The Tragic Force of Macbeth In Macbeth, by Shakespeare, the play tells the story of a tragic hero: Macbeth, and his rise and fall to power. Murders, wars, suicides, and many more horrific events are exhibited during Macbeth’s disastrous rule. Throughout the play, supernatural elements are intertwined with dramatic conflicts and characters. Aside from many beliefs of what forces are responsible for Macbeth’s tragedy, the main force held accountable for his downfall is the supernatural. The supernatural forces play a key role in progressing the tragedy’s plot. The most prominent supernatural force, the Weird sisters (witches), influences Macbeth heavily and serves as an inciting incident through their prophecies: First Witch: ‘All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!’ Second Witch: ‘ All hail, Macbeth! …show more content…
All of his actions (mainly about murder) are primarily up to him and he can simply refuse the supernatural persuasions. He chooses to depend on them and this leads to many setbacks and catastrophes so it is understandable that it is his responsibility. However, if it weren’t for the supernatural, would Macbeth dare to come up with these thoughts and go forth with his actions? In the play, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about the witches and thus begins his long journey of murder. In his letter, he writes, “...these Weïrd Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’” (1.5.8-10). Macbeth is influenced by the supernatural and if he did not tell his wife about this encounter, Lady Macbeth would have never “persuaded” Macbeth to kill King Duncan and eventually have this go out of hand. The supernatural tempts him to think of becoming king and by simply passing this prophecy to Lady Macbeth, he can never return to his former, noble life. The supernatural prevails in Macbeth’s