Chapter 1
Setting the scenes in Denmark and Scotland
Chapter 2
Supernatural catalysts of ghost and witches
Chapter 3
Ambition versus hesitation
Chapter 4
The tragic climaxes of poison and steel
YOUR GOAL
Master of Telling Hamlet apart from Macbeth
Ch 2 · Supernatural catalysts of ghost and witches
schopenhauer Ghost and Witches
A Ghost cries for the past (revenge, yeah!) / While Witches spin the future fast (the future, oh-oh!)
schopenhauer The supernatural elements in Macbeth directly targeted King James I's real-life obsession with witchcraft.
schopenhauer Macbeth is manipulated by three bearded witches who prophesy his rise and fall.
BETA
schopenhauer Play Bard's Boo and Brew to easily tell Hamlet and Macbeth apart. Learn to differentiate ghosts and witches with fun trivia in this educational game.
Fun Fact
Ear poison: The poison used to kill Hamlet's father is called 'hebenon,' a mysterious substance historians still argue about today.
Glossary
catalyst (noun)
An agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. The ghostly King of Denmark and three Scottish witches trigger the tragic downfalls of Hamlet and Macbeth.
An agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action. The ghostly King of Denmark and three Scottish witches trigger the tragic downfalls of Hamlet and Macbeth.
Quiz
Whose bloody ghost appears at Macbeth's royal banquet, visible only to Macbeth?
Quiz
Who is the only character the Ghost of King Hamlet actually speaks to in the play?
Quiz
In the opening scenes of Hamlet, who else besides the Prince actually sees the Ghost?
Quiz
What method do the three witches in Macbeth use to deliver their future predictions?
Quiz
What supernatural entities famously kick off the plot of Shakespeare's Macbeth?
Quiz
Which book about hunting witches did King James I publish in 1597, influencing Macbeth?
Quiz
What hallucination does Macbeth see floating in the air before he murders King Duncan?
Quiz
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, how does the Ghost of King Hamlet claim he was murdered?