Hi I wrote an essay on Macbeth and I was wondering if I could receive a mark/ grade and some feedback. Thank you so much!
In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo to the supernatural to be dualistic demonstrated through the juxtaposition of presenting God as a supernatural being but also presenting the witches who fuel chaos and the regicide. Shakespeare chooses to present the supernatural in this way as King James was highly interested in the supernatural hence his book Demonology. Additionally, it helps present this play as a cautionary tale for the audience and the king about regicide as the audience is warned to not follow any other sources but God as this is why Macbeth committed multiple murders and the King is warned not to persecute Catholics and be a merciful king which needed to be highlighted after the Gunpowder Plot.
Firstly, Shakespeare presents Macbeth to be fearful of the supernatural because he defies the Great Chain of Being by subverting God. This is exemplified through “Let not light see my black and deep desires”. The multifaceted imperative “Let” shows his desperation to save God from his sin as he doesn’t deserve to be saved, emphasising the power of the evil supernatural as the witches paradoxical phrase “Fair is foul and foul is fair” has consumed Macbeth’s sanity and catalysed his transgression from a brave soldier to a heinous criminal, heightening tension in the audience as in the Jacobean Era, they were highly superstitious of evil as it went against the primary teaching of Christianity which is good. However, the word “Let” shows elements of his hubris as despite him being in a vulnerable state before he commits regicide, he disrespects God when praying which foreshadows more of the crime, he commits exemplified through the imperatives demanding tone. Therefore, Macbeth plays a façade of bravery to hide his fear as he does not want God –“light” to see his desire to kill as he has a fear of judgement as he knows the only consequence is hell for him. This is highlighted through the juxtaposing light and dark imagery which symbolises the inner conflict he faces in putting trust in God or in the witches.
In Act 1 Scene 3, Shakespeare presents Banquo to be hesitant of the supernatural elements of the witches because he conforms Christian Jacobean traditions and has knowledge of God being the Almighty, all powerful being shown when he asks, “Can the devil speak true?”. The rhetorical question exemplifies his initial shock when hearing witches have prophesied his sons will be King when his blood is not royal, highlighting his humbleness as he could never imagine himself, despite his goodness, to rule over his country presenting Banquo as the foil of Macbeth as he has to fight for the title. The fictional construct of Banquo is presented in this way to demonstrate how Macbeth could have lived his life: in the same loyalty he did at the start of the play so arguably, the supernatural is a symbol of everything that Macbeth could never have. The supernatural also acts as agents of chaos hence the association with the devil as it only brought turmoil and chaos to Macbeth’s life. Perhaps his hesitance of the supernatural is catalysed by patriarchal ideologies as in King James I’s book Demonology it refers to some women as witches because they didn’t fit the image of a Jacobean women as they were seen as ugly which is why Banquo says the witches have “beards”.
This is in contrast to Macbeth who takes curiosity in association with the supernatural because he is “brave Macbeth”- he is not afraid to push the limits and reach what he is looking for hence his fatal flaw-ambition. This is presented through “Cannot be ill, cannot be good”. The repetition of “cannot” symbolises the inner conflict he faces with religion versus sin as the reason the prophecies aren’t good is because it contradicts the nature of God as he is supposed to be the only omniscient figure in the world, foreshadowing how Macbeth is willing to go against his own God for his own happiness,emphasised by the juxtaposition between “ill” and “good” which is a recurring motif seen through the play.
Later on in the play, Macbeth seems to be overwhelmed by the supernatural as he puts all his trust into the witches to fulfil his dreams of being king which s demonstrated when he repeats the witches chants, ”So foul and fair a day” By mimicking the parallelism and paradoxical phrases of the witches exemplifies how Shakespeare uses the contemporary society perspective off women to portray how women have duplicitous nature and despite their fair looks, they are truly scheming and manipulative playing upon biblical beliefs where Eve tempted Adam to eat the apple from the tree which is perhaps why Macbeth allows the power dynamic between himself and Lady Macbeth. This is highlighted through the fricative sound which resembles the power which is held in the witches' chants implying how the witches dialogue may foreshadow the reversed natural order of the play.
In conclusion, Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo to be contrasting towards the supernatural as Banquo is superstitious whereas Macbeth is allured by the fortune it brings. Shakespeare does this in an attempt to caution against abuses of powers, Divine Rights and the Great Chain of Being using and conveying the instability and inevitability of destruction caused by the Disruption of Natural Order. The fictional construct of Macbeth’s character acts a a symbol of this induced by his inner conflict, guilt and ambition but most importantly the supernatural