The Role Of Fate In Macbeth

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The dog ate my homework. The devil made me do it. He forced me to eat that apple. These commonly made excuses that people have been uttering since the dawn of time. A recurring excuse among the pages of Macbeth is the question on whether or not he had a choice in his fate. Fate is the universal principle or ultimate agency by which the order of things is presumably prescribed (Dictionary.com). Macbeth relies on his fate to determine his next step in life and is easily influenced by those around him. Macbeth relies on the prophecies of three sister witches to unfold the course of his own fate. Even the choices that Macbeth made were predetermined by the circumstances around him. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, fate plays an important role in the I say people who believe that they cannot change fate lack the knowledge and wisdom to understand what life and reality are” (Chang). The fate of the characters in this fable was predicted from a prophecy told by the three sister witches. These witches, however had the most impact on Macbeth. Macbeth heard the prophecy of the weird sisters that he was to be king and immediately began to plan the murder of the present king. It was clear that being king was something that Macbeth desired, and would do anything to achieve it. It became impossible to tell if Macbeth becoming King was as a result of fate, because he took the matters into his own hands. Macbeth and his wife planned out the actions necessary for Macbeth to become king. Within in the first act of Macbeth, the three sister witches speak these words to Macbeth, “ First Witch: All hail, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis! Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare). The witches reveal to Macbeth his fate and therefore influence his decision in the murdering of King Macduff was a brave knight from Scotland who stood up to King Macbeth in hopes to defend his country and his family. When Macbeth first learns of the suspicions of Macduff, he orders the murder of his entire family. This, however, does not stop Macduff in his plot to overthrow the king and save his country. He flees to England, where he will gather the troops to over power the murderous king. While Macduff is off planning his revenge, Macbeth is back in Scotland requiring the help of the three sister witches to secure his safety. These witches relay a prophecy of Macbeth’s fate, they say, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth (Shakespeare). This message gives Macbeth false hope due to the fact that Macduff was removed from his mother in an unnatural way and not of a woman. Macduff is the ending to this fable after he successfully kills Macbeth and ends his fate to protect himself and the people of

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