Macbeth: Superstitions :: Free Macbeth Essays

Macbeth Superstitions          The tragedy of Macbeth was written by Shakespeare in 1606 and producedin 1610. Macbeth is the most concentrated of Shakespeares tragedies. The actiongushes forward with great stronghold from the beginning to end. The main charactersin the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who are rattling noble, but their satanicambition ultimately causes their downfall and death. The play focuses virtuallyevil, greed and the supernatural. The play was written by Shakespeare for theking at that time, since he was a big believer of witches and the supernatural.Supernatural is classified as the unnatural or the explainable mysteries of ouruniverse. In Shakespeares time many pile would relate many of the unusualhappening against the supernatural, since this was the most simplistic of ananswer to give. Elizabethans have several beliefs in superstitions. Some ofthese superstitions include that they believe in witches, ghosts, destin y, andthe foretelling of the future. This essay will investigate superstitions and howthey are used in the play Macbeth.         Witches were believed by many people in Shakespeares day. Thesupernatural was believed by everyone from the educated to the non-educated.When something was not explainable they would relate that problem to thesupernatural, even though today that same problem was explainable in scientificterms.         The witches in this play are named by Shakespeare as the weird Sisters.These witches had all the features of witches in those days old people, dirtybroken clothe and watch together in groups of three. These witches have manyanimals but in this play - a cat, and a toad are used - who are actually evilspirits who have taken this form. In Macbeth we here about the owl quite oftenwhich has to relate to the witches. The owl gives a sense of scariness whichmakes the paly thrilling to read. It keeps th e proofreader hooked to the play and thesuspense increases with every scary sound. Macbeth had many darkmares, whichwere caused by the witches, even so hallucinations, such as the air-drawndagger. that Macbeth seen before he went to kill Duncan.         The very - word nightmare, often called in Shakespeares time theriding of the witch, which refers to a witch riding wildly through the night onhorseback, visiting swelled dreams on her victims.         Supernatural is the unusual, unseen, and the unknown. The supernaturaloccurs in many parts of the play. The supernatural occurs in the appearances ofthe witches, in the strange behaviour in nature on  the night of Duncans murder,in the appearance of Banquos ghost, in the apparitions with their prophecies,