Essay Sample on Role of Supernatural in Macbeth

The eponymous tragedy ‘Macbeth’ is modelled by manipulation and reticence, with the supernatural being an omniscient force influencing the outcome of each character. Shakespeare develops a stigma towards supernatural influence by deriving the deplorable actions of the most virtuous characters to be the work of their forces. This allows Shakespeare to abuse the beliefs of the Jacobean audience to present an appealing cautionary tale to the King, James I, as well as to teach the audience to place community and relationships over personal gain. 

It is important to first look at the beginning of Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 1, as the darkness in this scene, evident with the rain, thunder, fog and “filthy air”, depicts the dark overall mood of the play and is where Macbeth begins to model the audience’s impressions of the supernatural’s power. The eponymous play ‘Macbeth’ opens in a desolate plane thrashed by thunderstorms, accompanied by the entrance of the three “weird sisters”, the witches. This dramatic imagery describes a feeling of bleakness and discomfort to the audience. In the witches’ speech, they speak in short, broken up sentences, and in riddles: “when the war is won and lost”, “fair is foul and foul is fair”. These paradoxes relate a sense of confusion to the reader, with it being difficult to comprehend the true meaning behind these quotations. This relates to the whole of Macbeth, with the characters' feelings and intentions being difficult to differentiate with a guise of deceit. Act 1 Scene 1 acts as foreshadowing for recurring themes and influences throughout ‘Macbeth’, with the mood of the setting and words of the witches having great influence in the following Acts. 

Macbeth is the main victim of the power of supernatural influence and is used by Shakespeare to create a negative impression of mystical forces. The witches' influence on Macbeth is apparent in the quote “stay you imperfect speakers”, of which the use of the imperative demonstrates Macbeth’s need to remain a power in the exchange, but he still falls for the witches’ persuasion. This quotation shows Macbeth’s recognition of the witches’ evil, but still, his greed overcomes his ‘religious conscious’ as he still wishes to hear more of these ‘gold-plated’ prophecies. The witches’ influence has lured Macbeth and reduced him from the noble knight presented in Act 1 Scene 2, demonstrating how devastating involvement with the supernatural can be to one’s character. This shows how Shakespeare is using Macbeth to influence the audience’s perception of the supernatural and warn them of the dangers of involvement with the supernatural. 

Macbeth’s lack of moral integrity is drawn in contrast to Banquo’s virtue to further outline Macbeth’s faults. Banquo is transparent with his viewpoints during the first meeting with the witches and aligns with a Jacobean audience’s beliefs to please King James I. This allows him to be perceived as a trustworthy character and act as a moral compass. This is evident in the quote “can the devil speak true?”, which shows Banquo’s being transparent with how he perceives the witches’ evil, contrary to Macbeth’s reluctancy to accept the witches’ true nature. Supporting this interpretation is Banquo’s “instruments of darkness”, where he wins the audience over with his truth and relatability, as for a Jacobean audience, this is what they too would be thinking about the witches. This allows Banquo to appeal as a protagonist as he does not attempt to conceal his true beliefs and remains noble to his religious mindset towards the witches. Shakespeare intentionally wanted Banquo to be presented in such light to please King James I. It is known that Shakespeare drew influence from the story ‘the Holinshed Chronicles,’ in which Banquo is an accomplice in the murder of King Duncan, who is King James I representation in Macbeth. If Shakespeare had kept Banquo to be an equally maleficent character as Macbeth, it could be seen as an offence to King James I’s bloodline, as Banquo is a distant relative of his. 

Another character who is corrupted by the supernatural’s influence is Lady Macbeth, who opposes the stereotypical gender roles expected by a Jacobean audience and abuses the power of the supernatural for her personal gain. Upon hearing of Macbeth’s prophesies of future reign, abandons her gender roles to pressure Macbeth. This is archetypically unladylike for a woman in a Jacobean era, who are expected to be subservient and respect their husband; She cannot express her true ambitions, so she relies on the supernatural power to assist her in achieving. Lady Macbeth and the witches are connected in many points of the play, such as in the quote “unsex me here”, where Lady Macbeth is asking to be stripped of any setbacks due to her femininity. This lack of gender identity remains consistent with the witches, as with Banquo’s comment: “You should be a woman, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so.” “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts” presents Lady Macbeth calling for supernatural forces to aid her. “Spirits” has a connotation of death and possession, as well as ghost and apparition, which are a common theme throughout Shakespeare’s plays. In Shakespeare, ghosts often represent a character that needs vengeance, which could imply Shakespeare’s intentions to show what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are doing at the hands of the supernatural is wrong and needs to be counteracted. The power contrasts between “spirits” and “mortal thoughts” lies in the word “tend”, which has connotations of care and support. This shows Lady Macbeth believes mortal humans are weak and powerless without the aid of supernatural spirits, and she is trying to envelop their ways to become stronger. This shows that the supernatural influence stretches further than the physical reincarnations of the powers but can possess power over those foolish enough to fall for their promises. 

Finally, the supernatural is used to present Macbeth as a tragic hero to the audience, as his valour in Act 1 Scene 2 is stripped away by the supernatural. Aristotle claims a tragic hero must “evoke feelings of fear and pity”, which Macbeth does. The supernatural motivates Macbeth to kill the King Duncan, which for the audience King James I is when he begins to turn to evil. Macbeth’s resulting slaughter makes the audience feel fearful of what Macbeth is capable of when evoked by the supernatural, as well as making them feel sympathy for the person he has become. The contrast between his valour shown in act 1 scene 2 and his demise is drastic as Shakespeare intended to prove how devastating crimes against the king are to please King James I. 

To conclude, the events in the play ‘Macbeth’ are all consequences of the hold the supernatural had on the most influential characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth's tragic downfall is used to warn the audience against acts of regicide or ‘Lèse-majesté’ no matter the benefit or self-gain to appeal to King James I.