually happen. Not only is the content of what the say alter Macbeth, it may also be their way of proclaiming the prophecy. The

    Read More

  • Essay On The Role Of Supernatural In Macbeth

    842 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the time of William Shakespeare, there was a strong belief in the existence of the supernatural. And so, it was a repeating aspect in many of Shakespeare’s plays. In Macbeth, the supernatural is a necessary aspect of the structure of the plot. It’s a catalyst for action, which means the audience at that time would have taken these ideas seriously. This made the play more intense and stimulating for the audience.

    Read More

More about Supernatural Force In Macbeth Essay

Open Document