Macbeth Key Theme The Supernatural edexcel 1-Shakespeare

课 Progress

0% Complete

Exam code:1ET0

Supernatural timeline

The key supernatural elements in each act of Macbeth:

Timeline summarising the supernatural theme from each act of Macbeth, featuring quotes, character images, and symbols. — **Macbeth supernatural timeline**

What are the supernatural elements in Macbeth?

The supernatural elements in the play include:

The three witches: Shakespeare creates a supernatural atmosphere through their rituals and prophecies
Unnatural or supernatural events: Shakespeare refers to storms, day darkening to night and animals behaving strangely (such as horses eating each other)
Apparitions: The witches summon a severed head, a bloody child and a crowned child in Act 4, Scene 1
Visions and hallucinations: Shakespeare uses a dagger, Banquo’s ghost and imaginary bloodstains to sustain the supernatural atmosphere and add to the horror throughout the play

The impact of the supernatural on characters

Through his use of ghostly visions and hallucinations, Shakespeare shows his audience the lasting, transformative effect of the supernatural elements on his central protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

These elements contribute to the dramatic tension and the atmosphere of evil and uncertainty in the play, but also symbolise the characters’ guilt, fear and paranoid by representing the psychological effect of their murderous actions.

Supernatural mind map for "Macbeth" exploring Macbeth's visions and Lady Macbeth's hallucinations. — **The supernatural in Macbeth**

Character	Impact
Macbeth	Macbeth experiences two ghostly visions, the dagger and the ghost of Banquo, as well as auditory hallucinations when he comments: “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more, / Macbeth does murder sleep’” (Act 2, Scene 2): Macbeth is initially sceptical but becomes increasingly reliant on supernatural guidance as the witches’ prophecies of power channel his ambition, giving him false confidence The visions reflect his inner conflict, his guilt and his deteriorating mental state and drive his murderous actions
Lady Macbeth	Lady Macbeth also experiences hallucinations (spots of blood on her hands in Act 5, Scene 1): Her hallucinations reflect her fragile mental state and overwhelming sense of guilt The hallucinations remind the audience of the corrupting power of the dark, supernatural forces in the play

Character

Impact

Macbeth

Macbeth experiences two ghostly visions, the dagger and the ghost of Banquo, as well as auditory hallucinations when he comments: “Methought I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more, / Macbeth does murder sleep’” (Act 2, Scene 2):

Macbeth is initially sceptical but becomes increasingly reliant on supernatural guidance as the witches’ prophecies of power channel his ambition, giving him false confidence
The visions reflect his inner conflict, his guilt and his deteriorating mental state and drive his murderous actions

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth also experiences hallucinations (spots of blood on her hands in Act 5, Scene 1):

Her hallucinations reflect her fragile mental state and overwhelming sense of guilt
The hallucinations remind the audience of the corrupting power of the dark, supernatural forces in the play

Why does Shakespeare use the theme of the supernatural in his play?

1. Setting and atmosphere

Creates the superstitious, medieval Scottish setting
Establishes an ominous, foreboding atmosphere

2. Plot driver

Influences Macbeth’s actions through prophecies and visions
Propels the narrative from the opening scene to the final act

3. Audience appeal

Reflects the Jacobean audience’s fear and fascination with witchcraft
Aligns with his patron King James I’s interest in the supernatural (author of Daemonologie)

4. Dramatic device

Shakespeare starts and ends the play with supernatural elements (opens with “weird sisters” and closes with the fulfilment of the witches’ prophecies)
Adds dramatic tension and spectacle

Exam-style questions on the theme of the supernatural

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of the supernatural theme:

Explore how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the supernatural elements in the play. (You could start with Act 1, Scene 3.)
How does Shakespeare present the supernatural elements as changing the character of Macbeth? (You could start with Act 2, Scene 1.)

Sources

Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor (eds), 2005, The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Second Edition), Oxford University Press

English Literature GCSE EDEXCEL