Supernatural elements can be used in stories to intrigue and thrill readers. Shakespeare integrates ghosts, apparitions, and other supernatural elements into his plays in order to not only delight his readers, but also to further the story’s progress. Shakespeare may choose pensive soliloquys for some situations, while others use otherworldly hallucinations. Shakespeare uses the supernatural in his characterizations throughout his works, including Julius Caesar, when the ghost of Caesar meets Brutus for a short time. Hamlet is where King Hamlet returns from his father to discover the truth. Finally, Macbeth, where spectral imagery tortures the ambitious king. These tragedies provide a window into the mind of characters through ghosts, hallucinations, and apparitions. But Macbeth is where they shine most clearly.
Shakespeare’s earlier tragedies Hamlet and Julius Caesar both feature ghosts from deceased figures. These ghosts, which in both cases serve as manifestations their inner turmoil, are used to bring back the characters’ pasts. Brutus is greeted by the ghost Caesar in Julius Caesar, who informs him that they will again meet at Philippi, where Brutus died in the battle. Brutus was unsure of his actions before he killed his leader. Now, his doubts are worse. F.W. was a critic. Moorman points out that “the spirit and the impending destruction of Caesar’s cause is Brutus’s sense of failure and impending ruin” (195). We don’t see Brutus’s thoughts clearly in this scene. However, the conversation he has with the spirit indicates that Brutus is worried about the consequences. Hamlet experiences something similar when the ghost he was father to appears to confirm his suspicions. Hearing the truth, Hamlet says his first words: “Oh, My prophetic Soul!” (I.V. 40). This confirms the idea that Hamlet had been acquainted with the truth long before they were proven true. These facts were not discovered until the ghost. King Hamlet’s ghost acts as a driving force. It reveals Hamlet’s troubles and transforms them into actions which will ultimately bring down his fate. These supernatural elements, however, are not as prominently featured in these early plays, as they are in Macbeth. Shakespeare’s use for ghosts, apparitions is a gradual process. These characters do appear in Hamlet and Julius Caesar, but there are other ways we can learn more about their mental state. Brutus is most interesting in Julius Caesar because of his interactions with others, and especially his arguments against Cassius. Hamlet’s well-known soliloquys in Hamlet play the greatest role in disclosing Hamlet’s thoughts. Especially towards end of the play, when Hamlet is becoming more disturbed by the delay in killing the uncle, his deliberate asides become increasingly frequent and very revealing. Macbeth has ghosts, apparitions as a central part of the development of its title character. Moorman says that Macbeth demands a ghost “due to the peculiar constitution the ghost-seer’s head” (195–96), echoing the idea of Macbeth’s mental health. Macbeth is afflicted by his ambitions clashing with his embedded morals which condemn regicide. He is pulled along by both his prophecy of his kingship and his wife’s determination, but his conscience holds him back. He even kills a friend he used to be friends in his panic to keep the throne his. His mind is now in the most fragile state a Shakespearean protagonist can experience. And it starts to crumble after the crime. It is not necessary for the ghost of Banquo to appear at the banquet to be disturbing. This ghost is Macbeth’s crippling guilt at the crime of killing Duncan and Banquo. “Never shake thy gory locks towards me.” (III). iv. 50-51). The ghost is a hallucination. It appears to Macbeth only and doesn’t speak words. This hallucination indicates Macbeth’s worsening mental state. Shakespeare uses the vengeful spirit to help Macbeth’s mind collapse under the guilt.
The same theme applies to Macbeth’s other hallucinations. Although they don’t involve physical embodiment of a spirit, they reveal as much about Macbeth’s mind. Just before killing Duncan, Macbeth imagines voices calling him “Macbeth doth mutilate sleep!” (II. ii. 33), effectively revealing his guilt before he even commits the crime. This is why the famous dagger illusion serves the same purpose. His inner insecurity is displayed for the audience. This is a powerful way to see his guilt. He can look at the dagger and feel his guilt. We don’t need to hear the guilt. We are able to see inside the mind and feel the guilt through the images of the daggers and the voices that call out. These apparitions could be called supernatural messengers or hallucinations. However, they are very real and a sign of a disturbed mind. Shakespeare uses them to describe his antihero in a subtler manner by placing them in strategic locations throughout the text.
Macbeth differs from earlier plays in that other characters experience the same supernatural projections. These hallucinations also affect Lady Macbeth, which more directly causes her death than Macbeth’s. In the play she is incredibly confident, assuming that her husband’s death will make them the eminent couple they are. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, seems to have no fear despite Macbeth’s initial lack of confidence. It is only later that we discover that Lady Macbeth’s mind is much more fragile than initially thought and that she has suffered from hallucinations of blood on the hands. Isador Heinrich Coriat calls this “one of those cases in which subconscious fixed idea which has acquired an increased intensity” (72). This suggests that her guilt as the queen-in-waiting has been building up silently over the play and now manifests itself in the form of this hallucination. Her former belief that “a little water will clear us of this deed,” (II) is starkly opposed to the vision of bloody hands. ii. The final act reveals the true Lady Macbeth, one who is no longer able to put on a brave face and instead is burdened with the same guilt that her husband feels. She can’t keep her facade on; insanity has taken over, and Shakespeare places the hallucination at an ominous start of the end.
Last but not least, the supernatural effects in this play go beyond the apparitions that characters create from their minds. The text also includes three key components: the mysterious witches and the three shamans. They are primarily catalysts for the chaos that is created from start to end. After all, it was they who presented the idea of Macbeth’s kingship. Their clever prophecies trick Macbeth into thinking he’s secure. This leads to his eventual death at the sword. Although they are clearly the driving force of the play, they subtly serve a similar purpose to the other supernatural conjurations. His inward ambitions manifest themselves through his prophecies. Prior to this play, Macbeth was a highly ambitious military leader. He seemed content with his successes at the beginning. However, the witches were able to reveal Macbeth’s true nature and bring out his hidden ambitions. Through their predictions, Macbeth learns much about himself and what he truly wants.
The Macbeth tragedies would have been much less horrific and terrifying without the supernatural messengers. These elements give the text an additional dimension that cannot be achieved by words or actions. Shakespeare’s use ghosts and appearances is not always for the same reason. However, they allow the reader to gain insight into the thoughts of the troubled characters through a unique and powerful way.