Supersitions and the Unseen

Superstitions ran deep in Elizabethan society, reflecting a belief in unseen powers and cosmic forces.  People feared ill omens, such as black cats or broken mirrors, and consulted astrologers and soothsayers for guidance.  The existance of supernatural beings, such as ghosts and spirits, was widely acknowledged.  Shakespeare deftly harnessed these superstitions, employing ghostly apparitions in Hamlet and the haunting presences of Banquo's ghost in Macbeth, adding an air of mystery and intrigue to his works.