In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the characterizations of his characters are largely revealed by Shakespeare's perception of fate. Using the characters' actions, comments, and their thoughts, Shakespeare weaves into his story the perception that fate affects man's actions, and that fate is inescapable.
An example of Shakespeare using characterization to further his perception would be Lady Macbeth. When she hears about the Weird Sisters' prediction that her husband will be king, she is overcome by greed and ambition. This is an example of her reaction to fate. She is also often underwhelmed by her husband's lack of authority, but she takes advantage of this. In doing so, she cements her and her husband's fates as royalty but also drives herself to madness.
Banquo is more resistant than Macbeth is to the Weird Sisters' prediction. Macbeth repeatedly reassures him, saying "Do you not hope your children shall be kings when those who have given thane of Cawdor to me promised to less to them?" Banquo realizes how seriously Macbeth is taking the prediction, but does not make an effort to stop it. This ultimately leads to his demise. Because Banquo was not a very ambition-driven character as well as apprehensive about the prophesies, he can be seen as a foil to Macbeth. This makes Shakespeare's message about fate clearer as well: no matter the characterization of man, they cannot escape fate. Banquo was not naïve about what the prophesy foretold, knowing that Macbeth was the one to kill Duncan, and his loyalty to his friend disallowed him to change fate.
Macbeth immediately believes in the prophesy, exciting himself and immediately giving him a newfound thirst for ambition and power. He had previously been a fierce warrior, but when the opportunity to become thane of Cawdor as well as king arises, he cannot help but become greedy. He begins to lose his mind when he loses his ethical side about killing Duncan for profit, and because he is submissive to his wife, he is driven to action that fulfills the fateful prophesy. Because Macbeth learned his fate, he could not help but fulfill it, continually growing more and more confident as he found that every deed that was promised occurred. This confidence led to blindness; he didn't foresee any other possibilities that the prophesies may have meant. His confidence was fueled by power, and with power comes responsibility, but he didn't embrace it. Instead, he became power-drunk and believed he was invincible. This character flaw led to his demise as well as his dethroning.
In conclusion, the characterizations of Banquo, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth all are carefully constructed to show that fate affects man's actions, and that fate is inescapable.
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