The supernatural in Macbeth by William ShakespeareIn "Macbeth", written by William Shakespeare, includes evil, witches and the supernatural. Shakespeare wrote "Macbeth" in 1605 for a Jacobean audience. In 1605 James I was king and he was really interested in the supernatural. He also wrote his own book entitled “On Demonology”. By the early 17th century, virtually everyone believed in witches and the supernatural. Nowadays, in 2005, virtually no one believes in witchcraft. In 1605, people didn't know why things like disease and drought happened, that's why they thought it was witches. In modern times, there are scientific reasons why things happen. The main examples of evil in Shakespeare's work are witches, the supernatural, and the murder of the king. In 1605, people believed in the divine right of kings. This is the place where God appoints the king. Committing regicide (killing the king) was seen as one of the worst sins in 1605 and that is why Shakespeare includes it in his play. The opera begins in act 1, scene 1. It is set in an open place with "thunder and lightning". The first characters seen in the play are the 3 witches. This sets the tone for the show. It shows that the play is about evil and has a dark side. The witches talk about meeting Macbeth. They look for him, plan to meet him. So it's no coincidence when the witches meet Macbeth later in the play, because the witch 3 says "There to meet Macbeth." In Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth meets the witches for the first time. The witches tell Macbeth their predictions. They predict that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then become king. These predictions later turn out to be true. Banquo, one of Macbeth's closest friends, is there at the time and the witches predict that his sons will be future kings. In the same scene Macbeth becomes Lord of Cawdor. This ignites his ambition and makes him think that he might even become king.