The Supernatural In William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

During the reign of King James I, many of the superstitions carried over from the Elizabethan Era into what was called the Jacobean Era. In Nathan Drake’s analysis of Shakespeare, he incorporates an extension of the influence of these superstitions on Shakespeare’s time period by quoting Mr. Grose who explained that, “these notions were so prevalent, that it was deemed little less than atheism to doubt them; and in many instances the terrors caused by them embittered the lives of a great number of persons of all ages…” (Drake 155). Because of this preexisting ideology of the supernatural and the effect of court example, much of the king’s own beliefs were widely accepted and even thought to be seemly to adopt his dogmata. To cater to this strong belief system, Shakespeare utilized supernatural omens and characters to rope in his audience of importance.

The common aim of playwrights of any time or location is to capture and hold the attention of their audience; this is what Shakespeare has clearly done. The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is one of Shakespeare 's most renowned plays. Through construction of intriguing characters, exploration of universal themes, use of comic relief and a well-written script featuring a compelling plot, Shakespeare ensured the tragedy of Othello would hold the interest of the audience; despite being over four centuries old. It possesses so many conditions that can be accentuated to hit nerves with both a Shakespearean and modern audience. The entire plot of Othello is very much like the attitudes and methods of our modern day society.

Being logical is important to Baron as he professed his purpose that not everyone is capable of writing. Historical figures such as Martin Luther reasoned that “you just read one good book, which you can read over and over-the gift that keeps on giving-not a lot of bad books that will just fill your head with error just to confuse you”(Baron 709). If a book is exceptional, it should make its readers read it over and over again. This is a topic that is endangered when too many books or materials exist. The issue of unimportant logic comes into play when too much is created.

There are many characters throughout many of the world’s literary works, who will lie no matter what the outcome is. Author Miller was one of the many authors that wrote about characters that lied throughout the play “The Crucible”. The play depicted the events that happened during the infamous “Witch Trials” that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. In Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, Miller conveyed an important idea that although it’s hard, standing up for what you believe in can give you a positive influence in life. Because of the fact that it is sometimes hard to stand for your beliefs, John Proctor first hesitated in what he should do at the end of act IV even though standing for his beliefs can ultimately decide if he lives or dies.

Macbeth vs. The Real World (An Analysis of Macbeth and his relation to 21st century Society) The depth of literature is greater than the depth of the greatest ocean. It goes deeper than we could possibly imagine. A classic example of great literature is Mr. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This is play that most groundlings would have been interested in due to its murder, battling, and occasional humor.

William Shakespeare's King Lear is depressing and has no mercy, but it also encounters many more aspects which are quite important for everyone to know, such as: trails of deaths, battles, love, hatred, treacheries and most importantly nature and culture. Shakespeare created a play where the world was cruel and there was only plotting and tragedy with no shining light at the end of the tunnel. Shakespeare makes King Lear, a natural figure to show the hypocrisy. The connection between King Lear and Cordelia is an analogy for the relationship of nature and culture. It seems that King Lear believed in culture instead of nature, he could not understand his youngest, nicest and the most loving daughter Cordelia only because she had no words to

When reading, many people never stop to focus on the individual words, they just fly straight through the plot. Every word matters to the author though, and the story wouldn’t be the same without it. Exploring one of Shakespeare's famous tragedies can clarify it much better. The evolution of the word 'sleep' in Macbeth shows that harming those in their weakest times of life will bring about unbearable guilt. Sleep is a necessity for every living creature.

The plot itself is complicated but Shakespeare adds further depth to the atmosphere of chaos and unease by employing the use of conventional aspects of Elizabeth tragedy such as the clock struck 12 opening the play in a sinister, perilous hour usually associated with the supernatural. The spirit of the late king was roaming the walls of the castle, creating a sense of foreboding within the audience. Revenge can take over one’s ability to take over ones ability to make proper judgement. Hamlet shows moral quality’s even before him and Laertes dual he asks for

Each had a different style of writing, one being a romantic and the other a classicist. Jonson obeyed the three unities-time, place and action, as if they were laws whereas Shakespeare broke the rules according to his liking. Although their works are very different, they are all great plays and poems. They are universally entertaining for everyone, regardless of the theme of the play. There is a reason why the works of these great authors are being read even today.

Often, it is the responsibility of oneself to determine the outcome of your life, however there will always be influential people who either directly or indirectly affect the decisions made. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play believed to be written in 1605, focusing on the downwards spiral of Macbeth after he murders King Duncan in order to become King of Scotland, consequently developing feelings of guilt and paranoia. Through the establishment of atmosphere, comments on the actions of major characters, and foreshadowing events, Shakespeare develops the minor characters which include the Three Witches, Macduff, and the Murderers, to support and further prompt the development of the major characters, as well as to communicate essential moral truths and trite platitudes.

A counterclaim that is encountered with this subject may be describing how Shakespeare 's work is outdated and how the stories were just stories. These points are not important to the argument because they are not valid against the claims of how Shakespeare can give the present day a view of the past, and how he still affects many people today. In conclusion, I believe that reading Shakespeare today should still be allowed in education. Shakespeare permits the present day to perceive life from the past, his work still affects people and peoples opinions today, and his work is a strong basis of what other literate professionals reference

My ardour for Literature grew when I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Both novels are similar and revolve around self-discovery. As a reader, it makes me feel like outlaw reading novels about knowledge and reading being a crime. In Huxley 's Brave New World, those who accept the new world lose their humanity. Bradbury shows how the lack of books can give the government too much power.

This idea is known as self-censorship. However, some authors do not censor they hide their identities by using pen names. Well- known authors such as Theodor Geisel known as Dr. Seuss publish under own names. Stephen King use to be known as Richard Bachmann and Charles Dickens was known as Boz. (theatlantic.com 2012) Most of the authors avoid writing certain stories because they 're afraid that it 'll ruin their career and their relationships with other journalist and sources.

Strange events happen everyday that cannot be explained. Superstitions such as black cats, walking under a ladder and broken mirrors are said to bring people bad luck. Plays are not exempt from these “INSERT WORD HERE”. Macbeth is a prime example of a play that is bursting at the seams with superstitions and supernatural ****happenings**** . Things such as saying “Macbeth” during the production of the play, ghosts, witches and floating daggers would be classified as superstitions and supernatural.