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  • Essay / William Shakespeare's Application of the Supernatural in His Plays

    William Shakespeare applies the supernatural to develop a timeless commentary on societies in his plays. During the Elizabethan era, the period was defined by a large, consistent and enduring chain of being that convinced people to hold negative and unethical views about the supernatural. When reading Shakespeare's works on the paranormal, including exciting plays such as Julius Caesar, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, the concept of tragedies and comedies demonstrates the dark side of human character which adds to the value prominent in his works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The works of William Shakespeare persuade the community to hold unethical views about the supernatural. Shakespeare regularly demonstrates the abnormal through sinister characters: witches. An example of this is identified in his familiar play, Macbeth, in which Witch 1 announces "I am coming, Graymalkin!" Shakespeare refers to Graymalkin as the Witch's Familiar 1, a powerful entity in the form of an animal that helps witches use their potential. This shows that witches are associated with particular animals, which makes them different in the eyes of other citizens. Additionally, Shakespeare further convinced people to have unethical views about the supernatural. In Act 1, Scene 1, Witch 2 states "Paddock Calls", in which she was referring to her familiar toad to her fellow witches. This proves that witches associate with strange animals to gain power, thus generating negative opinions against them. Additionally, a third and final witch is used to express the paranormal from a sinister perspective. In Act 1, Scene 1, Witch 3 notices "Anon", which means "I'll be there" to her familiar, a spirit. With this evidence, we can infer that witches associated with otherworldly familiars and therefore society developed unethical views about themselves and the supernatural. By reading Shakespeare's works on comedy, the dark side of human nature can be noticed. It demonstrates the unsavory perspective of human nature through seemingly innocent characters, especially fairies. This can be identified in his play A Midsummer Night's Dream. In Act 2, Scene 2, Oberon squeezes flower juice onto Titania's eyes and sings, "What are you doing." Do it for your true love, take it.” Oberon's intentions were to make Titania fall in love with the first thing she saw and now with what she herself wanted to love. This reflects the dark outlook of human nature through Oberon's actions as a fairy. Additionally, Shakespeare applied the sinister attributes of the human personality in his works. After Oberon sings, he further sings “Love and long for him.” When you wake up, it’s your sweetheart.” When analyzed, it means protecting and nurturing the first thing it sees. This sinful act of Oberon causes Titania to blindly feed something without his approval. This expressed the sinister aspect of the mortal attitude. Additionally, Shakespeare further depicts wrongdoing in his works. In Act 2, Scene 2, after Oberon sings a spell, he ends the spell with "Awake when a vile thing is near." Oberon's intentions were to force Titania to unknowingly love something horrible without his permission. The purpose of this reflection is to teach its audience to perform virtuous acts, thus adding to the value.