The Power of Nature and the Supernatural Powers in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Significance of Supernaturalism in Shakespeare’s Hamlet & Macbeth
2022
Supernaturalism is a belief in the supernatural, esp. a belief that some supernatural, or divine, force controls nature and the universe. Mainly, this paper analyzes the role of supernaturalism in Shakespeare’s plays from several aspects. The supernatural elements are usually marked by appearances of apparition, witches, fairies, etc., and the elements can determine the fate of the main characters. This article tries to explain how Shakespeare puts supernatural elements in his plays. So, it discovers supernatural elements in his two great plays and introduces how supernatural elements are represented on stage in the old Elizabeth era.
Introduction: Shakespeare and the supernatural
2020
Supernatural elements constitute a signifi cant dimension of Shakespeare ' s plays: ghosts haunt political spaces and internal psyches; witches foresee the future and disturb the present; fairies meddle with love; natural portents and dreams foreshadow events; and a magus conjures a tempest from the elements. Th ese aspects contribute to the dramatic power and intrigue of the plays, whether they are treated in performance with irony, comedic eff ect or unsettling gravity. Although Shakespeare ' s plays were written and performed for early modern audiences, for whom the supernatural, whether sacred, demonic or folkloric, was still part of the fabric of everyday life, these supernatural elements continue to enthral us, and maintain their power to raise a range of questions in more contemporary contexts. Supernatural elements implicitly question the border between the human and the non-human, and between the visible and the unseen. Th ey also raise questions of control and agency that intersect with the exercise of power, a central focus across Shakespeare ' s oeuvre. Shakespeare drew on the supernatural in all of his dramatic genres and throughout his career, from the early histories (such as Richard III and Henry VI, Part II) to the late romances (such as Th e Winter's Tale, Cymbeline and Th e Tempest), in tragedies (Julius Caesar, Hamlet and Macbeth) and in comedy (A Midsummer Night's Dream), suggesting the importance of the supernatural in his approach to drama. Exploration of this dimension resonates with many of the central themes of the plays, raising theological, political and moral questions. His work invites critical analysis of how supernatural fi gures, elements and forces are constructed in the plays, raising various options for performance, and what assumptions and ambiguities arise from these representations. Th e chapters of this volume respond to this invitation in a range of ways, taking into account early modern and contemporary perspectives. Th e fi rst challenge in approaching the theme of the supernatural is that of defi nition. 1 Th e etymology of the term suggests something 'that transcends nature' , according to the current defi nition in the Oxford English Dictionary 'supernatural' even when they were understood by contemporaries as natural events, albeit sources of wonder, thus extending the term 'supernatural' to the preternatural. 7 Phenomena that were unexplained could be investigated in a proto-scientifi c way; supernatural or preternatural subject matter did not preclude seemingly methodical investigations and ordered arguments. As Keith Th omas observes, 'God ' s sovereignty was thought to be exercised through regular channels, and Perceptions of the status of magic in the medieval and early modern period diff ered widely. Th e Church had historically condemned the practice of magic; in De Doctrina Christiana (c. 426), Augustine unequivocally repudiated soothsayers and wizards who claimed they could invoke ghosts and spirits, associating them with demons: So all the specialists in this kind of futile and harmful superstition, and the contracts, as it were, of an untrustworthy and treacherous partnership established by this disastrous alliance of men and devils, must be totally rejected and avoided
'Gainst Nature Still: Reading Macbeth's Murder of Duncan
Macbeth is one of the most complex villains in literature as he seems to be aware of the gravity and consequences of his actions but, at the same time, blind to his chosen path of self-destruction. On one hand, he acknowledges a kind of fate or poetic justice, in which 'bloody instructions return to plague th'inventor'; yet, on the other hand, this does not impede his course -rather it makes him more 'bloody, bold, and resolute'. Despite Macbeth's will to succeed the metaphysical mechanism of fate proves to be stronger as the philosopher G.W.F. Hegel points out: Macbeth 'stepped out of nature itself, clung to alien Beings, and so in their service had to trample and slay everything holy in human nature, had at last to be forsaken by his gods (since these were objects and he their slave) and be dashed to pieces on his faith itself.' For Hegel, this mechanism stems from Macbeth's hostility to life, which also puts him at odds with nature. Already the murder of Duncan is characterized as unnatural and being against nature in II.iv. The perceived unnaturalness of Macbeth's villainy mediates the horror and suffering that is causes. Moreover, his villainy is unnatural because his hostility to life is also hostility towards himself -therefore it is a path of self-destruction. In my chapter, based on a reading of Hegel, I aim to problematise and critique the current understanding of nature (and culture) with this reading of Macbeth and draw attention to the mediatedness of the concept of nature. The chapter's focus will be on elucidating the ethical and social dimension of Macbeth's hostility to life and the implications it has on the concept of villainy.
Shakespeare's Macbeth has been written to show the evil nature of human being. How a person with good nature suddenly can turn into a wicked one, and that is usually happens because of extreme greed for power and higher position in his milieu. In this play, Shakespeare has exhibited the ambitious mind of Macbeth and lady Macbeth which has been forced them to commit the most vicious deeds towards the king Duncan. Shakespeare in this play didn't only portray the vicious nature of a man who got success in his villainous intentions but also showed that the natural order of things can regain its original shape. In this way my paper will eventually elucidate about Shakespeare's notion of depicting the transformation of a good person into a wicked one. Macbeth and lady Macbeth were two significant characters in this play who has been played the role of evil minded souls.
IIB International Refereed Academic Social Sciences Journal, 2013
Although their existence cannot be proved, supernatural elements, superstitions, prophecies and some outstanding images have always grabbed the attention of people. In history, there were different times when people believed in these elements strongly and shaped their life when they witnessed any of them. The aim of this paper is to focus on the use of these elements in literature in drama. Shakespeare is one of the playwrights that used these elements in most of his plays. Three of his plays entitled Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Hamlet and are chosen to reveal how these elements are interpreted differently by the main characters in these plays in particular. Prior to the discussion concerning these images, supernatural elements, superstitions and omens, what might be done is to have a look at the Elizabethans’ conception of these elements and images with beliefs in superstitions and prophecies.
Behala College, 2023
who were a continual source of inspiration. They pushed me to think imaginatively and urged me to do this project work without hesitation. Their vast knowledge of English literature enabled me to accomplish this project. This endeavour would not have been possible without their help and supervision. I'd like to thank The University of Calcutta for allowing me to work on the paper about the supernatural elements in Macbeth entitled: "Double, Double Toil and Trouble; Fire Burn, and Cauldron Bubble": Exploring the Supernatural in Macbeth. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my family, siblings, and friends for their invaluable assistance, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to the successful completion of this project.
The Impact of the Evil Character of Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare ` s Play Macbeth
2019
This study examines the role of women in Shakespeare's Macbeth in Elizabethan era. It also highlights the behavior of evil represented by this character. In order to achieve this objective, this study raised two questions: the first seeks to know why the author depicts women in Elizabethan era as submissive one, the second attempts to see how Shakespeare the power and the influence of Lady Macbeth in her husband in the play Macbeth. As an attempt to answer the previous questions, this study formulates two hypotheses. The first links between powerless and obedience of women to the patriarchal rules in their society. The second relates between the power and the influence of Lady Macbeth in this play. To conduct this research, we have adopted the descriptive analytical method.. The results of the study revealed that the evil displays an important role in the tragic play Macbeth through the female character of Lady Macbeth.
In the human quest for understanding and survival, magic may be regarded as a complement to science. It can be said to stem from human's imagination, observation and contemplation, and provides immediate solutions, requiring few resources. Since the belief in magic is very old and has held a great power over the minds, imagination and decisions since early generations, some experts of this occult discipline regard the supernatural as a surviving form of magic.
The Aetiology and the Pyschogenesis of Tyrannical Behaviour in Macbeth
East-West Cultural Passage, 2020
This article explores the aetiology and the psychogenesis of Macbeth's tyrannical ambitions and the growth of his psychic degradation. Macbeth deigns to be an incorrigible regicide, but his ambition is ultimately overpowered by his conscience. This aporetic conflict is ultimately fatal to his morality and sense of Self. Character analysis informed by psychoanalytic criticism will investigate the protagonist's tormented psyche in its struggle between the ego-syntonic (Persona) and the ego-dystonic (Shadow) leading to neurosis that culminates in psychosis as Macbeth's identity fractures throughout the play. The ontological issue of the Witches is explored in an attempt to explain the role the metamorphic environment plays in Macbeth's psychic atrophy. For this reason, the Witches present us with the conundrum of their being both phenomenal and noumenal. Macbeth's difficulty to distinguish between the real and the phantasmagoric results in a psychotic breakdown. Accordingly, he becomes a mad tyrant seeking to protect his unlawful reign.
Macbeth\u27s Political Imagination: The Struggle for Kingship in Macbeth
2021
Ambition and regicide are two types of evil examined very closely in William Shakespeare\u27s play Macbeth. Hence, ambition is seen in the play as a sin, an attempt to jump the natural order and make a new one, a desire so intense it can lead a person into the hands of evil. Regicide, according to medieval European conventions, is to kill God\u27s anointed king, and so likewise to disrupt the natural and divine order. Macbeth\u27s illegal and immoral kingship brings death, destruction, and suffering to Scotland, whilst the good kingship of Duncan and Malcolm brings victory and happiness; the contrast is deliberate. This study offers a critical analysis of the complicated issue of kingship in Shakespeare\u27s Macbeth. It tries to analyze the brutal nature of the struggle for monarchy as portrayed in this tragedy. Macbeth\u27s regicide is discussed from its different angles, taking into consideration the main critical views produced on this issue. The method used throughout the work c...