Authors have been writing tragedies for the past 2000 years. A tragedy is a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a noble person whose character is flawed by a moral weakness -as pride, envy, etc- which causes him to break a divine law or a moral precept and which leads him to his downfall or destruction. William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, by presenting a dark theme, a moral weakness in the hero’s mind and his downfall, can therefore be examined as a tragedy of the XVIIth century. A component of a tragic play is the somber mood in which it takes place. William Shakespeare introduces this dark theme from the beginning of the play, with the gloomy atmosphere created with the witches, the thunder and the lightning. The presence of the supernatural, for example the witches’ predictions, creates awe in the audience, giving them the desire to know more about the story. From the very beginning, the author is also giving clues to the audience about Macbeth’s failing, shown by the witches’ prediction to Banquo, telling him his future will be “Lesser than Macbeth and greater./ Not so happy, yet much happier” (Shakespeare I, iii, 66-67). Another clue of the main character’s decline is present in Banquo’s warning to Macbeth: “That, trusted home, Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, Besides the thane of Cawdor. But ‘tis strange. And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence” (I. iii. 122-128).
Banquo’s warning is a great example of foreshadowing, since later on, Macbeth, influenced by his wife, starts to commit murders in order to make the prediction become true and to achieve the crown of Scotland. As a consequence of these acts, such as the King’s murder, the chaos begins, having an impact on the entire country “Lamentings heard i’th’air, strange screams