The supernatural was a predominant element in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. It was continuously expressed throughout the play and eventually brought Macbeth to his demise. One must question if Macbeth would have still killed Duncan without the aid of the witches and their prophecies. The main plot line of the play was established when the three witches made their first appearance with Macbeth and Banquo. They made two prophecies to Macbeth and one to Banquo, …showed first 75 words of 525 total…

…showed last 75 words of 525 total…a result, Macbeth's certitude in the witches' prophecies had brought upon a downfall to none other than himself. A.C Bradly describes the witches' intentions throughout the play as followed: "This is just what the witches do; they never tell Macbeth any lies; they only allow him to deceive himself. External evil takes advantage of internal weakness." (Harvey, 19.) Bibliography Harvey, John. Shakespeare, Macbeth, Oxford: Basic Blackwell, 1984 Shakespeare, William. Macbeth, Ontario: Harcourt Brace & Company Canada Ltd, 1988