the supernatural in macbeth Flashcards
LM: “come you [1] that tend on [2] thoughts and fill me from the [3] to the [4] topfull of the most [5] cruelty” (1.5)
[1] - spirits
[2] - mortal
[3] - toe
[4] - crown
[5] - direst
BANQUO: “you should be [1], yet your [2] forbid me to [3].” (1.3)
[1] - women
[2] - beards
[3] - interpret
(the witches’ gender is ambiguous; associates the conflicting presence of masculinity and femininity simultaneously with a parallel distortion of natural harmony and the eerie consequences of supernatural interference.)
how is the witches’ power shown?
1.3 - “so foul and fair a day i have not seen”
- paradoxical language that mirrors the witches’ choral speech
banquo describes macbeth as being “rapt withal” once his premonitions are seemingly dismissed by him.
3.4: “never shake thy gory locks at me!”
macbeth sees banquo’s ghost to show that the supernatural works in mysterious ways; sets clear warning for jacobean audiences to not meddle in withcraft!!
- LM immediately says “this is the air-drawn dagger…”
what/who does the porter imagine in 2.3?
he imagines he is at the gates of hell - and that he sees an equiocator enter (acting as proleptic irony due to the witches AND macbeth when it comes to his reason for killing the sleeping grooms)
MACBETH: “deny me this and have an eternal curse fall upon you” (4.1)
macbeth is desperate to hear the witches’ prophecies - he himself is clearly reliant on the supernatural (as he threatens his retribution if they do not follow his command)
the witches’ first appearance (+ why it’s so important)
the short opening scene gives an immediate impression of mystery, horror and uncertainty. in the jacobean era, women would be burnt at the stake for selling themselves to the devil like this.
the first line they say together is “fair is foul and foul is fair” (paradoxical chiasmus) - language that macbeth repeats showing that the supernatural is a force rather than a person; once you’ve entered you can’t escape it like you can a person.
DOCTOR: “unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles” (5.1)
this comment is made after he observes lady macbeth’s sonnombulism and listens to her gentlewoman’s recounts. he describes her conditon as ‘a great perturbation in nature’ - futher documenting the physical affect of the supernatural.
why is the supernatural so key?
- play was written 1603-1606 during the reign of james i
- echos his fascination with the supernatural
- james i wrote a book called daemonologie (1597)
- 1607 = witchcraft became a capital offence
- jacobeans believed that the devil was a very real threat who spent his time trapping the innocent into his power - witches were servants of the devil (BANQUO: “what, can the devil speak true?” - 1.3)
- blamed witches for the death of his mum (mary queen of scots)
- believed witches had made attempts on his own life
- shakespeare’s royal patronage
devil + witches connection:
the witches speak in equivocal language (so they never really lie), just like how the devil doesn’t lie but LEADS us to temptation.
BANQUO: “neither beg nor [1] your [2] nor your hate.” (1.3)
[1] - fear
[2] - favours
he is presented as indifferent to the prophecies and perceives them with scepticism. he takes the witches by what they physically appear to be - ragged old women.
banquo’s (macbeth’s literary foil’s) resistance to evil/supernatural:
the thane of lochabur turns to God, unlike macbeth. he is aware they are meddling with the supernatural if they choose to succumb (“what, can the devil speak true”).
he sees them as a route of temptation to sin.
MACBETH: “come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day.” (1.3)
macbeth speaks in rhyming couplets like the witches; subconsciously under their control. he is like a puppet.
they are catalysts for his sinful decisions.
how do the witches greet macbeth? (1.3)
they call him the ‘thane of glamis’ (his current title) and then prophecise that he will become ‘thane of cawdor’ and eventually ‘king of scotland’
BANQUO: “i [1] last night of the three [2] -sisters. to you they have shown some [3].” (2.1)
[1] - dreamt
[2] - weird
[3] - truth
banquo is natural and shown to be like most others; he thinks about the prophecies but knows not to interact with them.
this shows the jacobean audience that even if you do make a poor decision, if you turn to what is right quickly enough you can overcome it. SHAKESPEARE DOES THIS TO SHOW GOD IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SUPERNATURAL!!
