Supernatural forces play a significant role in Macbeth.

Supernatural plays a significant role in the play Macbeth. It prompted Macbeth to murders Duncan
and his best friend Banquo, which result in guilt, hallucination, insanity and ultimately death. In the
play, the supernatural forces are the witches that brought the promising prophecies to Macbeth and
Banquo. They have greatly influenced Macbeth’s decision making, as the prophecies reflects both
power and fear. The tyrant’s fears of being overthrown significantly amplified over time and he
continuously seeks consolation in fate and the witches in times of distress. Supernatural not only
affected Macbeth directly, but escalate the ambition in his aspiring, demanding wife and ultimately
driven Macbeth to cross the line of what is considered natural: to kill Duncan, the Kind of Scotland.
In the end of the play, Macbeth’s overlooked the prophecies about Birnam Wood and Macduff and
the revelation of Macduff’s birth has traumatised Macbeth. Although the former tyrant has decided
to fight, his mentality has already been defeated due to his absolute belief in the power of the
witches’ prophecies thus led to his downfall. The witches’ prophecies hence play an important role
in Macbeth and greatly influenced his actions and decision making.

The supernatural is significant in the play because Macbeth has developed a reliance on the potent
of the witches’ prophecies after he was granted Thane of Cawdor. “Do you not hope your children
shall be kings, when those that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me, promised no less to them?” The
prophecies not only amplified Macbeth’s thirst for power, but prompted the ambitious tyrant to
think about unnatural, horrible deeds. “This supernatural soliciting, cannot be ill, cannot be good.
The horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs. My thought, whose
murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in
surmise.” Macbeth was engulfed in delusional, unnatural thoughts, which is to kill Duncan. Fears of
the reliability of the prophecies engulfed the tyrant in guilt, hallucination and insanity. This is clearly
shown when Macbeth encountered ‘a dagger of the mind, a false creation proceeding from the
heat-oppressed brain.” This emphasizes that the supernatural forces have impacted the tyrant’s
unnatural ambition and casted aside his loyalty to the kind. Killing Duncan was unnatural, and was
represented by Duncan’s horses, whose “turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
contending ‘gainst obedience as they would make war with mankind.” The witches themselves did
not aid Macbeth in committing murder but preached his ‘scorpion mind’ and amplified his ambition
for power. The supernatural hence plays a significant role in the mentality development of Macbeth
and is responsible for prompting Macbeth into killing lives to secure his position.

The witches have greatly influenced Macbeth’s actions and decision making because their
prophecies have caused Macbeth to develop a reliance and fear towards. Macbeth committed
unnatural deeds because he believed the witches is supporting him. This led to hallucination and
ultimately death for both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.