Macbeth

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Macbeth explores the mystery of the supernatural. What truths do the supernatural hold? Are they inherently right because of their superhuman nature? Should they be heeded or avoided? I think in Macbeth the witches caused more trouble by their "prophesies" than would have occurred had they not "prophesied." In fact I would argue that they prophesy was self fulfilling. If Macbeth had not been told that he would have all that power, I believe as a character he does not have the boldness to make it happen on his own. The role of the prophesy was to give Lady Macbeth an excuse that her cruel actions were justified. Also it gave her the boldness to call on the devil to "unsex" her, to take away the gentle and sensitive nature that is characterized by the female sex. Without the prophesy she may have became more sensitive rather than more cold, and she and Macbeth would not have gained the power that they did.

The supernatural played a role similar to Greek mythological gods and goddesses. They had a part in human "fate", but were not so omnipotent that they controlled exactly what happened. Also they had more interactions with humans where they held a more even role with the humans. They even had human flaws. Similar to Greek mythology the witches used humans as a source of amusement.

Because of the prophesy both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffered from extreme psychological ailment. Macbeth has extreme paranoia, both suffer from constant anxiety, and both have delusions. Macbeth hallucinates seeing a bloody dagger. Lady Macbeth sees blood on her hands, "Out damn spot"! It seems that both their mental problems were self caused because of their ambition. Their ambition was encouraged because of the prophesies. Without the prophesies I believe that neither characters would take action as they did. I also believe they would have been satisfied with the power they already had. Since they believed they could have more they became thirsty. In a sense the prophesy was like salt water, once they tasted it they became thirsty for more.