The Supernatural
English Lit: AQA GCSE Macbeth, topic 6.2.2
Supernatural Visions & Spirits
‘Is this a dagger’
- Macbeth has visions throughout the play, such as the dagger before he kills King Duncan, ‘Is this a dagger which I see before me’ (2,1).
- These could be psychological (of the mind) or they could be premonitions (feelings that something bad is going to happen) and Macbeth is experiencing the supernatural.
- Because he has interacted with the witches, the audience might think that he has made himself vulnerable to evil.
'Unsex me here'
- Lady Macbeth calls on spirits: ‘Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’ (1,5).
- She uses imperative language (‘come’ and ‘unsex’) which suggests that she thinks she has control over them. This labels her as an evil character who wants supernatural beings to help her.
- We don’t know whether this is something she has done before or whether the opportunity to take the crown has made her want to try to contact them.
Test yourself on The Supernatural
Who is Macbeth about to kill when he sees the dagger before him?