Belief Systems in Macbeth

Belief systems play an important role in the lives of humans as they govern a person’s thoughts, words and actions and often reflect the predominant values of a specific period in time. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, three different belief systems are present: belief of the Supernatural, the Great Chain of Being and Divine Justice. Belief in the Supernatural is the belief that factors such as fate, astrology and nature determine the path of a person’s life and may become self-fulfilling prophesies. The Great Chain of Being is the belief in hierarchical systems that once disrupted will result in chaos. Lastly, Divine Justice is the belief that all actions will be reciprocated, either though punishment or reward. Each of these systems share the common key principle that going against their ideals and beliefs will result in violent consequences. In the opening scene, the three witches are introduced and begin to cause trouble for the protagonist, Macbeth.
Belief in the Supernatural is consistently demonstrated throughout the play by the witches’ prophesies which determine Macbeth’s fate and, ultimately, his demise. The first prophesy the witches make is that Macbeth, who is currently the Thane of Glamis, will soon be promoted to Thane of Cawdor and subsequently to King the Scotland when they greet him by saying, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! \ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! \ All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.48-50) The witches’ prophesy is fulfilled when Duncan, the King of Scotland, declares, “No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive\ Our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death, \And with his former title greet Macbeth.” (1.2.66-68) and, later, after the death of King Duncan, Macbeth becomes king: “The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.\ He is already named and gone to Scone\ to be invested.” (2.4.30-32) Later in the play, Macbeth seeks out the witches to further explain their previous