William Shakespeare’s Macbeth:
The Supernatural Theme
By: David
Dachoh
June 4, 2007
The term
supernatural is unexplainable by nature, relating to the outside world,
involving an exercise of divine power; miracles. In William Shakespeare’s
play Macbeth supernaturalism is an important theme. Banquo’s ghost, the apparitions, and the witches all are
part of the supernatural theme.
Banquo’s ghost represents a supernatural affect on Macbeth. Macbeth gets very
emotional, and very strained. “Approach thou like a rugged Russian bear, the arm’d rhinoceros or th’Hyrcan
tiger, take any shape but that, and my firm nerves shall never tremble
(Macbeth, III.iv.99-103). Macbeth was so scared of
the ghost; he was willing to fight anything for that it is in a physical form. Banquo’s ghost led Macbeth to
look back to all the lives he had taken and of most importance the denial of
being a ruthless king.
The ghost
appears twice in Macbeth: once by the banquet, and
once by the procession of the future kings shown by the witches. Eight kings
come forth, one with a glass in his hand; and Banquo’s
ghost following.
In both cases the ghost is silent. In 4.1 Macbeth
observes that it ‘points at them [the kings] for his’(4.1.124);
this confirms the Witches’ prediction that Banquo’s
descendants will be kings. On both occasions the ghost appears when Macbeth
names Banquo…Moreover in 3.4, the Ghost is seen only
by Macbeth, which further points up his disturbed state of mind in the
aftermath of his crimes. (Shakespeare, 214-215)
