Explore the importance of the supernatural in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.

The supernatural plays an extremely important role in determining the course of the plot in Macbeth. The play begins, for example, with the monologue of the witches as they concoct their potion, immediately leading an audience to fear them and their future role in the play. The witches determine everything, and ensure that the tragedy of the play is followed through, with the subsequent deaths of Macbeth and his Queen.We have to consider the role that the supernatural plays when considering Fate, one of Shakespeare's most common motifs. This relates to the idea that the characters are helpless in all of their actions and have no control whatsoever. This ultimately leaves the audience feeling helpless and vulnerable to the supernatural, a key belief that was held in the Elizabethan period.