Supernatural Elements In The Crucible 'And Macbeth'

One of the most important forms of dramatic literature, tragedies, occurs when the protagonist tragically dies in an effort to solve the main conflict, typically due to a flaw within him. This is shown in both plays of “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, where in both John Proctor and Macbeth reach their ends at the conclusion of each play. In the “Crucible”, John Proctor is accused of witchery and sentenced to death, whereas in “Macbeth” three strange witches convince Macbeth to murder the king in order to reach fame, and hence leading him to his own end. Both Miller and Shakespeare use different characteristics of a tragedy to send certain ideas and concepts to the reader. However, in the process of reaching

The supernatural theme is present in both Macbeth and The Crucible, and plays a role in the downfall of the protagonists in each play. As previously stated, in Macbeth, the manipulative ambition of Macbeth was initially driven by the three witches, who supposedly see Macbeth as ruler of Scotland. In the opening scene of the play, Macbeth and Banquo visit the three witches and are each given a prophecy. Macbeth is seen as king whereas Banquo’s sons are seen as several kings. This supernatural prophecy drove Macbeth into murdering Duncan and Banquo. Another supernatural element in the play is Banquo’s ghost, which caused Macbeth to go insane and ultimately led to his downfall. In The Crucible, the puritan society has a role in the downfall of the protagonist. Witchery is a supernatural element perceived as the undertaking of the devil, which is strictly forbidden in the Puritan society, and is prevented with execution. As previously stated, John Proctor is executed because of this supernatural element. Moreover, the supernatural element is present in both plays, and is utilized by both authors to create unexplainable terror within the play and foreshadow the death of the