Macbeth Essay Edwin Tan

Edwin Tan

Period 3

AP Lit

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s characterization affects the perception of fate, which drives the plot. One main character that drives the plot is Macbeth. His perception of fate keeps the overall story going through his actions.

Macbeth faith and belief in fate is very strong. The fact that he believed the prophecies from the witches shows that he is very religious which also supports his belief in fate. Every time the witches come back with new prophecies, Macbeth believes all of them. Macbeth even goes to kill people to ensure his prophecy comes true.

This main driving force of the plot is the action committed by Macbeth. After Macbeth killed Duncan to calm the throne and fulfill the prophecy, he did not stop there. He went on to kill more people as others found out about the murder of Duncan. Every time a person dies by Macbeth’s hands, the plot moves forward and more characters start to get more suspicious. They begin to link Macbeth to the murders slowly and eventually come to the conclusion that Macbeth did indeed commit the murder and the lords finally take action to remove Macbeth.

From the beginning, Macbeth’s action was the main driving force on the whole story. The plot was greatly influenced by Macbeth’s actions. It all started from Macbeth’s strong belief in the witches prophecy. Fate was a strong motivator during the Medieval era and it is no surprise that Macbeth followed through with fates and prophecies given by the witches.