Shakespeare’s Macbeth presents the theme of the supernatural as a dangerous yet powerful force, which is evident throughout the play. Shakespeare uses the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as the victims of supernaturality, as they too succumb to evil and eventually fall to their death, where they suffer the consequences of their actions in hell. The supernatural is a key focus of Shakespeare’s play, as it highlights how manipulation and evil thoughts can lead to so much terror and brutality, and how it affects those around them. In Act 1, Scene 1, the audience is already introduced to the theme of the supernatural through the characters of the Three Witches. Shakespeare purposefully introduces the theme of the supernatural, as he is aware of the Jacobean audience’s impressions of witchcraft. The Jacobean audience at the time strongly believed in witchcraft, but more specifically King James I, who even wrote a book titled ‘Demonology’ regarding the subject. Shakespeare uses the Three Witches to create a dark and sinister mood at the beginning of the play, easily seen through their choice of words. When the Witches chant, ‘Fair is Foul, and foul is fair,’ we begin to see the supernatural elements of the play begin to unfold. Shakespeare purposefully uses a trochaic tetrameter to make the Witches seem sinister and eerie and implement a sense of fear into the Jacobean audience. Unlike any of the other characters in the play, the Witches speak in rhyming couplets, giving the audience the impression that they are chanting spells. Additionally, the Witches represent a disruption of the natural order and act as catalysts in Macbeth’s downfall. However, it is in Act 1, Scene 3, where the whole course of the play seems to change an entirely different direction as Macbeth meets the Witches and hears of his supposed ‘prophecy.’ Once again, the Witches chant in unison, ‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king thereafter!’ It is noticeable at this point that the prophecy awakes Macbeth’s vaulting ambition for power. The prophecy manages to unlock a different side of Macbeth, as he begins to question himself of being capable of pushing for greater power, implementing the theme of the supernatural. However, Banquo, who was also present when hearing of Macbeth’s prophecy, believes in the exact opposite of Macbeth’s thoughts. Banquo states, ‘the instrument of darkness tells us truth,’ in which he heavily distrusts the Witches. It is worth noting that Shakespeare may have used the character of Banquo to fit with traditional Christian beliefs, to not trust evil thoughts or beings. Unlike Macbeth who has been easily manipulated to listen to the Witches prophecy, Banquo refuses to acknowledge the Witches chants and even compares them to a demonic creature, stating ‘What, can the devil speak true?’ Here, Banquo denies the prophecies and is aware that Macbeth’s manipulation has caused him to raise suspicion. Again, we see an invocation of the supernatural through the character of Lady Macbeth. In Act 1, Scene 5, she states, ‘Come you spirits, unsex me here!’ Lady Macbeth’s statement firmly cements the theme of the supernatural, as she openly invokes the supernatural directly, asking to be stripped of her femininity and morality. Shakespeare has deliberately used this line to implement disturbance amongst the audience, as a woman rejecting her femininity and motherhood in Jacobean society was seen as incredibly offensive, since it denied a man from raising his own family. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth calls upon ‘spirits,’ meaning that she demands power from evil forces, wanting no traces of goodness and ‘milk of human kindness’ inside of her, foreshadowing her guilt which she feels before her eventual suicide. Later, in Act 2, Macbeth is driven to commit regicide, through the murder of King Duncan. At the beginning of Act 2, the audience begins to see Macbeth’s descension into madness, as he begins to see hallucinations; ‘is this a dagger I see before me?’ At this point, the audience begins to understand that supernatural thoughts have been firmly embedded in Macbeth’s mind. These evil thoughts begin to tarnish Macbeth apart psychologically and resulting in him to commit regicide. In fact, Shakespeare has deliberately made Macbeth commit regicide as it was also considered to be the most serious crime to commit in Jacobean society. It is seen as a clear disruption to not only the natural order, but also to the Great Chain of Being, as the order of succession from monarch to monarch has been disrupted. It is immediately after the murder of King Duncan, that Macbeth begins to question his sanity, declaring ‘A falcon towering in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawk’d at and kill’d.’ Shakespeare makes further connotations to Macbeth’s actions, as Macbeth has stated that the natural order has changed so much, that even animals are beginning to act unnatural. It’s contrary to the popular Jacobean belief that when a king is unjustly killed, the entire natural order, including animals and weather, crumble down. In conclusion, the theme of the supernatural is a consequence of actions committed by the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Before his manipulation, Macbeth was seen as all powerful and loyal, but after being introduced to supernaturality by the witches’ prophecies, he had adjusted to committing evil actions just to achieve greater power. At the ending of the play, Shakespeare firmly warns the audience not to commit evil or heinous crimes. In fact, not only does he order the audience to be heartfelt and caring individuals, but he also orders the king James I himself to be a good and truthful king. Shakespeare has deliberately tapped into the Jacobean audience’s fears of the supernatural, by conveying a key message to not succumb to evil, and that a disruption of the natural order will surely lead to huge consequences.