Macbeth SA

Max White, Period 1, Team 2, Asher

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is, in essence, the story of a noble lord who is corrupted by the promise of power and driven mad with greed and guilt. While at first the characters are hesitant of prophesies and fate, they soon embrace them and use the revelations of the weird sisters to make decisions. In this way, Macbeth’s acceptance and reliance on fate - which can be observed through his actions, words, and reactions – is the ultimate cause of his murderous rise to power, bloody betrayal of Banquo, and eventual demise.

When the witch’s predictions begin to come true, Macbeth’s initial amazement and later conversation with Banquo reveal the fact that he has begun to believe their visions. But it isn’t until he writes a letter to Lady Macbeth that the true effect of fate on his life can be seen. Macbeth would never have hatched a plot to steal power from the good King Duncan if he hadn’t already embraced it as his rightful position. It illustrates the fact that Macbeth and his wife perceive fate as a foretold destiny that they will realize when they overthrow the current king. The decision he makes reflects this psychological transformation.

Fate also comes into play when Macbeth and his wife decide to kill Banquo. They were told by the weird sisters that Banquo’s children would be kings, which they see as a threat to the claim of their line to the throne. Macbeth begins to feel as though Banquo is “a snake at his neck” and orders three murderers to do in Banquo and his son. Macbeth’s actions are based solely on the witches prophesies, and the fact that he is willing to murder his closest friend betrays his ever-increasing obsession with the weird sister’s prophesies.

Fate again determines the progression of the story when Macbeth returns to the weird sisters to seek guidance about the future. They tell him that he cannot be killed by men born of women and that his castle will not fall until “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” This vision turns Macbeth into an arrogant and overconfident King who lashes out of his subjects and does a poor job of running his kingdom. His relief after hearing the weird sister’s prophesy demonstrates his belief that their words have guaranteed that he will be practically invincible, as does his characterization as a haughty and superior individual who thinks he is above repercussions. This portrayal of Macbeth can be linked directly to his inevitable demise, as the policies he pursues and his unwillingness to reason with those who are gathering to overthrow him are a result of the fate he feels he was promised. Even when his castle is surrounded and Macbeth refuses to give up and challenges his invaders to fights with reckless abandon, his actions are still guided by his obsession with fate. And when Macduff ultimately kills him, it is because Macbeth loses his nerve when he learns that Macduff was born via C-section and therefore not technically “born of woman.”

Macbeth and his wife view fate as knowledge that they can utilize and manipulate for their own gain. Ultimately, their attempts to alter it prove futile, and the steps they took to ensure their success result in their doom. It becomes evident that destiny is an unavoidable force that manipulates the characters – rather than the other way around – to realize their fate.