Macbeth Key Theme: The Supernatural (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Supernatural timeline

The key supernatural elements in each act of Macbeth:

What are the supernatural elements in Macbeth?

The supernatural elements in the play include: 

• The three witches: Shakespeare creates a supernatural atmosphere through their rituals and prophecies

• Unnatural or supernatural events: Shakespeare refers to storms, day darkening to night and animals behaving strangely (such as horses eating each other) 

• Apparitions: The witches summon a severed head, a bloody child and a crowned child in Act 4, Scene 1 

• Visions and hallucinations: Shakespeare uses a dagger, Banquo’s ghost and imaginary bloodstains to sustain the supernatural atmosphere and add to the horror throughout the play 

The impact of the supernatural on characters

Through his use of ghostly visions and hallucinations, Shakespeare shows his audience the lasting, transformative effect of the supernatural elements on his central protagonists, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. 

These elements contribute to the dramatic tension and the atmosphere of evil and uncertainty in the play, but also symbolise the characters’ guilt, fear and paranoid by representing the psychological effect of their murderous actions. 

Why does Shakespeare use the theme of the supernatural in his play?

1.  Setting and atmosphere 

• Creates the superstitious, medieval Scottish setting

• Establishes an ominous, foreboding atmosphere 

2. Plot driver 

• Influences Macbeth's actions through prophecies and visions

• Propels the narrative from the opening scene to the final act

3. Audience appeal 

• Reflects the Jacobean audience's fear and fascination with witchcraft

• Aligns with his patron King James I's interest in the supernatural (author of Daemonologie)

4. Dramatic device  

• Shakespeare starts and ends the play with supernatural elements (opens with “weird sisters” and closes with the fulfilment of the witches’ prophecies)  

• Adds dramatic tension and spectacle

Exam-style questions on the theme of the supernatural

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of the supernatural theme: 

• Explore how Shakespeare presents the attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the supernatural elements in the play. (You could start with Act 1, Scene 3.)

• How does Shakespeare present the supernatural elements as changing the character of Macbeth? (You could start with Act 2, Scene 1.)