Some say William Shakespeare is one of the greatest dramatists known to man, a strong argument can be made, in my opinion. Shakespeare was able to write in such a unique way that was like a foreign language. Shakespeare wanted people to enjoy his stories, his way of writing only made his works more intriguing. Shakespeare chose his destiny, from two roads he chose the one less traveled. Sacrificing his own family, Shakespeare followed his ambitions to become a great dramatist. Who know if we would have the pleasure of reading Mac Beth if Shakespeare did not make the great sacrifice he made.
Mac Beth is like a puzzle that cannot be solved. Shakespeare created a significant amount of suspension, leaving us confused at times. An important factor that had caught my eyes was the use of the supernatural throughout the story. In the tragedy Mac Beth we see how the supernatural affects both Mac Beth and his wife. At some point they lose sanity of what is real and what is not. The supernatural has the ability to drive us crazy, making us do things unconsciously.
In the tragedy Mac Beth we saw how the supernatural drove Mac Beth insane. The witches prophecies convinced Mac Beth that he was destined to be king. Once this idea had sunk in his head, he would do anything to make it happen, even if it meant acting barbaric. His ambition to become king led him to first murder King Duncan. Right before Mac Beth killed Duncan he saw a bloody flying dagger pointing towards the king’s chamber. The dagger symbolized the bloody course Mac Beth was about to embark on, yet he went through the murder with the help of his wife Lady Mac Beth.
The next victim on Mac Beth’s destructive path was Banquo. Mac Beth did not care if Banquo had a son or if he was his former friend, he was determined to do anything to become king. After the murder Mac Beth was shocked to see a ghost of Banquo sitting on a chair at a feast. Banquo’s ghost kept reminding Mac Beth of the evil deed he committed by murdering his former friend.
Yet, Mac Beth was not the only person who experienced strangle hallucinations. Lady Mac Beth starts sleepwalking and believes that her hands are stained with blood and cannot be washed away with water. It is evident that both Lady Mac Beth and her husband are having strange hallucination due to guilt. Their evil deeds have come back to haunt them; showing the reader that karma will always catch up to you.
It seems as if the witches prophecies in the beginning of the tragedy shaped the rest of the story. Mac Beth’s quest to become king was ambitious; he was willing to kill anyone if he felt like the past was catching up to him. Mac Beth’s ambition became all he knew, the only thing that he would pay attention to. After witnessing the flying dagger and Banquo’s ghost, the supernatural becomes reality. Guilt possesses Mac Beth and forces to believe that his secret is going to be revealed. These hallucinations drove Mac Beth crazy, eventually leading to his own death. Ambition without any checking will only lead to corruption as it lead to Mac Beth’s downfall.
