Role of Supernatural in Shakespeares a Midsummer Nights...

Witches Brew and Fairy Dreams: A Genre Study of Shakespeares Use of the Supernatural (Penn State University, English 444.2: Spring 1998) by Fred Coppersmith Near the end of the opening scene of Macbeth, Shakespeares three Weird Sisters proclaim in unison that fair is foul, and foul is fair, providing us, as readers, with perhaps the best understanding of the plays theme and the tragic downfall of its central character. That this revelation -- this pronouncement that all is not well in Scotland -- comes from a supernatural or otherworldly source is very telling and gives us, I believe, ample cause to further explore the function of the supernatural within the drama. A genuine understanding of Shakespeares reliance on the spirit†¦show more content†¦Macbeth truly is wicked, having murdered Duncan, the king, and taken his place -- having fulfilled the prophecy foreseen by the witches and stepped onto the path that, as the otherworldly Hecate proclaims, shall draw him on to his confusion or ruin. The sisters, then, are a constant reminder to the audience of the darkness that consumes Macbeth, of the unholy acts that he has committed and the tragedy that he brings upon himself. When Hecate reminds the three that security is mortals chiefest enemy, we can (especially upon subsequent readings) view this as a foreshadowing of Macbeths undoing, a sign of the true tragedy that is to follow. For while Macbeth may indeed spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace, and fear, he cannot escape the consequences of the witches prophecy. While the supernatural is also put to substantial use in A Midsummer Nights Dream, its effect on the play is remarkably different. There, rather than cast the action in somber shadows as in Macbeth, the otherworldly Fairies enhance the comedic nature of the text. They can be viewed, in fact, as comic plot devices, created not so much to comment on the action of the play as to move it along. They are active participants rather than passive observers, affecting the outcome rather than simply reminding us of its inevitability. Another of the most strikingShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1357 Words   |  6 Pagesfall into chaos. Within Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ these rules can be undermined in the confines of settings in which the supernatural reigns, allowing the char acters to grow and develop before returning to society as changed people. 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