Supernatural Aspects of the Characters and Settings in Macbeth Essays

Supernatural Aspects of the Characters and Settings in Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  The supernatural has always intrigued mankind. People gather around to hear ghost stories and see enchanted medallions. Shakespeare realized people's fascination with the supernatural and used it in many of his tragedies. Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare's tragedies about a man, Macbeth, who wishes to become king of Scotland after being told, by three witches, that his destiny is to rule Scotland. Macbeth's ambition overtakes him so much that he goes on a killing spree. Macbeth ends up killing the king, Duncan; his friend, Banquo; and rival, Macduff; in his pursuit of procuring the crown and keeping it. In the end, richesousness does triumph over evil, but not without interactions between the characters and the supernatural. Most of the characters are somehow connected to the supernatural, either by choice or by fate. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses an underlying motif of the supernatural to control the characters and add a new dimension to the play.    The motif of light versus dark is the most prominent theme throughout Macbeth. The opening scene is dark and desolate with "Thunder and lightning" and "An open place" in the stage directions. The thunder and lightning conveys a sense of darkness with an approaching storm. The "open place" shows that the witches prefer to meet in a place free from society where no one can eaves drop on them. The light of day before Macbeth's final battle is the major factor that predicts its outcome (Watson 144). Siward states, "The day almost itself professes yours, / And little is to do" (V. vii. 27-28). Because the battle is fought on a fair day, Macduff's powers are strengthened by the light, and Macbeth's pow... ...tson, Robert. "Thriftless Ambition: Foolish Wishes, and the Tragedy of Macbeth." Modern Critical Interpretations: Macbeth. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York. Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 133-168.    Supernatural Aspects of the Characters and Settings in Macbeth Thesis: In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses an underlying motif of the supernatural to control the characters and add a new dimension to the play. I. Light vs. Dark A. Scenes 1. Opening 2. Closing B. Lady Macbeth 1. Starts as dark 2. Ends as light II. Sleeplessness A. Sleeplessness is sign of doom 1. Macbeth 2. The sailor B. Witches control sleep 1. The sailor 2. Lady Macbeth III. Heaven vs. Hell A. Inverness is hell 1. Devil 2. Duncan's murder B. Duncan and Macduff are related to heaven 1. God's servant 2. No faults