Supernatural Flashcards
Analyse quote “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth “ (act 4 scene 1)
Use of equivocation, as it seems to offer Macbeth absolute security, reinforcing his growing overconfidence. However, Shakespeare uses dramatic irony and ambiguity to ensure that the prophecy is ultimately deceptive, as Macduff—who was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”—defies its apparent meaning. This moment exemplifies how the supernatural manipulates Macbeth, leading him to his tragic downfall. This plays into the Jacobean audience’s fear of witchcraft and supernatural manipulation, as people in Shakespeare’s time believed witches had the power to trick and mislead through half-truths. The witches never lie outright but instead craft statements that seem reassuring while hiding their true consequences—this is a direct reflection of the theme of fate versus free will. The line also showcases Macbeth’s psychological deterioration. By this point in the play, he has become completely dependent on the witches’ words, using them as a justification for his tyranny.
Analyse quote “fair is foul and foul is fair “
-this line is a paradox where the witches present a world where opposites are blurred, and moral certainties are undermined. The statement confounds traditional ideas of good and evil, suggesting that what is perceived as “fair” (good) may actually be “foul” (evil), and vice versa. This paradox is reflective of the moral confusion that characterizes the entire play, as characters like Macbeth struggle to navigate a world where appearances are deceiving, and the boundary between right and wrong is unclear. Thus, the witches’ paradox serves as a warning about the dangers of moral ambiguity and the ease with which a person can be led astray
-The witches, with their foreboding tone, seem to be expressing an ominous view of the world in which the natural order has been corrupted. The repetition also creates a chant-like rhythm, which imbues the statement with an incantatory quality, reinforcing the witches’ supernatural power and their ability to manipulate perception and reality.
-In Jacobean England, witchcraft was seen as a serious threat, and witches were believed to have the ability to manipulate and control events through dark powers. Shakespeare uses the witches to blur the lines between the natural and supernatural worlds, illustrating how Macbeth’s fate is entwined with forces beyond his control.
-The paradoxical phrase also reflects the witches’ intentions to mislead and confuse. They speak in riddles and contradictions, deliberately creating a sense of moral uncertainty. Their cryptic language serves to foreshadow the confusion and corruption that will soon engulf Macbeth and the other characters.
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Analyse quote “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?”
-The dagger also symbolizes the moral darkness that Macbeth is about to enter. It is an instrument of death, and its appearance signifies that Macbeth’s path is leading him toward destruction and irreversible wrongdoing. In this sense, the dagger represents the temptation of power that Macbeth cannot resist, as well as the psychological unraveling he undergoes as he contemplates the murder
-This vision can be interpreted as a manifestation of his guilty conscience or as a supernatural influence, a common theme in Macbeth, where the boundary between reality and the supernatural is often blurred.
-The witches, whose prophecies incite Macbeth’s ambitions, are the first supernatural forces to intervene in the play, but this vision of the dagger suggests that there are other supernatural forces at play, perhaps dark, malevolent forces that are guiding Macbeth toward his tragic fate.
-the supernatural elements in Macbeth would have resonated strongly with Shakespeare’s audience. The dark forces Macbeth contemplates are not just part of his internal conflict but also represent the cosmic and divine order being disrupted by his actions. The witches, as agents of chaos and temptation, manipulate Macbeth’s decisions, but Macbeth’s own desires and guilt also contribute to the supernatural events he experiences, such as the dagger.
-The vision of the dagger also illustrates the escalation of Macbeth’s ambition. Earlier in the play, he hesitates and vacillates about the idea of murdering Duncan, but as the play progresses, his internal conflict diminishes, and his desire for power becomes more dominant.
