This play starts with events that can be said to be supernatural. People can have different perceptions of what they consider a supernatural act. According to this Shakespearean play, we can identify several supernatural actions including witches, magic, supernatural evil, etc. (Kliman 10). In the play, the supernatural things are central to the plot of the play as they provide a basis for action as Shakespeare meant them to fit in putting the play together. The supernatural creatures presented in the play are witches, ghosts, and spirits.
The witches in Macbeth symbolize evil, and the author used them to achieve a haunting effect on the audience or readers. According to Bloom, the witches attract readers’ attention by the prophecy they made as the audience is eager to find out if it will come true (27). Thus, their prophecies are the most significant unnatural or supernatural events in the play. In the opening scene, three witches appear speaking in a commanding voice. They provide an explanation of who they are, what they stand for, and the spheres they have control over. “…we three meet again In thunder, lighting or in rain?….When the battle’s lost and won….That will be ere the set of sun….There to meet with Macbeth” (Bloom 39). This scene puts in motion a scenario that is replicated in the remaining parts of the play. It is this scene that lays down a basis for understanding how Macbeth interacts with the witches. The supernatural event is used in the first scene to care an understanding of on which side the witches are, whether they are good or evil and their purpose in the play (Bloom 54).
In Act 1 Scene 3, Macbeth meets with the witches for the first time, and they declare his future, “All hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor, All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter” (Bloom 55). They can tell his future. By predicting the future of Macbeth, the witches set in motion several actions, such as the killing of King Duncan. Another supernatural thing is the dagger that Macbeth sees in a vision. “Is this a dagger I see before me?” (Kliman 17). He had a vision before he killed King Duncan. It gives the Macbeth the courage to execute his evil act of killing Duncan (Shakespeare 56).
Another supernatural creature that appears in the play is ghost. Macbeth is aware due to the witches’ predictions that Banquo will become king. For fear that he might be killed, he plans to execute Banquo. He carries out his plan by inviting Banquo to a feast. However, Banquo appears on the feast as a ghost and sits in king’s place. Macbeth exclaims, “What treachery is this, which of you have done this” (Shakespeare 178). This action proves Macbeths guilt and fear.
When Macbeth becomes more evil in his acts, the next supernatural event may be observed. He goes to the witches in search for answers to his many questions. The witches conjure supernatural apparitions to provide the King with answers. However, Macbeth feels safe because even the witches told him that no one born by a woman will be able to harm Macbeth (Shakespeare 36) These apparitions are important as they provide an understanding of the predictions done by the witches in the past and at present (Kliman 24).
The supernatural events in the play are central in understanding of what happens. Shakespeare uses the supernatural to bring about an action or to respond to some action within the play. The prophecy uttered by the witches in the beginning of the play sets in motion several activities. Macbeth kills King Duncan in his quest to become the king; this is an event that brings about strange disruptions. Therefore, the use of the supernatural is meant to bring life to the play.
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold. Macbeth. London: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
Kliman, W. Bernice. Macbeth. Oxford: Manchester University Press, 2004. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. London: Barron’s Educational Series, 2002. Print.