Use of Supernatural and Unnatural Elements in Macbeth

William Shakespeare's use of supernatural and unnatural elements in Macbeth aid in portray the growing evil, and consequently, guilt, within the tale's protagonist. Written around 1605 for King James I of England, the tale follows a man who commits regicide to become King of Scotland. Macbeth the man is introduced as a noble, brave character who fought for his country, but well-placed instances of supernatural and unnatural imagery throughout the tale help guide him down a dark, evil path of murder and treachery. The supernatural forces also aid in Shakespeare's presentation of Macbeth's moral dilemma. Here, the man is faced with many very real, daunting decisions, but very unreal, supernatural events occur beforehand to test Macbeth's integrity. And time after time, Macbeth makes the most evil decision he possibly can; it seems as though he is destined to make these fantastic visions come true. If he is not destined to do so, he certainly is determined.

In the very first scene, the supernatural makes its debut in the play with the appearance of the three witches, the harbingers of Macbeth's eternal fate. This scene, flush with thunder and lightning, sets the stage for the story's general mood, one of impending doom and destruction. The three weird sisters, who are quite unnatural if not supernatural, prophesy that Macbeth will first be named Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King of Scotland. They also predict that Macbeth's friend Banquo will beget a line of Scottish kings, but will never be king himself. Macbeth struggles with the witches' prophecy from the beginning. “This supernatural soliciting / Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, / Why hath it given me earnest of success / Commencing in a truth? ... Present fears / Are less than horrible imaginings” (1.3.12). He knows that something about the weird sisters' message is unsettling, and although he feels a pull toward their pronounced visions, announces a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Macbeth knows that the witches are unnatural beings, as he refers to their soliciting directly as “supernatural.” Yet he continues to accept their message as real, natural and entirely plausible. This theme of contradiction and ambivalence, created by Macbeth's inability to distinguish the natural from the unnatural and supernatural, surrounds the entire play.

Macbeth is indeed named Thane of Cawdor, and is first tested just prior to committing his initial act of murder against King Duncan. While outside the king's bedroom, Macbeth envisions a bloody dagger floating in the air. “Is it the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one half-world / Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse / The curtained sleep” (2.1.26). Macbeth is both terrified of and intrigued by the floating dagger. On one hand, he attributes his vision to sleep deprivation, and on the other, to the assumption that it is his destiny to kill the king. He seems very well aware that the bloody act is an immoral one, but finds means to justify himself despite this unnatural warning. He also mentions to Lady Macbeth that a voice cried out to him, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep,” as he killed Duncan (2.2.28). Again, an unnatural message is presented to Macbeth, yet he heeds its warning. This voice could once more be attributed to Macbeth's sleep deprivation, or could be blamed on supernatural influences. Dark and sinister weather makes its appearance once again in this portion of the play, when Lennox describes the night of Duncan's murder as filled with “strange screams of death.” “'Twas a rough night,” Macbeth replies (2.3.33). But while others heard the evening's storm outside, Macbeth's storm raged internally.

The next supernatural occurrence to take place in Macbeth is at Inverness (a picture of supernatural forces at work alone). While hosting many noble guests, Macbeth envisions an apparition of Banquo taking his throne at the dinner table. “This is more strange than such a murder is,” he states while frightening away his confused guests (3.4.53). This vision comes after the fact; Banquo has already been murdered. However, this vision could have deterred Macbeth from continuing his murderous ways. Instead, he stands up to the ghost, banishing it from his home: “Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mock'ry, hence” (3.4.54)! Here, although visibly shaken by the apparition, Macbeth takes control of the situation, of the unreal forces at hand. He lets the evil inside grow just a little wider in order to vanquish his fears. It's this transformation that reduces Macbeth's likeliness to, in the end, remain an honorable character. As with the other supernatural occurrences in the play, Banquo's appearance is likely attributed to either Macbeth's emotional distress or the fact that Banquo's ghost was actually haunting the protagonist. If Banquo were to haunt Macbeth, it would probably be in attempt to influence him from causing further harm to the kingdom and its people.

Instead of taking Banquo's visit to heart, Macbeth chooses to visit the weird sisters once more for guidance. During his visit, the witches show him a series of demons and spirits. First, he sees an armed head which warns him to beware Scotland's loyal Macduff. Second, he sees a bloody child, who tells him that he shall be harmed by no one born of woman. Last, he sees a crowned child holding a tree in his hand, who tells him he'll be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. All of these apparitions, presented by the witches, could be considered omens reflecting Macbeth's dark destiny. The armed head obviously represents his own, cut off by Macduff in their final battle. The bloody child resembles one “untimely ripped” from its mother's womb, like Macduff himself. The crowned child is a reflection of Banquo's children to inherit the throne, and the tree he holds is representative of Birnam Wood, which most definitely will come to Dunsinane in the final act.

In Act Three, Macbeth feared for his moral failures: “I am in blood / stepped in so far that, should I wade no more ... Strange things I have in my head that will to hand, / Which must be acted ere they may be scanned” (3.5.56). But after the murder of Macduff's family, Macbeth seemingly has no morals. After his visit with the witches, Macbeth uses the prophecies to continue to protect his kingship. Once he orders Macduff's wife and children to be murdered, his transformation from moral to evil is complete. No longer is Macbeth presented with supernatural visions; for he has surpassed the ability to feel guilty about his actions. Many of the unnatural elements surrounding Macbeth were just that – a representation of his guilt.

The last scene of supernatural note takes place when Lady Macbeth is seen sleepwalking by a doctor and gentlewoman. She emerges from her bedroom repeatedly rubbing her hands together, as if to wash them. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” she cries, adding, “Who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him” (5.1.82)? Her guilt is obvious, yet she'll not show it during waking hours. This scene portrays Lady Macbeth in a more humane light than the rest of the play. Her inner fears shine through her sleeping conscience, accounting for the only instance where she could be called weaker than her husband. Each time Macbeth commits a heinous act throughout the play, he becomes a little stronger and a little more capable of committing another; Lady Macbeth weakens with each immoral action, perhaps realizing the monster she helped to create. While Macbeth was presented with unnatural images in exchange for performing treacherous deeds, his lady was capable of seeing the reality and weight of the situation. Instead of envisioning the supernatural when evil is done, Lady Macbeth sees the truth behind the evil: “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done 't” (2.2.27). Instead of a supernatural vision, Lady Macbeth sees the victim as a real human being, which only makes her guilt stronger.

Macbeth was but a mortal man given the permission to see what his future might hold. This tale brings up the free will-verses-fate debate, questioning whether Macbeth acted nobly by ensuring that his destiny was met, or whether he acted foolishly by manipulating a natural chain of events predetermined by fate. The introduction of supernatural messages to the mix makes for interesting analysis. If Macbeth truly believed that it was his destiny to become King of Scotland, why was he so insistent on ensuring his kingship? If it was his destiny, he shouldn't have had to pursue the position actively; the honor should have been bestowed upon him naturally. Instead, Macbeth acts unnaturally to secure a future suggested to him by unnatural forces. Because Macbeth chooses this unnatural path, it is expected that his story will end unfavorably. The use of supernatural images along the way help Shakespeare paint a dark and bloody picture reflecting Macbeth's inevitable fate. By the play's end, it is clear that all of Macbeth's attempts to fulfill this suggested destiny were in vain, and that his death is the only way to bring an end to the unnatural forces at hand.


Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York, 1998.