The Power of Spirits in Macbeth Supernatural beings are used to create dramatic emphasis in all forms of literature. Shakespeare uses witches, ghosts, and apparitions in his play Macbeth to generate this effect. Supernatural beings are effective at provoking a reaction in audiences today, so it's easy to imagine how these specters would have alarmed people of the Elizabethan era. The people of the Elizabethan era had certain ideas about witches, which the three witches in Macbeth were based on. The witches added a supernatural element to Macbeth, as did the appearance of Banquo's ghost and the apparitions that emerged at Macbeth's final meeting with the three witches. All these events created a more dramatic atmosphere of suspense. The stage production, Macbeth, is full of references to the supernatural, as well as its real appearance. The witches in the story are like prophets, they predict Macbeth's future, or perhaps they can be considered harbingers of doom. They seem to enjoy playing with Macbeth's mind. The witches sing together alarmingly: "The strange sisters, hand in hand,/ Poses of sea and land,/ So they go about:/ Three times to yours, and three times to mine,/ and three times again, to the there are nine./ Peace! The spell is over." (I, iii, 83-87) They seem to belong to a kind of evil cult, and cults are not well known for producing positive actions and reactions in society. Banquo's ghost appeared at Macbeth's banquet, but Macbeth was the only one who could see it. This disturbed guests who thought he was having guilt-induced hallucinations after killing his best friend. Macbeth was quite unnerved by this experience and, when the ghost was present, seemed to completely lose touch with reality. When his wife tried to calm him down, he didn't even notice her presence. The images that appeared to Macbeth when he returned to the witches to reassure him before the battle against Malcolm and the English forces were conjured up by the witches.