Theme Of Apparition In Macbeth

From witches to apparitions, the reference to the supernatural is unmistakable in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The presence of these powers plays an important role in the structuring of the play. During the 16th century, the time period in which this play was written, people were very superstitious and strongly believed in witches and other supernatural powers, which were considered works of the devil and therefore were greatly feared. Witches were especially known to be dark and manipulative, which is why their inclusion in the play makes it eerie and mysterious. Most supernatural beings were also greatly known for the ability to predict the future, which contributes to a lot of crucial foreshadowing in the play as it makes the viewer intrigued to see if the …show more content…
In this way, the supernatural could be said to have led the whole play as their foretellings are what caused most of the action in the play and therefore made it more suspenseful. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the witches and the apparitions and their creation of moral confusion to demonstrate the theme that people who want too much power will ultimately destroy themselves.

The witches play an important role in the storyline of Macbeth as they appear to be the strongest form of supernatural. Macbeth’s first meeting with the witches is in Act I, right after Macbeth is introduced and praised as a brave and powerful lord. The witches however, are introduced with the appearance of lightning and thunder, already giving the play an eerie and unsettling tone. They proceed to crown Macbeth as king: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (I.iii.53). Such oracular speaking confuses Macbeth as he does not know how he could possibly be king but when he tries to question the witches, but they leave him without any suggestions and therefore provide Macbeth with