macbeth supernatural
...r Macbeth and imply that a part of what will come to him must come, but they reveal no fate of evil-doing for him and never, even by suggestion, bind him to evil doing. ”, states literary critic Willard Furnham. Furnham declares the only power the witches obtain over Macbeth, is the power of insinuation. By offering to Macbeth the idea of power, the witches push Macbeth to the next level of greed and evil which was non-existent prior to the encounter. The murder and death of King Duncan initiates Macbeth’s second encounter with the supernatural when he witnesses a floating dagger. As Macbeth awaits the signal to make his way up the stairs, he sees the floating dagger and proclaims, “ Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, fatal vision, sensible (able to be felt) to feeling as to sight, or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?” (2.2.33-38). This apparition confuses and frightens Macbeth. He can not comprehend how he can see something and not be able to touch it. “Thou leads me the way I was going; and such an instrument I was to use. And on thy blade and hilt, drops of blood which was not so before. There’s no such thing. It is bloody business which takes shape.” (2.2.43-49) Here, Macbeth begins to question whether his mind is playing tricks on him. The situation seems quite coincidental considering he is minutes from murdering a man with a similar weapon. He states the apparition is due to the bloody business about to occur. The dagger symbolizes the point of no return for Macbeth. If he chooses the path in which the dagger leads, there will be no turning back. Macbeth fears Banquo for his prophecy is to father kings, so Macbeth proceeds to plot the murder of his once friend, which spurs yet another brush with the supernatural. Macbeth attends a banquet at which he witnesses the ghost of his dead friend. (3.4.37-145) The fortunes of the three witches sparked Macbeth’s desire to murder Banquo and caused him to dig himself into a deeper hole. Macbeth’s guilt and fear combined ...