Supernatural - Macbeth Flashcards
Who represents the supernatural in the play?
The witches
Who is influenced by the supernatural?
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
What themes link to the supernatural?
Violence
Deception
Internal conflict
Ambition
Guilt
Who remains steadfast against the prophecies?
Banquo
Where do supernatural characters and omens occur?
‘Upon the heath’ - a open bit of ground
at the kings castle
When do supernatural events take place?
Right from the beginning in the first scene
Throughout most of the play
Not present at the end when natural order is restored
Why are the witches, hallucinations, ghosts and apparitions important in the play?
Symbolise fate, guilt and internal conflict
Influence Macbeths decisions
Catalyst for violence in the play
Beginning: witches appear on the heath
stage direction [thunder and lightning]
- pathetic fallacy
- ill omen
- acts as a warning
speaking in riddles, rhymes and opposites
- language of spells
‘There to meet with Macbeth’
- single out Macbeth as they know his weakness
Beginning: prophecies
2 truths ‘Thane of Glamis’ ‘Thane of Cawdor’
I temptation (lie) ‘king hereafter’
- spark Macbeth’s ambition
- begins his decent into moral chaos
Beginning: Dagger
‘A dagger of the mind, a false creation’
- caused by his troubled conscience, however driven by his ambition
- internal conflict, decent into madness
- moral and psychological collapse
- loss of control of his own thoughts or actions
- pivotal moment, irreversible commitment to a violent path
Middle: Banquo’s ghost
- Only Macbeth sees the ghost ‘The tables full’ - due to his guilt and fear
- after Macbeth directly addresses Banquo’s ghost he disappears
–> ‘If thoust can nod, speak too’
–> [Exit ghost] - toying with Macbeth - constant coming and going increases his paranoia and instability in front of his Thanes
- begins Macbeth’s isolation between his Thanes and his wife
End: apparitions
advance Macbeth’s fate and ambition
- ‘Beware Macduff’ causes Macbeth to take further violent actions and kills Macduff’s family
–> escalates conflict
–> seals his fate
- ‘No man of woman born shall harm Macbeth’
–> feeds into his hubris
–> conceals that Macduff will defeat Macbeth - false sense of security
- ‘Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill’ ‘That will never be’
–> takes it literally
–> increases Macbeth’s vulnerability
Other supernatural omens
Ill omens - thunder
Bestial imagery - scorpions, owls
Darkness
Harsh sounds
Imagery
Conclusion: How does the supernatural link to other themes in the play? How does the supernatural structure the whole play?
Deception - loss of power
Audience response - can see the working of the supernatural but cannot blame the supernatural as it is ultimately the characters choice
‘Fair is..
..foul and foul is fair’
Analysis on ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair’
- The phrase is a paradox, seems contradictory but contains a deeper truth. It directly challenges the audience’s assumptions about what is good and evil
- The witches’ words highlight the play’s exploration of how things may not be what they seem
- foreshadows the tragic events that unfold in the play
‘Thou shalt get kings,..
..though thou be none’
Analysis on ‘thou shalt get kings though thou shall be done’
- directly foreshadows the future, indicating that Banquo’s descendants will rule as kings
- contrasting prophecies for Banquo and Macbeth emphasize the different fates and moral compasses
- Macbeth’s fear of Banquo and his lineage, particularly his son Fleance, is a key driving force in the play
‘There to meet..
..Macbeth’
Analysis on ‘there to meet Macbeth’
- The witches’ words in Act 1, Scene 1, are cryptic and unsettling, immediately establishing a sense of the supernatural and the ominous
- meeting point, “the heath” (plain), is a desolate and unkempt place, further reinforcing the unsettling atmosphere and the witches’ sinister nature
‘You should be woman, and yet your..
..beards forbid me to interpret that you are so’
Analysis on ‘You should be woman, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so’
Their unconventional (not normal), even ugly appearance is perhaps to remind the audience of how unattractive witchcraft was
‘Why do you dress..
..me in borrowed robes’
Analysis on ‘Why do you dress me in borrowed robes’
- expresses Macbeth’s discomfort and questioning of his sudden elevation to the title of Thane of Cawdor
- “borrowed robes” suggests that the new title and power are not his own, and that it doesn’t quite fit him. He’s uncomfortable with the new identity and responsibilities.
- highlights Macbeth’s initial internal conflict and foreshadows his later descent into tyranny and his struggle with the burden of power
