Term Papers on Macbeth: Superstitions

Term Paper Title	Macbeth: Superstitions
# of Words	1015
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.06

Macbeth: Superstitions

     The tragedy of Macbeth was written by Shakespeare in 1606 and produced
in 1610. Macbeth is the most concentrated of Shakespeare's tragedies. The action
gushes forward with great speed from the beginning to end. The main characters
in the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who are very noble, but their evil
ambition ultimately causes their downfall and death. The play focuses around
evil, greed and the supernatural. The play was written by Shakespeare for the
king at that time, since he was a big believer of witches and the supernatural.
Supernatural is classified as the unnatural or the explainable mysteries of our
universe. In Shakespeare's time many people would relate many of the unusual
happening against the supernatural, since this was the most simplistic of an
answer to give. Elizabethan's have several beliefs in superstitions. Some of
these superstitions include that they believe in witches, ghosts, destiny, and
the foretelling of the future. This essay will investigate superstitions and how
they are used in the play Macbeth.
     Witches were believed by many people in Shakespeare's day. The
supernatural was believed by everyone from the educated to the non-educated.
When something was not explainable they would relate that problem to the
supernatural, even though today that same problem was explainable in scientific
terms.
     The witches in this play are named by Shakespeare as the "weird Sisters".
These witches had all the features of witches in those days; old people, dirty
broken clothe and come together in groups of three. These witches have many
animal's but in this play - a cat, and a toad are used - who are actually evil
spirits who have taken this form. In Macbeth we here about the owl quite often
which has to relate to the witches. The owl gives a sense of scariness which
makes the paly thrilling to read. It keeps the reader hooked to the play and the
suspense increases with every scary sound. Macbeth had many nightmares, which
were caused by the witches, even so hallucinations, such as the "air-drawn
dagger." that Macbeth seen before he went to kill Duncan.
     The very - word "nightmare," often called in Shakespeare's time "the
riding of the witch", which refers to a witch riding wildly through the night on
horseback, visiting bad dreams on her victims.
     Supernatural is the unusual, unseen, and the unknown. The supernatural
occurs in many parts of the play. The supernatural occurs in the appearances of
the witches, in the strange behaviour in nature on  the night of Duncan's murder,
in the appearance of Banquo's ghost, in the apparitions with their prophecies,
and in the "air-drawn" dagger that guides Macbeth toward's his victim.
     The apparitions in Act four scene one have special meaning. Their three
prophecies parallel the three of the first of the play. The first apparition,
the helmeted head, represents Macbeth himself and echoes the fears of his mind
concerning Macduff. The second, the bloody child, represent Macduff - no man
born of women would eve conquer him. Macduff's birth was unnatural. The third
apparition, a crowned child bearing a tree, represents Malcolm. The apparition
told Macbeth that he would never be harmed until Birnam Wood co...

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