Ghosts In Shakespeare's Macbeth
Multitudes of Shakespearean plays have had ghosts and other supernatural beings featured in their theatrical workings. They have been portrayed in different ways, with some appearing onstage and some not being seen in the play at all. In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the ghost of Banquo is featured in scene three. Different versions of the play show his part in two different ways: onstage and offstage. Between the two methods, Banquo appearing onstage would be better rather than Macbeth pretending a ghost is present. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s sanity is constantly questioned and his guilt causes him to see an apparition of Banquo’s ghost. Banquo’s ghost appearing onstage represents Macbeth’s slowly unraveling sanity and
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Otherworldly figures is something that Shakespeare frequently involves in his writings. In an article about Shakespeare’s use of paranormal beings, it was said stated that, “Shakespeare draws upon these traditions and makes something new with his ghosts. Unlike the emotional and moaning ghosts of the Middle Ages Shakespeare's are reasoning entities. They come with a purpose and for their acts (Rogers 88). …. Macbeth's silent specter simply stares at him in accusation,” (Background to Shakespeare's Use of Ghosts). This evidence supports the claim because it shows that Shakespeare uses the traditions and the history of that time period to portray ghosts in his plays and to his audience. Furthermore, Banquo’s ghost is supposed to stare at Macbeth and it would be fairly impossible to show Banquo’s cursory looks without an actor representing the ghost. Although, other playwrights also used ghosts in their production, showing that Shakespeare was not the only one using supernatural beings in his writing: “There were other contemporary publications that also dealt with the role of ghosts though it is not known if Shakespeare read them,” (Background to Shakespeare's Use of Ghosts). Even though there were other publications with ghosts in them, Shakespeare commonly used them in his plays which would be why Banquo’s ghost appearing onstage would make the play seem more
Otherworldly figures is something that Shakespeare frequently involves in his writings. In an article about Shakespeare’s use of paranormal beings, it was said stated that, “Shakespeare draws upon these traditions and makes something new with his ghosts. Unlike the emotional and moaning ghosts of the Middle Ages Shakespeare's are reasoning entities. They come with a purpose and for their acts (Rogers 88). …. Macbeth's silent specter simply stares at him in accusation,” (Background to Shakespeare's Use of Ghosts). This evidence supports the claim because it shows that Shakespeare uses the traditions and the history of that time period to portray ghosts in his plays and to his audience. Furthermore, Banquo’s ghost is supposed to stare at Macbeth and it would be fairly impossible to show Banquo’s cursory looks without an actor representing the ghost. Although, other playwrights also used ghosts in their production, showing that Shakespeare was not the only one using supernatural beings in his writing: “There were other contemporary publications that also dealt with the role of ghosts though it is not known if Shakespeare read them,” (Background to Shakespeare's Use of Ghosts). Even though there were other publications with ghosts in them, Shakespeare commonly used them in his plays which would be why Banquo’s ghost appearing onstage would make the play seem more