Macbeth’s supernatural scenes explainedIn today’s rational and scientifically explainable world, it would be hard for us to believe in supernatural intervention in our every day lives unlike during the times of the Shakespearean plays. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are three examples of this kind of thing: one with the witches, one with a ghost of a best friend, and one with the a few apparitions. In the first nonrational scene three old dirty hags (witches) are discussing where they should meet Macbeth to persuade him into thinking he should be the nest king. When Macbeth finally meets the three witches on the heath like they had planed, him and his best friend Banquo are there.
The witches know form years of experience that people that are Thanes always want to be king some day no matter what it takes. With the witches knowing this, they make Macbeth think that he is to be king or made king by saying “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”(I, iii, 50) Therefor most of what the witches say they know because the have many years of experience and wisdom under their sleeves. Banquo, knowing what the witches had said, has to be dealt with by Macbeth. So Macbeth hires a hit man to take care of Banquo, and at Macbeth’s dinner party all the seats are filled except for Banquo’s.
Macbeth, feeling guilty about his best friend, starts to hallucinate and thinks he is seeing Banquo’s ghost in his seat. So Macbeth says to everyone “The table is full”(III,iv,46) and everyone thinks he is physco. Macbeth starts talking to the so called ghost that he thinks is sitting there saying “Thou canst say I did it. “(III,iv,50) With Macbeth saying this it lets everyone know about the guilt that Macbeth feels and some of the other people know the crime he has committed as well. In the last witch scene Macbeth wants to see some things or people that he should beware of in the future. So the witches give Macbeth the descriptive physique of three apparitions: one of a solider in battle, one of a king that is a kid, and one of a bleeding child.
While the witches call the apparitions out Macbeth sees them, and again it could be a figment of his imagination or it could be because it is at night and he can’t see very well. So maybe there are some things in the Elizabethan era that then could not be explained and they were considered supernatural. But now as we look back into that era we can most likely find a rational explanation for most of the things called “supernatural” in that day, like the witches, Banquo’s ghost and the apparitions. In today’s society most things are scientifically explainable.
