Use of Supernatural by Shakespeare
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By all critics, at one time or another, William Shakespeare has been variously referred to as the ômaster playwrightö, brilliant in his portrayal of nearly every facet of action, plot, character; in short, a genius of dramatic expression rarely equaled in his or our time. It is a tribute of course that one-third of all books written is directly or indirectly related to this man. But I do not only wish to praise a man who has already been praised beyond this writerÆs ability, but to expound on one of his themes frequently, and, again, brilliantly woven into many if not most of his plays. This being the theme of the supernatural, present, specifically, in Hamlet and Macbeth, which will provide the necessary backdrop for our discussions of the supernatural theme. The use of the supernatural in ShakespeareÆs works encompasses a staggering variety of functions, some of which are obvious: to create the initial atmosphere, capture the audienceÆs attention, introduce tension and the sense of foreboding, and often times to simply inject a note of terror into the proceeding. But more importantly, it is important to distinguish between the obvious and the subtle, which is not often an easy task with Sir William. He knew how useful superstition was to the ancient poets and probably felt that its dramatic symbol was necessary to the poetry itself. As evidence of this, W.C. Curry writes that . . . ôthe function of the dramatic symbol is to stimulate his imagination to the point of
. . .
rits:
Either the strange appearances which come as ghosts to men are the spirits of the dead released to return temporarily to earth, or the y are the feigned appearances used by the devil and his angels, or they are the fantastic forgeries of menÆs minds induced by melancholy or by passion (Campbell 7).
Consequently, according to the theories of the day, HamletÆs acceptance of the ghost befits his supposed melancholy. He attests to this when he says:
My fatherÆs spirit in arms! All is not well: I doubt some foul play . . . foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth oÆerwhelm them, to menÆs eyes (Shakespeare I, ii, 255-258).
So Shakespeare ties everything neatly together: ghosts, melancholy, impending disaster, and puts it all in the lap of his audience. But as the play progresses a different attitude is taken of the ghost. And although . . . ôwe have seen that unnatural melancholy was the cause of false shapes being presented unto the fantasy . . .ö
And Hamlet himself accepts the ghost:
The spirit that I have seen
May be the devil; and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me
. . .
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Approximate Word count = 2424
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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