In Shakespeare’s time, the belief in the presence and power of the supernatural touch life at every point. Customs were formed by it and behavior was dictated by it. Not only did the poor believe in it, but all classes of people were under its spell from nobles to the poor. It governed people’s lives down to the smallest details. They carried charms and mascots, found horror in spilling salt and walking under ladders, and dr

To the last syllable of recorded time;

Magic and supernatural beings occur in one-forth of Shakespeare-s comedies, 60% of his plays, and 60% of his tragedies (Hoffman67). Witches appear in Macbeth, a ghost appears in Hamlet, and fairies appear in A Mid-Summer Nights Dream. In addition, magic cures are given in All’s Well, evil curses are chanted in Richard III, and prophecies are told in Julius Caesar. Most of Shakespeare’s works contain some form of the supernatural. Shakespeare, however, was too great of a writer to lower the quality of his work to satisfy the taste of the Elizabethans. Although the court sometimes pressured his into including some form of the supernatural in his plays that had nothing to do with his themes, he rarely allowed Elizabethans’ demands to affect his own conception of how the supernatural should be used.

The ghost fulfills all the demands of Elizabethan beliefs. In the first pace, it comes at night when it is cold and lonely, it can’t speak unless spoken to, and it comes for a purpose—to revenge his murder. Second, Shakespeare gives the ghost more power over humans than just the fairies’ ability to annoy. It, however, is limited. Th ghost has no power to float into the castle at Elsinor and slay Claudius with his own hands. It must choose the living to help. Even then, it couldn’t insist on his carrying out the task. The ghost could only spur him in the hope that it would be done.

William Shakespeare was a genius. Not only was he able to use the supernatural in his works to the fullest extent of Elizabethan belief, but he was skillful at molding the supernatural into remarkable assets to his plot. However, Elizabethan beliefs weren’t the only influences that shoved their way into the meanings of his plays. His whole outlook on life also played a major part in the way that he shaped the supernatural. Not only does his use of supernatural elements within his works reveal the Elizabethans’ obsession with mythical beliefs, but it also reveals his attitude toward these beliefs at different points of his career. His remarkable handling of the supernatural is on reason why William Shakespeare is generally regarded as the greatest writer of English literature

Shakespeare’s First important use of the supernatural occurred when he was in his twenties. He was still a young man so he was happy to enjoy the realities of life rather that ask about its meanings (Schiller 200). The form of supernatural used by Shakespeare in Mid-Summer Night’s Dream is the harmless fairies. He doesn’t attach a

Some topics in this essay:
William Shakespeare, Caesar Shakespeare’s, Macbeth Shakespeare, Night’s Dream, III Hamlet, Hoffman Shakespeare, Macbeth Shakespearean, Ghost Hamlet, Macbeth Shakespeare’s, Macbeth Macbeth, form supernatural, supernatural elements, elizabethan beliefs, attitude supernatural, william shakespeare, supernatural shakespeare, beliefs reveals attitude, elizabethans’ obsession, mythical beliefs, beliefs reveals, elizabethans’ obsession mythical, reveals attitude, reveals attitude beliefs, mythical beliefs reveals, obsession mythical beliefs,