They were written at a time when popular fascination with the supernatural seemed to be at its peak. Shakespeare also uses witchcraft and witches, rising spirits and demons, and the pantheon of Greek and Roman gods in many of his other works, and even angels appear in Henry VIII. The ghosts in his stories tend to be dignified presences, not the kind to shake chains and scream at you, and are often those of the betrayed and murdered. All these supernatural aspects seem to have a purpose in the play and tend to stimulate the storyline. Works CitedAlchin, LK William Shakespeare info (the Complete Works online). 2005. Kolb, Laura. “Playing with demons: questioning the supernatural in Jacobean drama. » Forum for modern language studies. Oxford University Press, 2007. Lemercier, Sophie. “The supernatural and the representation of justice in Shakespeare’s theater.” European Studies: A Journal of European Culture, History and Politics; Vol 17, issue 1, p 105-116. 2001. Smidt, Kristian. “Spirits, ghosts and gods in Shakespeare. » English Studies September 26, Vol. 77, number 5, p 422. 1996. Stewart, Helen H. The Supernatural in Shakespeare. London: Kessinger Publishing, 2007. Saenger, Michael. Personal interview. October 18, 2010. NOTE IN TEXT: