macbeth attitudes towards supernatural essay

Mr Salles Teaches English

Macbeth Supernatural: Starting with the Extract

If you want grades 8 or 9, maybe don't do it.

This is the link to the guide .

This essay comes from a grade 9 student who might not get get Grade 9, because they start with the extract.

Starting with this moment in the play, explore how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the supernatural.

In this extract, Banquo is shown to be wary of the supernatural; a feeling which would be reflected by most people watching the play. Shakespeare uses Banquo to deliver a didactic message to those who didn’t have this fear of the supernatural, explaining how the “ instruments of darkness... betray us .”The “ instruments of darkness ”refers to the witches, who at this point in the play have just been proved correct in their prediction that Macbeth would become the Thane of Cawdor. By using the metaphor of “ instruments ,” Shakespeare shows that while the supernatural can sound attractive and beautiful, their real role is to betray us to the Devil- the one who controls their movements, and in this extended metaphor “ wins ” them. The fact that the witches predicted correctly that Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor, Banquo believes, was only an “ honest trifle ,” a small trick which in the long term meant nothing, but that could drag those who allowed it to change their perspective of life into doom. This warning reflected the writing of James I, who in “Demonology” warned of the threat that the supernatural posed to people.

In stark opposition to the clear caution that Banquo has of the witches, Macbeth is unsure of the extent of the threat that the witches pose. He says “ this supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good .” The anaphora shows his lack of ability to decide how the supernatural should be treated. This would shock a Jacobean audience, who had been brought up to believe that witches were evil and never to be trusted. Shakespeare shows that this doubt as to whether the witches want Macbeth's good or not directly leads to his ideas about the murder of Duncan, as after seeing their prediction come true, he immediately has a “ thought ” of “ murder .”

Although the idea of murdering the King is at this point “ but fantastical ”, only an idea, even the thought of regicide would be seen as sinful by the Jacobean audience, who saw the King as directly under God in the Great Chain of Being. The fact that a “ valiant ”, “ worthy gentleman ” can be polluted by such evil thoughts as a result of one meeting with the witches is a clear message to the Jacobean audience that witches can destroy anyone, and that everyone should be on their guard and should protect themselves from the supernatural.

Later in the play, Macbeth is shown to think that he has power over the supernatural. This is seen when he commands Banquo’s ghost “ never shake thy gory locks at me! ” The exclamation demonstrates the fact that Macbeth believes that by intimidation he can control not only people, but also ghosts and spirits. However, the ghost does not respond to this demand, which shows that even those in power cannot control the supernatural. This was perhaps a message to the nobles of King James’ court. Shakespeare wanted to remind them that evil spirits- as ghosts were seen at the time- needed divine help to be cast out. Jacobean audiences would infer that Macbeth could not cast away the image of the ghost because he had left God, who alone had the power to cast out demons. This message would please King James, who had strong faith in the power of the Christian God.

After seeing Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth puts his full trust in the witches, which demonstrates that he has lost any “Christian values” that he had held previously. Despite knowing that the witches are the embodiment of spiritual darkness- which can be seen when he refers to them as “ black and midnight hags ”- he begs them to “ answer [him] … what [he] ask[s] them .” The witches agree, showing him three apparitions, the last of which comes with a message to “ Laugh to scorn, for none of woman born, shall harm Macbeth .” This lulls him into a false sense of security, which is seen when he taunts Macduff, saying “ I bear a charméd life .” Only when Macduff tells him that he was born of C-section does Macbeth lose his trust in the witches, and by then it is too late, and he dies fighting with Macduff.

Shakespeare therefore shows the audience that putting your life in the hands of the supernatural is a fatal mistake, which must be avoided at any cost.

How the Examiner Grades

This is grade 9.

“At the top of the level, a candidate’s response is likely to be a critical, exploratory, well-structured argument. It takes a conceptualised approach to the full task supported by a range of judicious references. There will be a fine-grained and insightful analysis of language and form and structure supported by judicious use of subject terminology. Convincing exploration of one or more ideas/ perspectives/ contextual factors/ interpretations.”

My Comments

This is “exploratory”. But it is unlikely to be a “well-structured argument”. It doesn’t start with a thesis statement, so that it doesn’t have 3 ideas to prove.

Because it doesn’t have a thesis statement, the conclusion makes only one point.

The point itself is weak - did Shakespeare really want to warn the nobles at court to avoid the many witches and ghosts roaming around Saint James’s Palace or around their stately manors? It’s not an insightful use of context.

It is much more likely that this will happen if you start with the extract - you zoom into some brilliant AO2 quote analysis, as this does, and you find you are half way through the question, with no time left to develop an argument. It does have a range of “judicious references”. Many of them are analysed brilliantly, so they are “fine-grained and insightful”.

Grade 7 - easy peasy, look at my quote analysis. But beyond that, you’re struggling.

It just about deals with “the full task”, but it can’t be “conceptualised” if it doesn’t have a thesis statement, strong conclusion and an argument.

Again, starting with the extract has scuppered it.

Anyway, much as I have panned the essay because it starts with the extract, I can still score it 26/30. A safe grade 8.

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Supernatural in “Macbeth” Play by Shakespeare Essay

In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth , the supernatural plays a crucial part in inspiring Macbeth’s actions. Supernatural elements create dramatic tension, with the witches’ predictions in Scene 3 of Act 1 as a critical instigating incident. Macbeth’s desire to replace Duncan as Scotland’s monarch is driven by otherworldly forces. The presence of the supernatural encourages the protagonists to feel superior and arrogant. The supernaturally manufactured predictions lure Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power, leading Macbeth to plot the cruel murder of Duncan. Macbeth believes that by murdering his close friend Banquo, he will finally be able to live up to the prophecy that he will become king. At an earlier gathering that night, he had a supernatural encounter with the ghost of a recently departed friend. The prophecies of the three witches inspire Macbeth’s desire to murder Banquo, but he digs himself into a deeper hole in the process. The play’s sense of mystery is enhanced by Macbeth’s use of the bizarre (Hibbs and Hibbs 275). The play’s supernatural aspects drive the plot and elevate its tragic elements by leading the protagonist further away from the passage of the typical hero.

Any supernatural effect on his choices, particularly those involving murder, is purely voluntary. It is only fair that he takes some responsibility for the many failures and catastrophes he is brought on by depending on them. On the other hand, without the supernatural, it is unlikely that Macbeth would even have the courage to consider such notions, much alone act on them. Macbeth begins his journey of murder when he tells Lady Macbeth about the witches. He recalled how “these Weird Sisters hailed me and pointed to the advent of time with ‘Hail, the king that shalt be,’” as he put it (Shakespeare). The influence of the supernatural on his wife, Lady Macbeth, drove him to murder King Duncan; had he not informed her about his vision, events could have turned out differently. Once he reveals to Lady Macbeth the divine prophesy he got, he loses all chance of returning to his former noble life. The supernatural plays a significant role in Macbeth’s universe.

In Scene 1 of Act IV, Macbeth returns to the Weird Sisters and demands to see visions of his future. Macbeth is warned of Macduff’s vengeance by a severed warrior’s head. In the second scene, a little boy, covered in blood, promises Macbeth that no man “of woman born” can kill him. Macbeth will not be beaten in battle, the young king swears, as long as Birnam wood is physically transported to Dunsinane. Upon learning of these impossibilities, Macbeth exclaims, “reign in this kingdom?” (Schojbert 1). The witches have Banquo leading a ghostly parade of imaginary kings. This only infuriates Macbeth more, and he goes so far as to admit to the audience that he wants to murder the whole Macduff family because of his pride.

In this play, the supernatural aspect is genuine or verifiable. Since both Macbeth and Banquo see the witches, their presence is confirmed. The supernatural aspect adds to the drama by validating and concretizing the hero’s internal struggles. Therefore, Macbeth’s witches represent the guilt deep within his psyche. However, the supernatural aspect does not exert an overbearing force, and the hero is never made helpless or absolved of responsibility for his actions. Although it is only suggestive, the hero is under no obligation to act upon it. The supernatural plays a vital role in accelerating the hero’s demise and elevating the tragedy within the play but ultimately teaches the weight of responsibility for personal actions.

Works Cited

Schojbert, Haley. The Supernatural, the Demonic, and Witchcraft in Early Modern English plays: Macbeth, the Witch, the Witch of Edmonton, and Doctor Faustus . 2020. The State University of New York at New Paltz, MA thesis.

Hibbs, Thomas, and Stacey Hibbs. “ Virtue, Natural Law, and Supernatural Solicitation: A Thomistic Reading of Shakespeare’s Macbeth .” Religion and the Arts, vol 5, no 3, 2001, pp. 273- 296, Web.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Wordsworth Classics, 1992.

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IvyPanda. (2024, January 9). Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supernatural-in-macbeth-play-by-shakespeare/

"Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare." IvyPanda , 9 Jan. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/supernatural-in-macbeth-play-by-shakespeare/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare'. 9 January.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supernatural-in-macbeth-play-by-shakespeare/.

1. IvyPanda . "Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supernatural-in-macbeth-play-by-shakespeare/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Supernatural in "Macbeth" Play by Shakespeare." January 9, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/supernatural-in-macbeth-play-by-shakespeare/.

• Character Analysis of "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare
• Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth
• The Downfall of Macbeth
• Betrayal in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”
• Supernatural Elements of Act I and II in Macbeth
• Emotions and Outward Actions in Shakespeare’s "Macbeth"
• The Story of Macbeth by W. Sheakspeare: Relationship and Strengths Between Macbeth and His Wife
• Are the Witches Responsible for Duncan’s Death?
• Shakespeare Literature: Prophecy and Macbeth Morality
• Shakespearean Macbeth as a Tragic Hero
• Hamlet: A New Type of Independent Thinker
• Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill
• Escapism and Fantasy in Williams' and Miller's Play
• The Plays "The Iliad," "The Odyssey," and "Agamemnon": Understanding of Leadership
• The Play "Fences" by August Wilson

Supernatural

Arguably, the entire play rests on how you think that shakespeare is presenting the role of the supernatural. if the witches simply awaken macbeth's own ambition then their role is really quite limited. if, however, you take them as being real, magical witches - which you have to do really (their titles are, after all, "witch 1," "witch 2" and "witch 2") - then it's not unreasonable to assume that there is real magic involved in the play. and since one of the things that witches were supposed to be able to do is control men's behaviour, the play suddenly looks very different., the most important thing to remember when you're looking at any piece of literature is that you have to stay focused on the text and use the evidence you find there. as i've said before, of course there is a case for saying that macbeth was ambitious already and that all the witches did was awaken his won ambition. however, for me, there's a much stronger case for saying that shakespeare intended for the supernatural to have a much larger role....

The Sailor's Wife and the Chestnuts

During the opening of act 1 scene 3, the witches meet and discuss a recent incident: a sailor's wife refused to give one of them chestnuts, and so the witch travelled to the sailor and cast a spell which drained him of his energy but take away his ability to sleep. he would "dwindle" - which means to get weak - "peak" - which is going through fits of high energy - and "pine" - which is to long for something. finally, although she couldn't take away his "bark" she would create violent storms that would make him "tempest tossed.", this scene is generally removed from plays because it breaks up the flow of the opening, and besides an article from the british library describes is like this: shakespeare uses this passage, then, to demonstrate the witches’ vindictive nature, leaving the audience in no doubt as to their connection with the powers of evil ., given that this passage is really only there to show that the witches are horrible it's no surprise that it gets cut out so regularly. but what if the british library is wrong and this is one of the most significant sequences in the play, my argument:, in any play featuring magical characters, you need a moment of exposition to explain what the characters are capable of. before you've seen a star wars film you need some kind of explanation of the rules of the force so you can understand what a jedi can do. the same is true here: we don't know what kind of magic the witches are capable of, so shakespeare has this scene which explains what magic powers they have., my argument is simply this: if, at the beginning of a play, a group of magical character reveal what powers they have and then the rest of the play is someone going through exactly the same experience, then it's reasonable to assume that there is a connection. in short: this scene is simply the witches revealing what they are about to do to macbeth; and if that's the case then the storyline of the whole play is completely different. below you'll find the original speech describing what they did to the sailor next to how it happened to macbeth:, i will drain him dry as hay: - macbeth was constantly tired and drained, sleep shall neither night nor day, hang upon his pent-house lid; - macbeth loses the abilit y to sleep, he shall live a man forbid: - he is denied the things he reall y wants, weary se'nnights nine times nine, shall he dwindle, peak and pine: - i'm not sure how long macbeth's reign was, but he did "dwindle, peak and pine" quite a lot, though his bark cannot be lost,, yet it shall be tempest-tost. - by the end he was still shouting and screaming (his bark wasn't lost) but he had certainly been through an emotional storm, what's also essential to take away from this is that the witches are able to control other people's actions and feelings. they're not just viewers in this story; they have agency and that's essential for our understanding of the rest of the play., one of the most important parts of the witch's speech is when she clarifies that she stops the sailor being able to sleep, because this is something that happens to macbeth later in the play. often revision sites suggest that macbeth couldn't sleep because of a feeling of guilt but this doesn't really make sense, for two reasons:, firstly, the witches make it very clear that they can stop someone from sleeping and it would seem strange to have that clarified as a part of their magical tool-box, and have it happen later in the play, unless there was going to be a connection. if it was guilt that meant macbeth couldn't sleep, we really would have to assume that the witch's speech was a piece of misinformation from shakespeare, which would make no sense at all., and secondly, just after macbeth has killed duncan he doesn't just lose the ability to sleep. he finds his wife and says "methought i heard a voice cry 'sleep no more, macbeth hath murdered sleep.'" he then goes on to repeat variations on that line, but always confirming that he heard someone else say it - and shakespeare even puts the lines in speech marks ., so macbeth, having killed duncan, hears someone else say that he has murdered sleep. now you could argue that this is just him going a bit mad, but when it's combined with the understanding that this is something the witches could do it makes much more sense to argue that it was the witch's magic spell that made this happen., the most important line in the play, i've got two nominations here, though both come in the same scene., the first is macbeth's first line in the play:, so fair and foul a day i have not seen., this line paraphrases (which is an almost exact quote) the witches opening lines. so macbeth's first line in the play almost directly quotes a key line from the witches. surely this was designed to deliberately setup the idea that the witches are already in control of him i've read revision websites before that have argued that this just implies that macbeth, like the witches, is a bit evil - but he's almost quoting them surely this suggests more than just a connection, it's a control., the second one is more complex:, w hy do i yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs,, against the use of nature, in a nutshell, this means: why i am i giving in to something that makes my hair stand up in horror, and my heart start to race in an uncomfortable way - and which is, most importantly: against my very nature., so, in this short speech he says that the idea of killing duncan makes him so scared that his heart races, and is against his very nature - the most fundamental part of who he is. so he's basically saying why is he starting to want to do this thing, but the key words in the speech are "yield" and "suggestion." and the fundamental question is: can you "yield" to a "suggestion" that has come from yourself, it's worth just clarifying what these words mean:, yield : to give way to arguments, demands, or pressure., suggestion : an idea or plan put forward for consideration., so: can you "give way to an argument, demand or pressure" and agree to "an idea or plan put forward for consideration" if that plan was your own, surely you can only "give in" to an "idea" that has come from someone else... and if that's the case then the idea of killing duncan didn't come from macbeth - it came from the witches., and if that's the case, then the entire play takes on a completely different meaning., was lady macbeth a witch, some people tend to find this one really obvious, other people think it's far more debatable. for myself, i think so much of her character arc is missing that i struggle to formulate a complete opinion about her. there's enough evidence of her being a witch in her opening scene to say that she's certainly established as one, but then shakespeare seems to do so little with it that i'm not sure what to think. it is worth picking up on a few key things:, come you spirits - if you watch a star wars movie and someone comes on screen dressed in a long robe and carrying a lightsaber then it's reasonable to assume they're a jedi. if almost the first thing someone does on-stage is cast a magic spell, during a play that features witches in prominent roles, then it's reasonable to assume that she's a witch. if she's not supposed to be one, then i really have no idea what shakespeare thought he was doing have her cast a magic spell straight away., hereafter - king that shalt be - hereafter - when lady macbeth comes on stage she's reading a letter from her husband, which tells her about his encounter with the witches. but: the letter misquotes the witches. macbeth says that they called him "king that shalt be" when they really said "all hail macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter." this doesn't seem like a big deal except that when his wife meets him, she says "greater than both by the all hail hereafter." so she uses the "hail" and the "hereafter" that the witches used, even though macbeth got the quote wrong., beyond that, though, there's no real references to her being a witch or casting any magic spells at all, except perhaps one..., when she performs her original magic spell she asks that the spirits " stop up the passage to remorse " which means that the spell stops her feeling any guilt. in a3 s5 hecate, the queen of witches, becomes angry at what the witches have done and demands that they bring an end to the whole thing. just after this, we see lady macbeth and she's sleepwalking and consumed by guilt. is it possible that hecate cancelled out the magic spell that had been cast earlier on, which would have meant that lady macbeth felt her guilt all of a sudden this is possible, and it's probably the best explanation for her character flip that i've ever heard though it's still pretty thin..., seyton... or is it a coincidence, at the end of the play, macbeth does something unusual: he gives one of his servants a name. there are a number of other messengers or gentlewomen in the play - even a doctor - but they never get names., but then, for no reason, at the end of the play he calls out "seyton." now, bearing in mind that macbeth was meant to be seen and not read, it seems really strange to give a character a name that rhymes with satan, in a play about witchcraft, if that character isn't going to actually be satan., it's also doubly interesting as he says the name three times before seyton appears - twice in quick succession, and then suddenly he appears. the idea of saying someone's name three times before they appear is a reasonably classic trope, and here it is with satan., seyton --i am sick at heart,, when i behold-- seyton , i say--this push, will cheer me ever, or disseat me now., i have lived long enough: my way of life, is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;, and that which should accompany old age,, as honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,, i must not look to have; but, in their stead,, curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,, which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not. seyton , enter seyton, given the nature of the play and its focus on witchcraft - and the fact that a few scenes earlier we'd seen the arrival of hecate, the queen of witches - it doesn't seem unreasonable that this is actually satan who's arrived., other than ranking up the supernatural elements in the play, this doesn't really have a massive impact on the play except in one key possible area., look over this section from a5 s5:.

A cry of women within

What is that noise?

It is the cry of women, my good lord.

Re-enter SEYTON

Wherefore was that cry?

The queen, my lord, is dead.

So it is Seyton who discovers the Queen's body - or, possibly, was it him or his minions who killed her?

The most common understanding is that Lady Macbeth killed herself, but bear in mind that we only assumed she did because Malcolm's says that Macbeth's "fiend-like queen, / Who, as 'tis thought, by self and violent hands / Took off her life."

So basically, it could well be that Lady Macbeth killed herself, but I'd bet there were people who left the theatre thinking that Seyton / Satan had something to do with it...

Super Stretch: Extract from the British Library

The following is an extract from an article that's been published on the british library's website, you can find the whole thing here: https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/manhood-and-the-milk-of-human-kindness-in-macbeth, the article looks at the role of masculinity in macbeth, but takes a very different slant to my interpretation. during this extract, the author argues that the witches have no real power over macbeth but only ignite his own passion. i've colour coded it and responded to his argument below. crucially though, i'd argue (without meaning to offend the author) that this passage - which is written by a very well respected professor - is entirely reliant on some quite astonishing assumptions, none of which are actually backed up by any evidence from the play., it's an interesting read as it gives some clues as to how we've come to the place we have:, it’s important to stress that macbeth’s fate is not dictated by the witches. none of the malign spells cast by the bearded handmaids of hecat, as they dance round their bubbling cauldron with its gruesome ingredients, has any power over macbeth. the weird sisters ‘can look into the seeds of time’ (1.3.58) and foretell his future in deceitful language, whose full meaning emerges only in retrospect. but they can’t compel macbeth to do anything., this section stresses that the witches have no powers over macbeth. it says they can't compel him to do anything, but then - really - if you read it, it just repeats this statement without actually referencing the text in any meaningful way. it seems like the author just ignores the power the witches had over the sailor, and ignores the fact that macbeth enters the stage almost repeating what the witches have previously said. this kind of academic writing is designed to sound clever, but it's not actually dealing with the text. you could almost say it was an example of confuscation, which is something that's made deliberately confusing, often to hide the fact that it has nothing to say., shakespeare makes that clear from the outset, when the grim trio greets macbeth with titles he has yet to acquire, and banquo sees him ‘start, and seem to fear / things that do sound so fair’, and then become strangely ‘rapt withal’ (1.3.51–2, 57). before the scene is over, macbeth’s first soliloquy leaves us in no doubt that what has startled and struck fear into him is the witches’ open voicing of the ‘black and deep desires’ (1.4.51) already brewing secretly in his heart., my ears perked up at this bit as i hoped that he would provide some evidence - he says that shakespeare makes it clear that the witches have no power. but then you read it and there's nothing there - again the fact that macbeth seemed to "fear" what the witches said, or that he then fell into a "rapt" state does not mean that the witches had no control over macbeth and where he claims "leaves us in no doubt that" i can say categorically that i had serious doubts about this interpretation. in fact, he references a soliloquy from a1 s3 but then uses a quote from the next scene, like the spirits that lady macbeth commands in the next scene to ‘unsex’ her and purge her of compassion, the witches ‘tend on mortal thoughts’ (1.5.41; my emphasis): they serve the evil thoughts they find in mortal minds, they don’t plant them there., here, he's using a quote from lady macbeth who says that the spirits she calls only "tend" on mortal thoughts, which suggests that they don't control them, they just look after them - in the way we might tend a garden or a loved one. but this is lady macbeth and not the witches, so the fact that lady macbeth has no real power over someone's behaviour says nothing about the witches. also, the use of the "like" conjunction at the beginning suggests that there will be some connection between the thoughts presented, but lady macbeth asks for the spirits to "unsex" her and take away her compassion, both of which are them doing something, not simply responding to the "evil thoughts they find in mortal minds.", and that's the end of his argument., but if i look back over his argument i see someone making a very broad statement about the play: the witches have no control over macbeth; and then backing it up with very limited evidence, that ignores significant portions of the plot, and just 'sounds' good as he uses long words and complex sentences., the fact is that if you introduce the supernatural elements of the play to the degree that they can actually control macbeth's behaviour, you end up with a play about the effects of witchcraft, which just isn't that interesting to an audience four hundred years later. i think a lot of people are working very hard to make macbeth seem infinitely more interesting and complex than it actually is..

The Supernatural

The supernatural and the mind.

Macbeth sees a dagger and Banquo's ghost among other visions. These could be hallucinations or supernatural forces at work.

• Macbeth has visions throughout the play, such as the dagger before he kills King Duncan, ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me’ (2,1).
• These could be psychological (of the mind) or they could be premonitions (feelings that something bad is going to happen) and Macbeth is experiencing the supernatural.
• Because he has interacted with the witches, the audience might think that he has made himself vulnerable to evil.

Banquo's ghost

• We could argue that this hallucination is a symptom of Macbeth’s mind becoming more and more unbalanced because of the guilt he feels, as well as the overwhelming amount of power he suddenly has.

The Supernatural and Evil

It is important to remember the context of the play for this theme: King James I believed in witches. He thought they were evil and could harm people.

Role and significance of the witches

• The witches are the first characters the audience see in the play. This shows that they are very significant for what is to come.
• They manipulate (control to their advantage) Macbeth to show the evil within himself.

Lady Macbeth and the supernatural

• Lady Macbeth calls on spirits too. She does this like the witches themselves: ‘Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’ (1,5).
• She uses imperative language ( ‘come’ and ‘unsex’ ) which suggests that she thinks she has control over them. This labels her as an evil character who wants supernatural beings to help her.
• We don’t know whether this is something she has done before or whether the opportunity to take the crown has made her want to try to contact them. But it could just be words. Perhaps she is simply showing how far she is prepared to go.

Cause bad events

• Macbeth and Lady Macbeth only hatch the plan to kill King Duncan because the witches tell Macbeth that he will be the king one day – we could argue that, without the witches, none of the events of the play would have happened.

1 Literary & Cultural Context

1.1 Context

1.1.1 Tragedy

1.1.2 The Supernatural & Gender

1.1.3 Politics & Monarchy

1.1.4 End of Topic Test - Context

2 Plot Summary

2.1.1 Scenes 1 & 2

2.1.2 Scene 3

2.1.3 Scenes 4-5

2.1.4 Scenes 6-7

2.1.5 End of Topic Test - Act 1

2.2 Acts 2-4

2.2.1 Act 2

2.2.2 Act 3

2.2.3 Act 4

2.3.1 Scenes 1-3

2.3.2 Scenes 4-9

2.3.3 End of Topic Test - Acts 2-5

3 Characters

3.1 Macbeth

3.1.1 Hero vs Villain

3.1.2 Ambition & Fate

3.1.3 Relationship

3.1.4 Unstable

3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Macbeth

3.2 Lady Macbeth

3.2.1 Masculine & Ruthless

3.2.2 Manipulative & Disturbed

3.3 Other Characters

3.3.1 Banquo

3.3.2 The Witches

3.3.3 Exam-Style Questions - The Witches

3.3.4 King Duncan

3.3.5 Macduff

3.3.6 End of Topic Test - Lady Macbeth & Banquo

3.3.7 End of Topic Test - Witches, Duncan & Macduff

3.4 Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.4.1 Grade 9 - Lady Macbeth Questions

4.1.1 Power & Ambition

4.1.2 Power & Ambition HyperLearning

4.1.3 Violence

4.1.4 The Supernatural

4.1.5 Masculinity

4.1.6 Armour, Kingship & The Natural Order

4.1.7 Appearances & Deception

4.1.8 Madness & Blood

4.1.9 Women, Children & Sleep

4.1.10 End of Topic Test - Themes

4.1.11 End of Topic Test - Themes 2

4.2 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.1 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.2 Extract Analysis

5 Writer's Techniques

5.1 Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques

5.1.1 Structure, Meter & Dramatic Irony

5.1.2 Pathetic Fallacy & Symbolism

5.1.3 End of Topic Test - Writer's Techniques

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Masculinity

Macbeth and Banquo’s Attitudes Toward the Supernatural: A Timeline

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A resource designed to help students engage with this AQA question at a whole text level. I wanted to create something that allowed students to easily see how the attitudes develop and change over the course of the play. I thought it might also be useful to discuss Duncan's words and how they may influence Macbeth's/Banquo's attitudes as they almost echo that of the witches. We also discussed the motif of harvest/growth for Banquo, I asked my class to read through the mini-extracts and highlight relevant quotations. We then discussed patterns, comparisons, changes and links in groups. They then added their final ideas to the planning sheet before writing their responses. Top tip: Do not print double-sided so that the students can easily refer to the quotations.

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Sophie Waters

Download info, july 28, 2023.

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How does Shakespeare Present the Supernatural in Macbeth?

Caroline Piggott.             How does Shakespeare Present the       April 2001                                       Supernatural in Macbeth?

        Shakespeare presents Supernatural elements in “Macbeth” which are supernatural beings, such as the witches, supernatural images for example the dagger, thunder and lightning, darkness, an eclipse, horses going wild and savage, food chain turning upside down, supernatural beings,  apparitions for example the ghost of Banquo or the show of eight Kings and supernatural images ,ghost of Banquo, blood on Lady Macbeth’s hands. Shakespeare uses the Supernatural to improve the audiences understanding of Macbeth. Darkness represents evil, the dagger represents blood and murder, the owl eating the falcon represents disorder in society and Duncan’s horses going mad and eating each other represents upset in nature. These Supernatural elements represent themes in the play of death, disorder, sickness, sin, ambition and greediness. The Supernatural makes the play more varied and interesting, catching and effective and lasting in the audiences mind. The play is more visually interesting with the elements of the Supernatural, particularly the witches scene is very dramatic even without modern technology. What the eye cannot see on the stage, the ear can hear and can describe the scene in the audiences mind.

        In the Polanski film, the moderness of it is more exciting as technology can create the Supernatural images like the apparitions, the dagger and many other images, but in the royal Shakespeare company play a lot of the Supernatural parts in Macbeth have to be created by the audiences imagination. Although this is effective the modern Polanski film has a more exciting film and the Supernatural parts in it have been made stronger. The advantages of the play, is when you are sitting in the audience, you become a part of it like the Lords and Thanes in the Banqueting hall; p.81 Act 3 Scene 4. You cannot see what Macbeth is looking at, Banquo’s ghost, but a stool. So the effect of madness and the touch of the devil may be greater in some parts of the play.

        Shakespeare uses the Supernatural in “Macbeth”, to improve the dramatic quality of the play. He does this by bringing in the Supernatural at times of importance causing embarrassment to Macbeth and giving away that there is something wrong, or it is brought in at night, in the dark, when the scene is secretive and tense making it dramatic and scary about what is going to happen next; act 4 scene 1 p.99. The Supernatural in Macbeth confuses the audience about what Macbeth is thinking, and also increases the tenseness of the atmosphere to show evil and sin inside Macbeth.

        Shakespeare’s purpose in presenting all the different Supernatural elements in Macbeth is to show to the audience the evil happenings and how Macbeth is changing the world from good to bad/light to dark. Act 1 scene 1, act 1 scene 5, act 2 scene1, act 2 scene 2, act 2 scene 4, act 3 scene 4, act 4 scene 1, act 5 scene 5, act 5 scene 5, act 5 scene 8, and act 5 scene 9 all feature the Supernatural. The audience and Macbeth see most of the Supernatural, but there are a few other characters, for example the public of Scotland that see unnatural events, like the natural food chain and the weather distorted. Macbeth reports the Supernatural that he experiences to Lady Macbeth such as in the banqueting hall where he sees Banquo’s ghost, but most of the time to the audience, Macbeth keeps the Supernatural events that occur to himself.

        In act 1 scene 1, Shakespeare presents the Supernatural straight at the beginning with the three witches. The scene is set unnaturally beginning with “thunder and lightning. Enter the three witches.” The three witches or weird sisters speak in rhyme, showing that they are chanting or casting a spell. The mood is created by “a desolate place”, and the witches chanting, this creates in the mind a picture of the three witches out in the middle of nowhere, where it is dark and gloomy, and dirty. The question is asked by the first witch to the other two, “ when shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” This question shows that wherever the witches go, unnatural, disturbing weather like thunder and lightning follow. It is thought that the witches cause this weather for evil purposes or the thunder and lightning stays around evil, and apprentices of the devil.

        Shakespeare is trying to teach the audience about the witches evil souls and ways, by the language and the setting of the atmosphere. Also Shakespeare tries to show the witches wicked ways with their ugly, descriptive language. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.” This means everything is the same, good and evil are the same, and we will work our way through evil doings. Macbeth is the same as “fair is foul, and foul is fair”, because Macbeth comes across at the beginning as a good and honest man, and then throughout the play he becomes more and more evil and power-crazed. Shakespeare gives the witches all the things people think that witches should posses to prove that they cast evil spells. All three witches have accomplices,”I come Graymalkin”, Graymalkin is an Elizabethan word for grey cat, and the first witch is coming to her Accomplice that calls her. “Paddock calls”, this is a frog, the second witches accomplice that is calling her. “Anon”, this is said by the third witch, the audience does not know what the witch’s accomplice is, only “Anon”, suggests a strange creature with no name. This makes the evidence of the strange behaviour of the witches stronger.

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        In Act 1, scene 3, Shakespeare presents the witches to the audience using rhyming language, “a drum, a drum; Macbeth doth come”, short sentences, “sister, where thou?” repetition, “I’ll do, I’ll do and I’ll do.” The rhyming language creates a rhythm and a beat conveying evil coming as the sound of a drum is familiarised with war. The rhyming is also signs of spells and an incantation. The short sentences are also broken up conveying disfigurement and distachment, which are likened with evil and insanity. The repetition the witches speak are confusing to Macbeth and do not seem to make any sense, but the repetition is signs of spell chanting like they are stirring up magic. The witches, no matter how many of them, are all one voice. The voice of the devil. This is why the sentences are split between them, they all have the same purpose.

        The Elizabethan audience would understand from Shakespeare’s language and stage directions that thunder and lightning creates an evil, threatening and ominous atmosphere. It also gets across the idea of nature disturbed in the world, and the witches in an uncivilised place. Evil is thought of to have been let loose in the world of man causing havoc and chaos. The Elizabethan audience would also understand the witches are associated with evil, as the stage directions of the witches entering comes immediately after “thunder”, which is associated with disturbings of nature and evil.

“ A drum, a drum; Macbeth doth come.” This is a rhyming couplet. The sounds are associated with evil and war, as adrum is thought of as marching into battle. These sounds introduce the enter of Macbeth, so that the audience assume that this character is a main character with evil qualities or intentions.

 The audience understands that the witches have wound up a charm specifically for Macbeth. The audience although has not yet met Macbeth, but has heard of his bravery and his personality and are anxious to meet him. The witches stir up an incantation for him, which makes the audience think there is or will be some evil in Macbeth. Shakespeare is trying to make the audience sit up and listen for the long awaited arrival of Macbeth.So far in the play the audience have heard of Macbeth’s bravery and heroism, but now an association with evil creatures, the witches changes their perspective of him.

Shakespeare gives comparison of the different characters, the characters can be contrasted and it is more interesting for the reader to have other characters around Macbeth, fulfilling Shakespeare’s purpose.

Macbeth’s opening line is, “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”. This language is like the witches and he repeats the words of the witches. This instantly links Macbeth linguistically with the witches.

In this scene there is a strong sense of evil and the Supernatural. Macbeth says to the witches, “speak if you can: what are you?” This is commanding and strong language. Here the witches have come infront of Macbeth’s path, obviously seeking him, and he wants to know who or what they are and what their purpose in being there is. The witches say to Macbeth, “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis”.

“All hail to Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor.”

“All hail to Macbeth, hail to thee, that shalt be King hereafter.” There is repetition here and very respectful and worshipping language. The witches seem to be telling the future and proposing that Macbeth will soon be King. The witches are a trinity of evil, but Macbeth becomes intrigued to know more. “Stay you imperfect speakers. Tell me more”. The audience already knows that Macbeth is Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, only recently, but not King.

Banquo says to Macbeth, “Good sir, why do you start?” Macbeth’s reaction is surprise and fear. Banquo does not think that Macbeth should be taking the witches too seriously. Macbeth is fearful that the witches have spoken out-loud his hidden ambitions. It is Banquo that draws the audience’s attention to Macbeth’s startled reaction. The two words that Macbeth did not want anyone to hear aloud were, “King hereafter”. It is his secret ambition.

In this line Shakespeare suggests that Macbeth is cionsidering evil. “That he seems rapt withal”. This means that Macbeth is spellbound and appears in a trance. This is evidence of the Supernatural.

Macbeth has already been presented to the audience in many different ways with two sides to him. He is a “Good Sir” and “My Noble partner”. But he has also revealed the other side to him with his reaction to the witches so called future telling, “why do you start and seem to fear things that sound so fair?”, and he is “rapt withal”.

Shakespeare uses different type of language and different vocabulary to convey the Supernatural and the witches, and their denomic behaviour. There is a contrast used in the language of Macbeth’s appearance and the reality of him. He is a “Good Sir” that is “rapt withal”.        

        In act 1 scene 5, Lady Macbeth is calling upon evil spirits to assist her in her murderous plans. She says her words as a spell, like a witch, associating herself with evil. The evil, murderous plans are for her and her husband, Macbeth, to have greatness and power. Lady Macbeth calls upon the largest source of evil for assistance.”Come, you spirits”, spirits being the devil.

Her language used is hard, cold, evil, cruel, and disgusting, as she desperately wants to rid herself of all her kind, good, motherly and womanly qualities, to carry out her deeds successfully. Lady Macbeth wants the devil to help her have no feelings to get to her heart, so when she has performed the deeds, she will not feel any guilt or remorse or confess under pressure, ruining her plans.

Lady Macbeth’s language sounds like the witches like a prayer or a spell.  She uses words like “unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty; make thick my blood.”  This means take away my femininity so I am neither male nor female and fill me from head to toe with evil, and make my blood thick so I am strong and heartless unlike other weak humans.  “Come to my woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers,” This means that Lady Macbeth wants all her motherly instincts to be taken away from her and instead, her milk can be used for poison for the devil.  “Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry, ‘Hold, hold’.  Lady Macbeth is asking here for dank darkness to come from the smokiest place in hell to make sure that she or anybody else cannot see the murders she will commit, and that she is not responsible but the devil is.  Lady Macbeth does not want heaven and good thoughts to tempt her to stop.

Shakespeare creates a cold, dark atmosphere putting a picture in the head of red and black,  blood and darkness.  The atmosphere is evil, scary, and witchcraft seems to loom near, with the words “Fatal, direst cruelty, blood, remorse, murd’ring ministers, mischief, thick night, smoke, hell, knife, dark, and cry.”

In Act 2 Scene 1 Macbeth is alone and he hallucinates, thinking he is seeing a bloodstained dagger. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?” He sees evil images which means he is getting scared and worried about the murders.  This is shown when he says “And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before.” This means that he is seeing the dagger now with bloodstains on. Shakespeare’s language conveys that Macbeth is making his final preparations towards the murder.  He is now associated with witchcraft, which rules in the night and celebrates evil.  This is shown by him saying “Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate’s off’rings, and withered murder, Alarumed by his sentinel, the wolf.”  This means that he is associating the idea of murder as an offering to Hecate the goddess of witchcraft and hearing the alarmed howl of the wolf guarding her.  He wants to be quiet and secret and prays to the earth that he is not heard and that nothing gives him away.  This shows when he says” Thou sure and firm-set earth, Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear thy very stones prate of my whereabout,” When he hears a bell, he feels it is a funeral bell and is tolling for Duncan, “Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell." ”This rhyming language sounds like a witches chant and creates a spooky atmosphere.  The entire speech shows Macbeth's’ increasing insanity, seeing visions and talking of witchcraft and associating the sound of the bell with a funeral.

In Act 2 Scene 2, after the murder, Macbeth is obsessed by his inability to say “Amen”, and by a voice crying that he has murdered sleep and will never sleep again. Lady Macbeth dismisses his hallucinations and orders him to return the daggers. He refuses. ” But wherefore could not I pronounce “Amen”? I had most need of blessing and “Amen” stuck in my throat.” This means that Macbeth cannot look to God for help anymore because of all his sin inside of him and devil like soul. The atmosphere conveyed to the audience is tense, dramatic and urgent. This is shown in the language used, as there are many short sentences and broken lines. “There’s one did laugh in’s sleep, and one cried, “Murder!”, that they did wake each other; I stood, and heard them, but they did say their prayers and addressed them again to sleep.” Shakespeare is trying to teach the audience that guilt and fear can corrupt and turn people mad. Lady Macbeth is trying to put across the need to control themselves and not give way to panic and madness. Macbeth is now afraid to sleep and feel he will never rest again.

In Act 2 Scene 4 Ross and an Old Man talk about the darkness and unnaturalness of events that mirror Duncan’s murder.  The sun is obscured, owls kill falcons, and Duncan’s horses eat each other.  Macduff arrives. Shakespeare uses symbolic language that describes the natural orde of the food chain destryed; it is also made descriptive and bold showing the unnatural happenings. “That darkness does the face of earth entomb when living light should kiss it? ‘Tis unnatural, even like the deed that’s done. On Tuesday last, a falcon tow’ring in her pride of place was by a mousing owl hawked and killed.” This is saying that darkness has taken the place of light and the food chain has been unnaturally turned around, as a small mousing owl was seen killing a larger falcon. Also, Macbeth represents the mousing owl killing Duncan, the falcon, somebody higher ranking than him and taking his place, so the unnatural events of the disordered food chain mirrors life taking place in the castle. Also Macduff tells that Duncan’s sons bribed the killers and have now fled. “They were suborned. Malcolm and Donalbain, the King’s two sons, are stol’n away ane led, which puts them on suspicion of the deed”. Macbeth has been elected King, and has gone to Scone to be crowned. Macduff will not attend the ceremony. The Old Man blesses peacemakers. “They were suborned. Malcolm and Donalbain, the king’s two sons, are stol’n away and fled, which puts upon them suspicion of the deed.” Shakespeare is teaching the audience that greed will destroy everything in life and that to go against the natural order of things results in disaster.

In Act 3 Scene 4 we are at the banqueting hall in Forres. This is a formal state celebration to mark Macbeth’s kingship. This is a big Supernatural scene that shows to the audience and the Lords and Thanes of Scotland, of how Macbeth is turning insane and showing the sign of the devil within him, because he sees a bloody covered ghost. Macbeth welcomes his guests, but at the sight of the dead Banquo unnerves him and Lady Macbeth tries to cover for him and calm the Lords. Lady Macbeth scolds Macbeth for his display of fear and the ghost of Banquo disappears but later returns. On the return of Banquo’s ghost Macbeth believes he has come to haunt him and bursts into violent language commanding him away. “Avaunt and quit my sight! Let thee earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; thou hast no speculation in those eyes which thou dost glare with.” From this scene that Macbeth creates he has upset the order of the banquet forcing Lady Macbeth to act and order the Lords to leave. This is unnatural behaviour in the ways of kingship as the King is supposed to dismiss his guests not the Queen. Also the Lords are meant to sit in a special order according to their rank and leave in that order but in a hurry to get them out before they see any more of Macbeth’s wild attacks towards an invisible Banquo, to the Lords and the play audience, Lady Macbeth dismisses them without them leaving in their normal stature. The Lords are curious and suspicious towards Macbeth’s strange behaviour and tantrum like fit.”What is’t that moves your highness?”

“Which of you have done this?”

“What, my good Lord?”

“Thou canst not say I did it; never shake thy gory locks at me!”

“Gentlemen, rise, his highness is not well.” This means that Macbeth has reacted to the sight of the ghost whether he has company with him or not. Macbeth believes that one of the Lords know of the murder and have done this to tease him, this makes Macbeth shocked and afraid. These are key lines as his behaviour gives away his guilt and sin to the Lords and public of Scotland. The Lords are confused as their King is speaking to an empty chair and denying some sin he has committed. Macbeth is describing it as bloody and gory, this is unhealthy and shows that he is sick with evil.

Lady Macbeth is a good wife as she supports him, takes control and covers up for him, even though she is very angry with him for not acting like a genuine King in front of his guests. “You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting with most admired disorder.” Lady Macbeth is a strong woman that does not want her husband to give them away and ruin all her plans for success. Lady Macbeth talks to Macbeth away from the guests in strong, reprimanding language. She says he is unmanly and unheroic. “Are you a man?” Macbeth believes this ghost is real and cannot see why nobody else is frightened of it. The ghost is only real in his mind though. “This is the very painting of your fear; this is the air-drawn dagger which you said led you to Duncan.”

I think that Shakespeare wants to show the audience of the sin and guilt that drives you to insanity after committing a crime, by showing all Macbeth’s fit of insanity and scary and alarming behaviour in a large supernatural scene. After that scary image that frightens and unnerves Macbeth he feels that he is ready for any harm or Supernatural elements that may come his way. He also that he could now do any amount of evil to get what he wants. Macbeth makes a conscious decision to seek out the witches and to find the future from there, even if he has to bully them into it. He is that desperate. He is looking for Satan’s servants and choosing the path of evil. “I will tomorrow-and betimes I will-to the weird sisters. More shall they speak. For know I am bent to know by the worst means, the worst; for mine own good, all causes shall give way.” Macbeth is entering very deeply into evil, he has changed and almost lost all of his old, good, honest, true and heroic qualities.

In Act 4 Scene 1 the witches prepare to meet Macbeth. They chant as they circle the cauldron, throwing in horrible ingredients to make a sickening brew. The witches complete the preparation of their hellish brew and are congratulated by Hecate. Macbeth enters and challenges them to answer what he asks, irrespective of the most appalling qualities. The witches show their Apparitions. An armed head warns Macbeth; “beware Macduff”. A bloody Child tells him that no naturally born man can harm him. Macbeth, though reassured, swears to kill Macduff. The third Apparition promises that Macbeth will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth demands to know more about the future. The witches present a procession of eight kings and Banquo. Having presented Banquo’s descendants as kings, the Witches dance, then vanish, to Macbeth’s anger.”Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour, stand aye accursed in the calendar”, this means, where are they? This evil, vile hour can curse them.” Hearing of Macduff’s flight, Macbeth resolves to kill every member of Macduff’s family he can catch.”The castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife; give to th’edge o’th’sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” This is Macbeth’s decision because he has misinterprets the witches thinking he has to kill Macduff and his family, it means; go to Macduff’s castle and kill all his family and relatives. This is an atrocity, a slaughter of the innocents like King Herod slaughtering the first-born.

I think that Shakespeare’s purpose is to show the audience he is being deceived and tricked into a false sense of security by the witches apparitions and words. The witches words are deceiving and make Macbeth believe that he is invisible and unbreakable and safe as all the witches predictions are very unlikely to happen to Macbeth.”The power of man, for none of women born shall harm Macbeth.” Macbeth thinks that everything on their earth is mortal therefore are women born, so that nothing or no one will ever harm him. The three apparitions all tell Macbeth’s future unless he is careful and realises the truth behind their words. Each one warns him or represents something close to him e.g first apparition; Macbeth beware Macduff or he will kill you. Second apparition is a bloody child representing Macduff’s birth whom had a caesarean section telling him that no one of women born will harm him. Third apparition is a child crowned representing Malcolm with a tree representing Birnam Wood as a camouflage. The show of eight kings and many more through a mirror with Banquo shows that Banquo will have many descendants even though he is dead, this worries Macbeth as it shows that his descendants will not carry on his role as King.”Horrible sight! Now I see ‘tis true, for the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me, and points them for his.”

Macbeth’s language in this scene is jumpy, breathless, angry, strong, patronising to the witches and commanding.”That will never be: who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his earthbound root? Sweet bodements, good.” At the end of the scene Macbeth only trusts himself and he decides that Macduff’s family are to be slaughtered along with anyone else in the castle. He does not want his kingship taken away from him.

In Act 5 Scene 5, page 147 Lady Macbeth’s death sets Macbeth brooding on life’s futility. A messenger tells that Birnam Wood is moving towards Dunsinane. Macbeth doubts the Apparition’s ambiguous words. He determines to die fighting. Macbeth has lost confidence as he realises the second meaning of the witch’s predictions. The Wood is moving as the witches said it would and if it is true Macbeth does not want to wait there in his castle, he will fight.” Arm, arm, and out! If this which he avouches does appear, there is nor flying hence nor tarrying here.” Macbeth is so evil and full of sin now that he is starting to rhyme like the witches.

In Act 5 Scene 8 facing Macduff, Macbeth boasts that no naturally born man can kill him, but Macduff reveals his own Caesarean birth. Dismayed, Macbeth refuses to fight. Macduff threatens that he will be exhibited in captivity. Macduff says, stop yourself babbling and let me tell you I had a Caesarean at birth. Macbeth, is shocked by this after his bout of boasting and he curses the witches again for their trickery.” Accursed be that tongue that tells me so.”

In Act 5 Scene 9 Macduff displays Macbeth’s severed head, and hails Malcolm as King of Scotland. Malcolm rewards his nobles for their services, creating them earls. He invites everyone to his coronation at Scone. This final speech is said by Malcolm and it rounds of the play as everything is back to normal now, Scotland returns to peace, justice, and harmony and the rightful King is once again back on the throne. Everybody is happy and others that had fled from Macbeth or been banished by him can return to their homes. Malcolm promises to do everything in the right, orderly, proper and Christian way so that the running of his Kingdom goes smoothly and he becomes a good King. “This and what needful else that calls upon us, by the grace of Grace we will perform in measure, time, and place.” I think that Shakespeare wants the audience to understand that greed and hunger for power always in the end destroy you and you cannot get away with evil and sin and not pay a price.

My personal response is that the Supernatural elements of the play are very effective and help the play a lot to portray evil, sin and wrongdoing. The supernatural helps my understanding of the play as each time a supernatural element comes into the play it shows and symbolises how Macbeth and all around him and involved with him are slowly going being corrupted and going to be destroyed by their guilt and sin.  The supernatural is very useful in this way and is a good, exciting part of the play.  

In the time of Shakespeare and the Elizabethans, I think that the Elizabethan audience would have found Macbeth more tragic, sinful and evil than we do today as our beliefs are different now.  I think that the Elizabethan audience had fixed views on everything and they were not used to change and seemed to dislike anything too new or different.  A lot of images would not be so evil, dark and sinister now as they were then, as in the present we are open to a lot of new technology and changes.

I do not know whether supernatural elements exist or not, but believe that evil ambitions can corrupt people and make them do evil things.

I have not had any supernatural experiences.

Macbeth himself was responsible for his own moral downfall and death and even though Lady Macbeth egged him on, it was his choice in the end.  Macbeth should have been stronger and should not have gone to the witches and allowed himself to be tempted by dreams of ambition.

I have learned from this play that you should never let greed and ambition rule your life and that evil and sin can result in madness.  Shakespeare’s language shows that the Elizabethans liked highly dramatic and over the top plays with horror and murder involved.

Document Details

• Word Count 4984
• Page Count 10
• Subject English

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• alevelenglish
• Dec 29, 2020

AQA Full Mark Macbeth Answer

Starting with this moment in the play, explore how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the supernatural.

In the play, Shakespeare presents the supernatural as to something which inverts and subverts morals through the use of manipulation, and an understanding of the weaknesses of their specific interlockers, and overall as a catalyst for what causes the protagonist’s downfall.

In the extract, the audience is immediately made aware of Banquo’s doubts towards the supernatural, making a remark of how ‘tis strange’. The use of this immediate doubt from Banquo signifys to the audience perhaps his persception for hinesight. This is further amplified by the objectification of the witches as those of ‘instruments’, perhaps a foreshadow of later in the play, where it is clear the witches essentially act as ‘pupeteers’ towards the protagonists. This is further accentuated by using the objectification in relation to ‘darkness’, allowing the audience to understand the underlying evil of the supernatural, alternatively this could be a remark on Shakespeare’s attitude towards the supernatural, or what he is trying to convey throughout the play: the supernatural may tempt those, but ultimately humans are free to resist.

In terms of Macbeth in this extract, in relation to the supernatural being a catalyst for guilt, we are immediately made aware of his eagerness towards the witches’ prophecies, and arguably the naïve reaction. Within the extract we notice a semantic field of contrasting language between the mention of the advantages that come from the supernatural contrasted with the mention of potential consequences as a result. This can be seen through elaborating on the supernatural, mentioning ‘cannot be ill, cannot be good’. This quote ultimately reflects ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’, a paradox used initially in the novel by the witches, establishing the way they subvert morality, whilst also noting on the key theme throughout the novel of appearance versus reality, of which the supernatural play a huge role in. This relation by Macbeth in regards to the prophecies establishes to the reader the inherit traits of the supernatural, how those willing will immedietly begin to revert to their traits, how those willing to be tempted will consumed, of which explains how the supernatural impregnates Macbeth with the traits of ambition, and guilt of which lead directly to his demise.

This notion is accentuated by how Banquo ultimately rejects the prophecies, arguing how there will be ‘deepest consequences’, portraying to the audience how the supernatural can only impregnate those who are consumed by the temptation, not those who reject this.

The quick consumption by tempt seen in Macbeth is further portrayed by questioning ‘against the use of nature’. This is a literal indication of how he will go against nature later in the novel, by murdering Duncan he is commiting a crime so great, against the Diving Right of Kings and ultimately God. The fact Shakespeare foreshadows this, with use of Macbeth questioning the idea portrays to the audience how Macbeth is naïve to what he is capable of, he is naïve to the transition he is about to embark on as a result of the manipulating and tempt inflicted on him by the witches.

In the play as a whole, we immedietly notice Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural, and Banquo’s and Macbeth’s reaction to these, to evoke a reaction from the audience. The play begins with the witches stating “When shall we three meet again”, the structural device of the audience being unaware of what has come prior will quickly interest the audience. Further more, the Jacobean audience was highly superstitious, and had much interest in the concept of witches. It could be argued Shakespeare began his play with the supernatural in attempt to convey his attitudes towards society at the time, his use of supernatural throughout the play acts as a catalyse towards those downfalls, perhaps Shakespeare is trying to warn the audience, or alternatively criticise the notion of those who are ‘inherently evil’ instead suggesting those who are tempted, but we as a race are free to resist the power of evil, perhaps hinting at the Christocentric society.

When the audience first encounter the meeting between Banquo, Macbeth and the witches, Banquo remarks on their appearance, questioning “You are woment, yet your beards forbid me to interpret you so”, we know Shakespeare consistently had the roles of the witches played by elderly males. This highlighted to the audience the power of women, but through how to be powerful, their appearance must hint of those in power, arguably the use of this could be to criticise the society at the time, how if we continue to deprive women of education, and fester within inequality, women will have to revert to the supernatural to exert power on others.

Alternatively, this notion could be undermined by the description of the witches as “the weird sisters, hand in hand”. The use of the witches being descriped as to be ‘hand in hand’ suggests women are reliant on each other, perhaps indicating a misogynistic point of view, as opposed to one for equality of women.

In terms of the supernatural exerting power on others, we can see this explicitly through the protagonist. Macbeth is utterly consumed by the manipulation of the witches, yet his attitude continues to portray a high level of trust. We are aware of the witches sparking the ambition in Macbeth, but what is particularly captivating for the audience is his denial of their wrong-doing. When in panic in the midst of his tyrannous leadership, he reverts to the witches for their apparitions, here exerting one of the crucial examples of appearance vs. reality. The witches state ‘none of women born shall harm Macbeth’, this immedietly lulls Macbeth into a false sense of security, the witches appear to be stating Macbeth is indefeatable, of which is a key attitude he portrays towards the supernatural, as when reverting back for a sense of security, Macbeth states ‘Deny me of this and I will curse light on you’, effectively this makes apparent to the audience how Macbeth believes he has literally inherited the witche’s powers, of which is further portrayed in Lady Macbeth stating “Thick night (could not) peep through the blanket of the dark” after calling on “spirits that tend mortal thoughts”. We can see quite the sheer impact the supernatural has on both of the protagonists in terms of the ‘appearance’ of being secure in their right minds, but in reality, Macbeth’s weakness of consuming ambition and the attitude of being indestructable as a result if the supernatural, and Lady Macbeth impregnated with guilt, leading to both of their mutual demise. (MacDuff born of C-Section).

In co nclusion, it is clear to the audience the supernatural is used in different impacts to different characters, Macbeth being consumed, and Banquo doubtful and therefore not impacted, that the supernatural is their to manipulate, but they don’t physically make one do an action, and we are free to resist.

Mark: 30/30 SPAG:4/4

Examiner Comments:

This is a powerfully conceptualised response. The candidate opens with their thesis and then uses the essay to explore and exemplify their ideas (in relation to the specifics of the task). This candidate clearly has a forensic knowledge of the play and this enables them to select with precision and focus judiciously on the moments that help to support their concept. Some of the contextual knowledge is particularly impressive, rooted as it is in the text itself rather than being extraneous ‘historical’ information. This is a response at the very top of what could feasibly be expected from performance at GCSE, and in fact is worth more marks than the mark scheme is able to award.

It's important to not that examiners are not shy to dish out full marks. There's a feeling that it's unobtainable, but if the examiners feels your response justifies full marks, they will not shy away from awarding so.

Remember that some teachers mark harsher, sometimes by a whole grade or two. It's vital you continue to read examiner reports as well as exemplar resources marked by the exam board as this gives you the best indication of how grade 9 is possible.

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Macbeth and The Supernatural - GCSE essay practice

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

14 February 2023

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A lesson focusing on the theme of the supernatural in Macbeth.

Lesson is engineered around ‘exploding’ quotations that link to the main theme being explored.

Lesson is appropriate for the Shakespeare component of GCSE specifications.

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