The play Macbeth is William Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy that depicts the story of a valiant Scottish general named Macbeth who is driven by ambition and power. The story tells us how Macbeth decides to act on his evil ambitions and kill King Duncan to overtake the throne after he receives a prophecy from a trio of witches, after which, all sorts of tragic events follow. In Macbeth, the supernatural is an integral theme contributing to the structure of the plot. Shakespeare uses this theme boldly to display an insight into character and to provide an incentive for action. The readers come across the supernatural in many varied forms such as the ghost of Banquo, the floating dagger, the trio of witches and the apparitions that all amplify the impact of the key scenes.
The three witches, that have the appearance of women yet don’t look like inhabitants of the earth, are one of the most important elements of the supernatural that not only contribute to the mystic and eerie atmosphere by chanting words like “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air,” (Sparknotes) but also play the pivotal role in defining the course of the tragedy. By saying those words they try to convey the impending doom that is to follow in the story, as they convey the message that whatever seems foul and is actually fair and vice versa. At the beginning of the story, the trio call Macbeth by the following names, “First Witch: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter!” (Sparknotes) and go on to tell Banquo “First Witch: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch: Not so happy, yet much happier. Third Witch: Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.
So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!” (Sparknotes) At the time, Macbeth was the Thane of Glamis and had recently won a battle with his partner Banquo for his King Duncan, but the witches foretell that Macbeth shall soon become the Thane of Cawdor and in time, the king. For Banquo, the witches say that he himself may not become a king but his children shall be kings. This is the first time we see the supernatural influencing and in directing the play by bringing about sparks of thoughts and drastic actions in Macbeth, such as, killing his King and further killing his partner and his children, Banquo, in order to secure the titles the witches allude to.
The second hint of the use of the supernatural is portrayed in Macbeth’s soliloquy, where he says, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” () In this scene, Macbeth sees a floating dagger in front of him, which he tries to hold on to but cannot grasp anything. On continuing his Soliloquy, we understand that the dagger is nothing more than a, “Proceeding from the heat – oppressed brain” (Sparknotes). Shakespeare very smartly uses the supernatural, in the form of the floating dagger, once more to intensify the impact of Macbeth’s thoughts and the mistake he is going to commit by killing the king. The floating dagger is nothing but a symbol of Macbeth’s conscience, the descending madness, visons and their effects on his mind due to thought of becoming King, planted in his mind by the trio. The dagger also represents Macbeth’s character, in this case making the wrong choice of holding on to the dagger and committing the murder of the king.
Shakespeare continually uses the supernatural at pivotal moments of the tragedy and the ghost of Banquo, one of the most important supernatural elements, signifies more than just a haunting to Macbeth. Immediately after Macbeth becomes king and succeeds in murdering Banquo, he sees the ghost of Banquo at his feast, sitting on the chair he was supposed to sit on. Macbeth at seeing the ghost of Banquo says, “You can’t say I did it. Don’t shake your bloody head at me” (Sparknotes). This part signifies the guilt that is growing in Macbeth’s mind and the accusation of the murder that he is scared off. If we look closer, we see that only Macbeth can see the ghost, which is a symbolism of the weak and fragile mind of Macbeth. The ghost of Banquo not only haunts Macbeth by sitting in his chair but also signifies the Macbeth’s own death that is about to occur. Thus, with a simple ghost of the supernatural, Shakespeare has been able to convey the thought process of murderer and direction in which the tragedy is leading to, which is, the death of Macbeth.
Shakespeare uses the witches to start the reign of Macbeth and also end it. He uses three apparitions created by the witches to convey three prophecies to Macbeth that seem helpful to Macbeth, but in reality trick him to into killing himself. The first apparition says, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife.” (Sparknotes). Macbeth already knew that Macduff was a threat to him, but what he did not understand that Macduff was the person the second apparition was talking about in his prophecy, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn. The power of man, for none of woman born. Shall harm Macbeth.” (Sparknotes) Macbeth was tricked into thinking that he was undefeatable because no man born from a woman could harm him, but what he did not know was that that Macduff was not conceived by ripped out from his mother’s womb. The third apparition prophesized that, “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care. Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him” (Sparknotes). Macbeth not understanding the underlying meaning of the prophecies did not care much about his surroundings which led him to his grave as the an army marched with branches of the tree in their hands against him, almost looking like the whole Birnam forest was marching against him. The apparitions almost prove the underlying meaning of the lines said by the witches in the start of the story, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (Sparknotes) The apparitions created by the witches are yet another symbol of superstition and the supernatural being used to give direction to the ending of the story.
As we read through the play, we see that the supernatural is used in places where evil is present. At each instance, we see that the supernatural in Macbeth is the result or cause of some action. For instance, the prophecy told by the witches sets the plot in motion and instigates Lady Macbeth to follow the supernatural leads and force her husband to fulfil the deeds. Before Macbeth kills the king he sees a floating dagger and after he does the deed strange phenomena occur and disrupt the land. Banquo’s ghost haunts Macbeth as a result of the murder of Banquo. The death of the Macbeth is foretold by the apparitions and hence each incident is driven by the supernatural. Therefore, it is right to say that the theme of the supernatural is the essence of the play Macbeth.