Mess in Mythos, Pure in Aim


    Supernatural forces are no stranger to Shakespeare plays, from the three witches in Macbeth, to the The Fairy King and Queen (and Puck) in Midsummer Night's Dream, and even Prospero and Ariel in The Tempest. Shakespeare was interested in the supernatural as seen by his constant references and allusions to many different myths and legends. The main use of magic in Shakespeare’s plays is to lead the characters astray so that they can be brought back together after going through development.

    In Macbeth, the witches serve as seers, as most of their lines are those of a prophetic nature. They tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, and will be king. This sets the path for Macbeth to kill his way to the top in order to live up to his supposed destiny. Also the appearance of the knife and of Banquo’s ghost during the banquet. The Supernatural that is found in Macbeth is the meaning behind the Visions, and the witches. The supernatural force in macbeth is one of prophecy, and guilt. The witches give Macbeth three prophetic truths, which through his own doing come true. Then he fights against the prophecy given to Banquo and is haunted by his ghost.

    In Midsummer Night's dream, The main supernatural force is Puck on orders from Oberon. Under his direction he mistakenly uses a special flower to make both Demetrius and Lysandre love Helena, then corrects the love so that Lysandre loves Hermia and Demetrius loves Helena. Oberon and Titania are not getting along, which causes a disruption in nature, coupled with Puck’s gift of mischief made the Athenian youths become lost in the forest. The supernatural in this play is one of tricks, but also of love, albeit most times by happenstance of a trick. Titania has love for the boy, and is later tricked into loving Bottom. Supernatural love is seen in the anointing of the flower on the eyes of Lysandre and Demetrius. Midsummer Nights Dream is unique in how the main characters are unaware of any supernatural force. All meddling is done when they are asleep. Bottom is not an exception, because while he knew at the time, afterward he thought of it as only a dream.

    Lastly There is The Tempest with the magician Prospero, former Duke of Milan. He controls a spirit of air, Ariel. There is also Caliban, the monster-like son of the Witch Sycorax. At the engagement, there is also an appearance of Iris, Juno, and Ceres. Three Roman Goddesses. Prospero is the only protagonist with supernatural powers. While the others were acted on by supernatural forces, Prospero acts upon others with supernatural forces. The aims of the supernatural are therefore his own. This makes the supernatural aims justice and forgiveness. He wants to get justice from his exile and usurpation by his brother. He also seeks to forgive, with his daughter and her lover, Miranda and Ferdinand, being the main source of that hope.

There are two main themes to the supernatural in Macbeth. One is prophecy/fate while the other is guilt. Prophecy/fate is portrayed by the Witches who begin the play. There is an early precedent for the number three. In the first line. “When shall we three meet again?/ In thunder, lightning, or in rain?(Macbeth 1.1.1-2) Three witches, three types of bad weather. Later they reiterate this symbology, “Thrice to thine and thrice to mine/ And thrice again, to make up nine.”(Macbeth 1.3.35-36) Also notable is the reference to Hecate or Hecate, which is originally a Greek goddess of magic, said to be in charge of the fates/moirai. After giving Macbeth the first prophecy, the witches get into trouble, as Hecate appears to reprimand them. They have been “Saucy and overbold, how did you dare/ To trade and traffic with Macbeth/ In riddles and affairs of death;”(Macbeth 3.5.4-6) She goes about trying to fix the mess that the witches have made by letting Macbeth know his fate. Hecate is the repairing force of fate in Macbeth, turning his path back toward the natural order.
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Starting in act 1 scene 3 is when we can see that the three witches deal with prophecy and are modeled after the Fates. In addition, the three witches are indicative of death, as one has killed swine, another has killed a sailor, and the third has a pilot’s thumb. When Macbeth comes upon them, they hail him with three greetings. The first witch hails him as Thane of Glamis, his known past. The second hails him as Thane of Cawdor, his unknown present. The last hails him as king, his unavoidable future. This is solidifying them as the three fates, which have knowledge of the past, present, and future. The witches are prophetic and do not themselves task him with anything, but only offer their knowledge. Macbeth meets with the witches again and receives three warnings. “ One, beware Macduff(Macbeth 4.1.71-72). Two, Macbeth cant be harmed by people born of women(Macbeth 4.1.80-81). Lastly, Macbeth is safe until Great Birnan comes to Dunsinane(Macbeth 4.1.92-94). This is the third instance of prophecy that we see in this play. Three prophecies made up of three parts, which in total makes 9 prophetic statements. This follows the charm that the witches “wound up” in Act 1, Scene 3, Line 37. We see how the first prophecy goes early on in the play, but the second prophecy comes to a head near the end. As Macduff comes to rid the land of Macbeth, he cuts down logs from Birnan wood and carries them to Dunsinane for fortifications. It is a messenger who brings this news, saying “I look’d toward Birnan, and anon methought/ The wood began to move.”(Macbeth 5.5.32-33). This signals the fulfillment of one of the prophetic statements, leaving two warnings left. Then
 Macduff himself lets Macbeth know that his birth was not natural ‘Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb/ Untimely ripp’d”(Macbeth 5.8.15-16), meaning Macduff can kill Macbeth. This is the second prophetic statement that is fulfilled. After learning this, Macbeth grows angry and attacks Macduff, leading to his own death, which proves that he should have been wary of Macduff. Macbeth gives into anger and tries to fight his fate, only to die in the process.

Unlike Macbeth, Banquo makes an inquiry into his future and is met with the following lines: “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater./ Not so happy, yet much happier./ Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.”(Macbeth 1.3.65-67) Banquo was lesser in station, but did not seek to kill his king like Macbeth. He has a son in Fleance and could be said that he is happy, and at the end Fleance escapes death, which could be a great source of happiness for Banquo. Then he was told that his descendants would be kings, which is largely left unresolved by the end of the play apart from the vision Macbeth sees come out of the witches cauldron. The prophecy works to further solidify itself as a theme, but is also used to give Macbeth a reason to kill him. Macbeth laments that while he is to be king, Banquo is father to kings. He remarks that; 
“Upon my head they plac’d a fruitless crown,/ 
And put a barren scepter in my gripe,/ 
Thence to be wrench’d with and unlinereal hand,/ 
No son of mine succeeding.”(Macbeth 3.1.60-63)
Macbeth makes the choice to seek the death of Banquo and his line, so as to subvert banquo’s fate and perhaps his own, albeit unadvisedly. It is a common trope that when a character tries to change fate, they are met with either incredible resistance or their actions steer them down fate’s path anyway.

Another major supernatural theme in Macbeth is guilt. It is seen in act 2 scene 1 when Macbeth is about to assassinate his king, he is met with a vision of a dagger, he remarks that it is like the blade he was going to use and is pointing in the direction of the king. After remarking this, the vision changes and the blade is anointed with blood(Macbeth 2.1.42-47). Macbeth then compares the dagger to “bloody business”, meaning it is a vision that shows his course of action. After killing Duncan he goes back to his wife and recounts an interaction he had. He passed by two men, “One cried, “God bless us!” and “Amen!” the other,”(Macbeth 2.2.24) He then mentions that he could not reply “Amen”, which serves as a mark of guilt. Later Banquo’s ghost interrupts Macbeth’s banquet. This is a vision of guilt, as he has killed his best friend. The effect it has on Macbeth is so striking that he is unable to keep from blurting out and going crazy. “Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide/thee!/Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold;/ thou hast no speculation in those eyes/ which thou dost glare with!”(Macbeth 3.4.92-95) Macbeth comes face to face with his guilt, as he had Banquo murdered. He doesnt at first believe that he is actually seeing Banquo's ghost, and thinks one of the guests is playing a trick. He seeks to distance himself from his deed by any means necessary, as he is unable to carry on with the party while Banquo’s ghost is present.
    Shakespeare’s Macbeth used prophecy to split the characters up and ultimately bring them back together. At first the Witches led him off his path, but under Hecate's orders the witches brought him to Macduff to fulfill his destiny. The guilt that Macbeth faced was eating away at his judgment and caused him to make errors that boosted his standing in the short term, but destroyed him in the long run.

Attraction is the unique theme in A Midsummer Night’s Dream that acts as a divider and conjoiner. In Act 1 Scene 1 Hermia mentions three icons of love. Cupid serves as the embodiment of desire, Venus as the embodiment of love, and the Carthage Queen as the embodiment of a broken heart.
“I swear to thee, by Cupid’s strongest bow,/
By his best arrow with the golden head,/
 By the simplicity of Venus’ doves,/
By that which knitteth souls and prospers loves,/
And by that fire which burn’d the Carthage queen/
When the false Troyan under sail was seen” (Midsummer 1.1.169-174) 
Hermia swears by greatest desire. purest love, and deadly attachment. This is true love and unlike the trick that Oberon plays later in the story. “Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell/ It fell upon a little western flower,”(Midsummer 2.1.165-166) Oberon tasks Puck with getting a certain flower, planning to use it to return Titania to his side. After spying Demetrius and Helena quarreling in the woods, he decides to intervene with their love life as well.  In this way, he plays with Titania’s love and does the same with the Athenian youths, albeit with somewhat good intentions in that regard. After Puck mistakenly uses the flower on Lysandre, Oberon gets mad at Puck, saying “Some true love turn’d and not a false turn’d true”(Midsummer 3.2.91) After he relays these instructions, he goes to demetrius himself and applies the flower to his eyes, turning him onto Helena(Midsummer 3.2.105-107). At this time, Helena and Hermia have switched places, since both men now love Helena and none love Hermia.

Oberon also slips Titania the nectar and bades her, “In thy eye that shall appear/ When thou wak’st, it is thy dear:/ Wake when some vile thing is near.”(Midsummer 2.2.32-34). While he muses what kind of animal Titania will spy, Puck happens upon the players and finds the perfect victim. Bottom the weaver ends up on the wrong side of Puck’s trick. His face is transfigured into the likeness of an ass. When the other players run, he comments, ”I see their knavery. This is to make an ass of/ me, to fright me, if they could”(Midsummer 3.1.120-121) Titania, who is sleeping nearby, is woken up and falls for Bottom, the ass. Her infatuation is immediately apparent when her first words are ”What angel wakes me from my flow’ry bed?”(Midsummer 3.1.129). Oberon and Puck meet and then Puck tells him of the monster Bottom and of his (mistaken) success with the athenians. “My mistress with a monster is in love.”(Midsummer 3.2.6) After having a good laugh, Oberon commands “With drooping fog as black as Acheron,/ And lead these testy rivals so astray”(Midsummer 3.2.357-358). Lysandre and Demetrius are not only led astray by their affection but also by a heavy fog which sets them asleep. As such, Puck leads the Athenians around in the mist and applies the flower on the sleeping Lysandre, solving both the love triangle and mending his earlier mistake. All affection is then made solid and is not messed with again, Puck notwithstanding.

The other theme in Midsummer is unrequited love, which is shown in the character Helena. She watches as the man she loves as he dotes on Hermia. When learning of Hermia and Lystander’s plan to flee, she uses it to her advantage to try and get back in the eye of Demetrius. Her actions cause all four of them to wander into the realm of another so afflicted by unrequited love. Surprisingly, Oberon mirrors Helena in these aspects. He is infatuated with Titania, yet Titania is infatuated with the young child. Both Oberon and Helena set out on their endeavors intent to get back the love they both used to receive. The difference is in the consequence of the unrequited love. Helena’s love troubles seem small in comparison with Oberon’s. Oberon’s are after all, causing a discord in nature itself. This can be seen in Titania’s words on fog, floods, and rotted produce (Midsummer 2.1.87-100). (4.1.46-102)Oberon undos his spell on Titania and makes nice with her. “Come, my lord, and in our flight/ Tell me how it came this night/ that I sleeping here was found/ With these mortals on the ground”(Midsummer 4.1.99-103) This shows that his plan worked and his love is returned to him, though we do not hear about the boy again in the play. The athenians requited love is shown when they are found in the field all together and Demetrius replies “The object  and the pleasure of mine ye,/ Is only Helena.”(4.1.103). All things are right with the world, apart from Demetrius who is still under the flower’s effect.

In Midsummer Night’s Dream, The characters are led astray by use of a supernatural flower in the hands of fairies. Their hearts are toyed with, as if someone, Puck, is playing around with them with little care for their feelings. Titania is made to love an ass, or worse, an actor. Demetrius likewise is made to love Helena, which is unfair to both him and Helena. While at the end there are four happy couples, there are also some who are left with nothing but what seems to be a dream. One such person is Bottom the Weaver, the best Pyramus who ever graced the stage.

The last play that is being analyzed is The Tempest. The major theme of divergence is justice. The main character is a magician who uses the power of spirits that do his bidding. Prosperp is beyond powerful in that he never met his match in the play. It is important to know the power of the protagonist, as he is also the supernatural entity behind most action in the play. This is different from both Macbeth and Midsummer, where the main character is either directly  or indirectly influenced by the supernatural entity. Prospero starts the play with a grand display of power as he wrecks a ship carrying his traitorous brother and the king who aided in his exile. On the ship in question, Gonzalo, a councillor, is told by the Bosun “Use your authority. If you can-/ not, give thanks you have liv’d so long,” (Tempest 1.1.23-24). This shows that in the face of the tempest that Prospero leveled against the boat, no authority nor politics can stand against him. When questioned by his daughter as to why he has torn the boat asunder, Prospero regales her with his tale of woe, of how he was cast out of his station and home to be shipwrecked on the island they live on. This proves that he is justified in his attack against his brother at the very least. The king is thus implicated in the line “This King of Naples, being an enemy/ To me inveterate, hearkens my brother’s suit,”(Tempest 1.2.121-122). 

After a close call with Antonio trying to kill the king, Ariel, Prospero’s prime spirit calls three of them out. He calls out Alonzo, Antonio, and Sebastian, excluding Gonzalo.“On this island/ Where man doth inhabit–you ‘mongst men/ Being most unfit to live.”(Tempest 3.3.56-58) This puts blame on Alonzo, the king that helped Antonio usurp Prospero. Sebastian is likewise a traitorous bandit, as he was planning on killing the King. To this point, none of the men on the ship or those on the island have been killed or even seriously hurt. Prospero shows restraint, as his goal is not to kill them, but to have justice for the crime done unto him. 

When a couple of lowly mongrels, Stephano and Trinculo, at Caliban’s direction try to attack Prospero, he easily rebuffs them, saying ”Fury, Fury! There, Tyrant, there! Hark, hark!/ Go, charge my goblins that they grind their joints/ with dry convulsions,”(Tempest 4.1.256-257). This shows that as long as they dont attack him, he will do no harm, but he is still ready and able to defend himself. Prospero doesn’t use his magic to play around with or hurt them, but to set up the circumstances for Prospero to reveal himself. His command of them is shown in this line; “Prospero decides to undo his spell on the men. “All prisoners, sir,/ In the line-grove which weather-fends your cell;/ They cannot boudge till your release.”(Tempest 5.1.9-10)
The theme of convergence in The Tempest is forgiveness. Forgiveness is first shown int the character Miranda, Prospero’s daughter. Her first line in the play is “If by your art, my dearest father, you have/ Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them”(Tempest 1.2.1-2). Without knowing who they are or what they have done, Miranda asks for her father to spare them. Prospero indeed does not truly harm a single person. Prospero even commends Ariel, who was the spirit behind the tempest, on his just care and gentleness with how he handled the men on board. Speaks with Ariel a spirit. Ariel recounts how he got all of the characters off the boat and spread about the isle; 
“Not a hair perish’d/ 
On their sustaining garments not a blemish,/ 
But fresher than before; and as thou badst me,/ 
In troops I have dispers’d them ‘bout the isle.”(Tempest 1.2.217-220)
Apart from the tempest, Prospero uses little spells that irritate, but do not maim or seriously injure. Whenever Caliban attacked him, Prospero chased him off with naught but joint pain. Part of Prospero’s plan for forgiveness was to have his daughter marry the prince who came with his father on the boat. A marriage would end any bad blood or enmity, as it was a joining of families. By way of musical accompaniment by Ariel, Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love(Tempest 1.2.418-419, 449).
Prospero also has no ill will toward Gonzalo, his one friend that was on the boat with the others. But as Gonzalo is a good man, he was very nearly in danger of getting killed. Prospero sends Ariel to watch over them. As Ariel does so, he wakes Gonzalo just as he is about to be killed by Prospero’s brother. “While you here do snoring lie,/ Open-ey’d conspiracy/
His time doth take,/ If of life you keep a care,/ Shake off slumber, and beware./ Awake, awake!”(Tempest 2.1.300-305) Even after twelve years marooned, he still cares for Gonzalo, regardless of the company he keeps.

The main reason that Prospero leads the men around is to give time for Miranda and Ferdinand to meet and grow closer. After some time, he engages Miranda to Ferdinand then gives a show of his power. Iris, Ceres, and Juno talk about the union between Ferdinand and Miranda. Iris makes the statement, “A contract of true love to celebrate,/ And some donation freely to estate/ On the bless’d lovers.”(Tempest 4.1.84-86). The fact that three Roman goddesses seem to be on good enough terms with Prospero to show up for his daughter's engagement works as another nod to his power. When told that the men are confined and his good friend Gonzalo is weeping, Prospero examines his anger and finds it sated, saying “The rarer action is/ In virtue than in vengeance.”(Tempest 5.1.27-28) He finds it in himself to forgive not just the King, but his brother as well. The king agrees to the marriage and all is well. The play ends with Prospero laying down his magicks as he has no more need of them. He asks the audience to release him from his exile so he may go back to Naples(Tempest Epilogue).
    Macbeth dealt in Prophecy and betrayed his lord, then he met his end due to guilt and madness. The witches served as both disruptor and enforcer of Macbeth’s fate. In Midsummer, Hermia fought against her fate and won, her father’s command disappeared. Oberon and Puck served also as both Waylayer and Transporter throughout the play. In Tempest, Prospero acts as captor and liberator of those marooned on the island. He sates his need for justice and grants forgiveness to those that wronged him. This follows the central theme of Shakespeare using supernatural forces to serve as both motivation and resolution. “If we shadows have offended,/ Thing but this , and all is mended,/ That you have but slumb’red here/ While these visions did appear.”(Midsummer 5.1.423-426)





Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Gwynne Blakemore Evans. “A Midsummer Night's Dream.” The Riverside Shakespeare, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, NY, 1998, pp. 251–283. 
Shakespeare, William, and Gwynne Blakemore Evans. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” The Riverside Shakespeare, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, NY, 1998, pp. 1355–1390. 
Shakespeare, William, and Gwynne Blakemore Evans. “The Tempest” The Riverside Shakespeare, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, NY, 1998, pp. 1656–1688. ​