The Supernatural in Macbeth

Since the dawn of time the supernatural has existed side by side with the sole purpose of causing havoc and pain in man’s world. In the play Macbeth the deceptive powers of the super-natural is a key manipulator on Macbeth’s actions. The supernatural had planted a seed of evil in Macbeth 's mind that grew to dominate and manipulate his mind. The hallucination of Banquo caused by the supernatural had caused Macbeth to lose his sanity. The witches were easily able to control Macbeth’s mind, they had made Macbeth believe that he was invincible; causing him to willingly continue to fighting when he knew that it would mean his doom. Macbeth 's downfall was planned and executed by the weird sisters Making Macbeth but a mere victim of the supernatural.

Shakespeare puts a great highlight on the deceptive powers of the supernatural and show’s exactly how the supernatural can ever so slowly take control of your life he shows this through the way Macbeth was continuously manipulated through first the prophecies then the ghost of Banquo and finally the apparitions.
Since man’s creation man has always been manipulated with the knowledge of his future. Macbeth is not responsible for his actions and was manipulated by the witches in the play the weird sister had planned the downfall of Macbeth since the very beginning. Since they had never directly harmed Macbeth themselves, they tell Macbeth predictions for his possible future, in order to make him act on them. “The witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor and then king of Scotland”. (I, III 47-50) They had poison Macbeths mind with their prophesies making him greedy and bringing forth the evil side of his soul. When the first of the prophesies is proven to be true by the thane Ross, Macbeth begins to “questions not the purpose of the witches, but the benefits of their prophecies, in a paradox he begins to contemplate how him being the future king could be a bad thing.”(Ferguson) This is Macbeth’s first step onto the path to his destruction that the witches will manipulate him too. These points prove how Macbeth is yet a mere victim of the Supernatural through he way the weird sisters had manipulated Macbeth’s heart into bring out his evil qualities and ultimately better serve them hidden in there scheme of bringing good news to Macbeth laced with new thoughts of him betraying Duncan and being king himself.

Throughout the passage of time man’s mind has been repeatedly steered towards making radical decisions through the torture of his mental psychosis. After Macbeth had killed Duncan he began to grow more and more guilt while being undertaken by greed he does not make any attempt to change, and his mental state is bothered by this. Slowly Macbeth begins to lose grasp of his sanity and control. ”because Macbeths reign is all that he has left now. Macbeth 's malevolence and deceptiveness are shown further when he becomes so obsessed with the weird sisters prophesies to his friend, Banquo that he decides to hire two men to kill him and his son” (Knights). It was not long before the influences of the weird sisters on Macbeth begin to disturb him; He starts to suffer from physical and mental pain like his wife and begins to slowly go mad. Later on in his castle Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo and gives a terrified reaction. “Gentleman rise his hinges is not well” (III, IV 52). This quote proves how even the thanes could notice that Macbeths mind was not well, “even after he commits the murder of Duncan and Banquo and secures the crown of Scotland, Macbeth cannot wash the guilt from his hands and starts to show signs of mental collapse”, (Bai). A logical reason for the appearance for Banquo’s ghost would be that the weird sisters sent Banquo’s ghost to Macbeth in order to torture him into fully trusting evil. This is proved through the way that after breaking down in front of the thanes and being in a state of confusion Macbeth immediately seeks guidance from the witch’s showing how he now trust’s evil. “I will tomorrow and bet-times I will to the weird sisters more shall they speak; for know I am bent to know”. (III, IV 133-34) this point shows how Macbeth had been pushed into a mental breakdown by the weird sisters, making him now better trust evil making him a prime suspect to be manipulated into the doing the witches bidding. These points prove how Macbeth is yet a mere victim of the Supernatural through the proven statement that the weird sisters had used first the apportions to change Macbeths nature and later on send the ghost of Banquo in order to torture and break Macbeth’s mental Psychosis, ultimately making him trust evil completely.

Confidence is good in some but like any other thing to much can be deadly. Since the weird sisters had now succeeded in bringing out Macbeth 's evil qualities, they are ready make sure that Macbeth follows there plan to his destruction. With Hecate 's there queen’s guidance, these weird sisters plan to lead Macbeth to his destruction by making him feel overconfident. This is proved when Macbeth first meets Macduff in the final battle, still feeling proud of killing Young Siward he reiterates his invincibility. “I bear charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born.” (V, VII 41-42). When Macduff declares himself as one of Caesarean birth “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”(V, VII 44-45) it turns Macbeth from his belief in the supernatural. “Be these juggling fiends no more believed that palter with us in a double sense, that keep a word of promise to our ear and break it to our hope.” (V, VII 49-51). “The supernatural forces speak the truth, but by equivocating and by ambiguity, they have blinded Macbeth by elongating his pride and led him to be embodied with false invincibility.”(Montagu) These points prove how Macbeth is yet again a mere victim of the Supernatural through the way the weird sisters had manipulated him into killing Duncan and sending the ghost of Banquo to him in order to break his Mental Psychosis and make him better trust evil.

So in retrospect Shakespeare puts a great highlight on the deceptive powers of the supernatural and show’s it through how, Macbeth was deceived into killing Duncan, to killing his servant, Banquo and later showing his guilt of the crime through the ghost of Banquo, and was manipulated into fighting to his death. He was manipulated to do so through the unique way that the weird sisters had manipulated him making Shure that each step he took would lead to his destruction. I think that Macbeth had a predetermined fate, he was bound to it he could not have chosen to break away from the direction he was heading at any time, but he just simply did not have the power to do so. Work Cited http://www.helium.com/items/1845091-macbeth-shakespeare-the-witches-the-supernatural BAI

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Cited: http://www.helium.com/items/1845091-macbeth-shakespeare-the-witches-the-supernatural BAI http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/LowerFrame.asp?SID=5&iPin=Gffazshak2205&InputText=Macbeth+and+the+super+natural&SearchStyle=Keyword&AllRecCount=209&VideoCount=0&TopThCount=9&BioCount=3&AnCrCount=179&OverSynCount=3&CurTab=Topics&RecCountVal=1&rID=3 BOYCE http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/LowerFrame.asp?SID=5&iPin=STAM015&rID=5&InputText=Macbeth+and+the+super+natural&SearchStyle=Keyword&RecType=Analysis%20or%20Criticism&CurTab=All&RecCountVal=1&AllRecCount=209&TopThCount=9&BioCount=3&AnCrCount=179&OverSynCount=3&VideoCount=0&OrderBy= Montagu, Elizabeth. http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/LowerFrame.asp?SID=5&iPin=STAM043&rID=8&InputText=Macbeth+and+the+super+natural&SearchStyle=Keyword&RecType=Analysis%20or%20Criticism&CurTab=All&RecCountVal=1&AllRecCount=209&TopThCount=9&BioCount=3&AnCrCount=179&OverSynCount=3&VideoCount=0&OrderBy= knights http://www.fofweb.com/Lit/LowerFrame.asp?SID=5&iPin=ffazshak0820&rID=41&InputText=Macbeth+and+the+super+natural&SearchStyle=Keyword&RecType=Character&CurTab=All&RecCountVal=2&AllRecCount=209&TopThCount=9&BioCount=3&AnCrCount=179&OverSynCount=3&VideoCount=0&OrderBy= Boyce