Introduction
The supernatural is one of the major themes in the Play Macbeth. The supernatural focus entails the power of darkness, which is ascendant through most of the play as it wreaks havoc on human life. Macbeth opens with three witches with their first prophecy on Macbeth known as Thane of Cawdor is revealed. As a result, the witches are found to have the power to discern the future (Crystal, 2013). However, events head in a different direction when Macbeth uses the prophecy that he will be the king, thus taking matters into his own hands and murder Duncan, sending all of Scotland spiraling down into tyranny under the rule of Macbeth. The witches in the play act as an evil force a second time after Hecate comes to chide them for prophesying to Macbeth and Banquo without her permission (Shakespeare, 1997). She tells them to mislead Macbeth, which the witches do when he comes to them for guidance, speaking to him in riddles that will show they know what will happen in the future but deliberately gives Macbeth a false sense of confidence.
How Shakespeare Present the Attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the Supernatural in this Extract
The extract given from Act 1 Scene 3 reveals the witches and elements of the supernatural causing conflict and the prophecies produced. The extract shows Macbeth and Banquo after they have come into contact with the witches for the first time. They are shown discussing the prophecies that they have witnessed.
The witches are an essential part of the supernatural within Macbeth. Supernatural enforce various events in the play. Banquo and Macbeth discuss witchcraft issues in the play after their first meeting, which proves the influence it had on men. From the extract, Banquo refers to the meeting as strange while metaphorically referring to the witches as "instruments of darkness (Shakespeare, 1997)." It reveals that Banquo is not sure about his statement as he relates to the statement of darkness, which echoes many individuals' thoughts in society, especially when discussing supernatural and supernatural beliefs (Crystal, 2013). With people being skeptical of the unknown, Banquo supports the ideas and Christian belief that Satan's agents seemed to be agents.
In his thought, Banquo is seen to be literal and speaks honestly with Macbeth. However, the stage direction before speaking of Macbeth reveals that Banquo is moved by the witches while question how his thoughts could be perceived through the moment of deceit towards his loyal friend. In the extract, "aside" reveals that although Banquo is present, Macbeth speaks alone to the side, to show the true feelings and thoughts about the supernatural ultimately (Hatchuel et al., 2013). From Banquo's thoughts and feelings towards the supernatural, any supernatural reaction could be considered wrong. As a result, instead of acknowledging the dangers posed by prophecies, Banquo questions it through juxtaposing, "cannot be ill, and cannot be good (Shakespeare, 1997)." By questioning, it makes the audience believe that Macbeth wants to feel the witches since what they prophecy is in his favor in Macbeth and not Banquo.
How Shakespeare Presents the Attitudes of Macbeth and Banquo towards the Supernatural in the Play as a Whole
The play reveals that much the witches could predict correctly, and their position was more of neutral evil. Removing the moral foundation, Macbeth instantly becomes a different world structure. The meeting of the three witches by Banquo and Macbeth leads to understanding the prophecies and the supernatural. For instance, Banquo is told he won't be king, although his descendants will be with Macbeth told he would be King (Hatchuel et al., 2013). As a result, this sets tension between Banquo and Macbeth despite their long-standing friendship. The reaction of Banquo towards the witches is a suspicion, although Macbeth believes the prophecies.
Throughout the play, Banquo is seen to resist the temptations of evil offered by the supernatural in the form of witches. Although this could appease the contemporary audience, Banquo believed that the devil existed on earth and walked among the humans while tempting them. The witches, therefore, is a symbol of temptation to sin. At some point, Banquo sees the prophecy coming true that responding, "What can the devil speak true (Crystal, 2013)." It implies that Banquo view witches as agents of the devil with the supernatural controlled by the devil.
Conclusion
Throughout the play Macbeth, the supernatural is presented as a central theme. Shakespeare ties this theme with his broader contentions that concern fate, morality as well as power. The supernatural presents various arguments throughout the play, with the playing scene revealing the premonitions. The witches are the symbols of the supernatural and result in the supernatural being framed as evil. Just like Banquo, Macbeth accepts how the witches make them feel. They create imagery showing physical reactions from Macbeth.
