The Supernatural in Shakespeare's Plays

Paper Summary:

William Shakespeare was in many ways a man of his time regarding his own beliefs in regards to religion, magic, and the supernatural. This paper examines how Shakespeare's family and historical environment clearly influenced the way that the supernatural was deployed in his later plays.

From the Paper:

"All of these conflicting ideas about the supernatural and religion Shakespeare infused into his plays. For example, in Shakespeare's plays, the supernatural often appears during times of great national torment. In "Hamlet," after the murder of the king, the ghost of Hamlet's father comes back from purgatory to demand that his son avenge his death. Even before anything evil happens in "Macbeth," the witches prophesize doom for Scotland. In Julius Caesar, supernatural occurrences occur before Caesar's assassination."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bradley, A. C. "Tragedy, Human Flaws, and Responsibility." Global Campus Distance Learning Lecture e-text from Columbus State. 2006. [3 May 2006] http://shakespeare.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fglobal.cscc.edu%2Fengl%2F264%2FTragedyLex.htm%23FLAWS%2C Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World. W.W. Norton & Co, 2004. Greenblatt, Stephen. Hamlet in Purgatory. Princeton University Press, 2002. Goldman, Peter. "Hamlet's Ghost: A Review Article." Anthropoetics. 7(1). Spring/Summer 2001. [3 May 2006]< http://www.anthropoetics.ucla.edu/ap0701/hamlet.htm>

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• Book Review # 69020 : "Shakespeare: Magic and the Supernatural"

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