"Finally, Shakespeare no longer restricts the action to purely human agencies... portents once more fill the heavens, ghosts rise from their graves, an unearthly light flickers about the head of the doomed man."
In this essay, Bradley discusses the supernatural nature of Macbeth, distinguishing it from the likes of Othello and King Lear. He comments that the action of Macbeth is not just restricted to human action and choices, but also contains the added element of supernatural forces, such as the Three Witches.
"The calamities of tragedy do not simply happen, nor are they sent; they proceed mainly from actions, and those the actions of men."
Here, Bradley relates the outcome of Shakespeare's tragic plays directly with the actions of the protagonists. Ultimately, the tragic outcomes are caused by human agency rather than by external forces. This is an argument Bradley makes when discussing Macbeth, stating that "there is no sign whatever in the play that Shakespeare meant the actions of Macbeth to be forced on him by an external power."
"The special popularity of Hamlet and Macbeth is due in part to some of these common characteristics, notably to the fascination of the supernatural, the absence of the spectacle of extreme undeserved suffering, the absence of characters which horrify and repel and yet are destitute of grandeur."
In this passage, Bradley gives some reasons why Hamlet and Macbeth are among Shakespeare's most popular plays. He credits their inclusion of the supernatural and the fact that there are no entirely repulsive or unlikeable characters. While characters like Lady Macbeth may seem unlikeable superficially, they nonetheless have a certain fascination and charm.
