Macbeth's Actions Towards His Fate
Macbeth, while unable to change his predetermined fate, does in fact act upon the prophecy he learns of for himself. When Macbeth learns he is destined to become King, he decides that in order to do so he must kill Duncan. In Act One Scene Three, Macbeth says, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir" (25). Macbeth accepts that fate has predetermined his destiny, and accepts that he cannot change what fate has planned for him.The killing of Duncan secures Macbeth's title as King, and begins his treacherous tirade of murders which stains his conscience and good name with blood. Macbeth has Banquo murdered, and attempts to murder Banquo's son Fleance but he escapes. He then orders the murdering of Lady Macduff and her family to punish Macduff for betraying him. Both of these are done in attempts to protect his throne. These actions preserved the title of King for Macbeth, the fate given to him by the witches, but do not change his fate. This shows that a person is unable to alter their fate, and can only work to achieve it.
Macbeth's Connection to the Reoccurring Witches
The witches are a very prevalent force in Macbeth's life in the play. From the very opening scene, we see a connection between the two that continutes throughout the whole story. The witches say, "There to meet with Macbeth" (7). From the very beginning of the story, we see the witches are already discussing Macbeth. Then in Act One Scene Three, we see the connection between the two when the witches say, "All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee!" (17). They have a respect for Macbeth and treat him like a King (how ironic).
The witches' influence on Macbeth leads to his downfall, and the fulfillment of his fate. Their prophecies predict his fate and ultimately show to be true to life. We see the reoccurrence of the witches being involved in Macbeth's life in Act One Scenes 1 and 3, Act Two Scene 1, Act Three Scene 5, and Act 4 Scene 1. The witches' presence throughout the story affects Macbeth in an obvious, negative, and substantial way, and leads him to achieve his fate but ultimately leads to his downfall and death.
FATE
Macbeth is a character deeply affected by fate, particularly because his downfall begins when he learns of his fate to become King. In Act One Scene Three of the story, the witches tell Macbeth that he will become the King someday. This leads Macbeth to inquire into how to fulfill his destiny. With this prophecy planted in his mind, he acts upon it in an attempt to make sure he fulfills what the three witches told him of. This goes to show that his fate to become King was predetermined and promised to happen, but his personal actions and thoughts led him achieve it. A person cannot change the predertermined fate themselves, but they can act upon it to fulfill it, and that is exactly what Macbeth does.
Fate in Macbeth
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