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fate and destiny in macbeth
fate and destiny in macbeth
witches' prophecies to macbeth
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Macbeth: Destiny of Each Character is Pre-determined
In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, each characters
destiny seems to be predetermined. This raises the ultimate question: who,
or what, controls fate?
Existentialism is the belief that each person defines their future by
their decided actions: that the future has not yet been written.
Fatalism is the belief that the outcome of all events is preordained, and
therefore, unalterable. Throughout Macbeth, the character Macbeth makes
many decisions which clearly affect his future, but are they truly
decisions? Or, are his decisions examples of fatalism, where another force
is guiding his actions to their predetermined conclusion?
Many of the characters, events, and much of the imagery in Macbeth
indicates that fate plays a prominant role in advancing the plot. The
characters most easily identified with having supernatural powers are,
obviously, the three witches.
The Witches' ability to see into the future is demonstrated when Macbeth
becomes thane of Cawdor. The line, "What? Can the devil speak true?"
showes Banquo's surprise at the realization of the prophecy.
But, would the Witches' prophecy of Macbeth's royal promotion have come
true had they not made Macbeth aware of the possibility? There was no
reason to warn Macbeth of the fate in store for him, since it is most
likely impossible for a person to alter their destiny. It is quite
possible that the witches have no real power at all, beyond that of
suggestion. They may have only planted the idea within Macbeth, feeding
off his already present ambition. Perhaps the only true controlling power
comes from Lady Macbeth's uncontrollable greed.
Once Lady Macbeth had learned of the witches' prophecy, she immediately
concluded that Macbeth would not, with his present persona, be able to
attain that which fate had bestowed upon him.
"...Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
And chastise with valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crowned withal."
Lady Macbeth believed that it was her duty to induce Macbeth to carry
out the necessary deed (Duncan's murder) to fulfil the prophecy. However,
if Lady Macbeth had not influenced him, it is doubtful that Macbeth would
have taken any action towards his Royal future.
This substantiates the idea that the strength of the witches' words lies
in the power of suggestion. Although Lady Macbeth stated her belief in
Fate, she felt compelled to help it along. During the banquet, Macbeth
realized that the path of his life was coming to a "fork in the road", and
The three witches told Macbeth of his fate. Did the events in Macbeth?s life occur because of the witches? prophesy or was it because of the choices he made? Could there possibly be some of both? What caused Macbeth to fall? Was it his fate or his free will?
Fate vs Free Will is one of the most oft used literary techniques in writing. It is never more evident than in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The major theme of the story Macbeth is whether or not the story is fueled by the free will of Macbeth, or by his fate. Are the events in Macbeth a result of his mentality and outlook on life, or were they going to happen no matter what? Almost every major event that takes place can be traced back to this question. It can be viewed in different ways, and most people have their own opinions. Dissecting this question is a part of what makes teaching Macbeth still have so much value to this day. But there is a clear answer to this question upon further dissection. The story of Macbeth is fueled by his free will, which he perceives to be a necessary part of achieving his fate.
"The Broken Spears" by Miguel Leon-Portilla gives a different perspective on the defeat of the Aztecs. Through reasons such as religion and culture beliefs, the Spanish technological advancement, and their strategy of gaining alliances in the new land contributed to the defeat of the Aztecs. The two factors that played the biggest roles were the poor leadership of Motechuhzoma and the timing of the plague. Those two factors were indeed what brought down this great Empire.
... (Schweikart 5-6). The Aztecs’ greed for sacrificial hostages turned these Indian neighbors against them (Kingfisher 196-197). The Aztecs were defeated, partially because they had been weakened by smallpox, but also because the Spanish fought together as a single force, while Aztecs fought as individuals (Schweikart 6-7).
In terms of this particular advice, Macbeth is completely lacking in Machiavellian foresight (the ability to foresee the ruin of one's own principality). Instead of gathering all of his potential competitors for the throne, as well as the likely accusers of immoral action, into one location and having them all killed at once, as evidenced i...
If you take all of these steps you will survive at least one normal day in the life of a single parent going back to school. Continuing your education is hard work. It takes dedication, commitment, and making sacrifices. Remember, your family comes first, your education second, and if you have time for anything else, it comes third. Don’t give up and keep your sense of humor.
Fate can be defined many different ways. Webster's Dictionary defines fate as a power that supposedly predetermines events. Fate is synonymous to the word destiny, which suggests that events are unavoidable and unchangeable. Whatever happens in life is meant to be and cannot be changed by mankind. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, fate plays an important role in the lives of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “You can be anything you want to be”. He believed that free will is enough to allow people to be what they want to be. On the other side, tales such as Greek mythology speak of inescapable destinies locked in by fate. Whether the fate is targeted at a god or a hero, he tries everything to eschew the prophecy, except the fate always comes true; often the free will’s resistance against the fate acts as the root of the fate. One of William Shakespeare’s plays, Macbeth, revolves around issues involving fate and free will. The main character Macbeth is seen attempting to invalidate unfavorable prophecies by his free will. Macbeth is not under complete free will, but he is a mere victim of ruthless psychological manipulation disguised in the name of fate; it leads him to the “fates” that should never have occurred.
Fate is an inevitable – seldom disastrous – outcome; regardless of one’s desire to veer it in a different path, fate is adamant. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, there is a steadfast question of whether Macbeth is a victim of fate or that he chooses his own path. By instilling his character, Macbeth, with ambition and ruthlessness, Shakespeare demonstrate that a person – in this case Macbeth – is doomed not by fate, but by flaws in his/her character.
Aeneas is the son of Venus. This fact alone brings about much of the hero in him. Venus, a concerned mother, always looks out for her son. She does everything she thinks will help to ensure his safety and success. At the beginning of his journey from Troy, she prevents his death at sea. Juno has persuaded King Aeolus to cause vicious storms, rocking Aeneas' fleet and nearly killing all of them. Venus then goes to Jupiter and begs him to help Aeneas: Venus appealed to him, all pale and wan, With tears in her shining eyes:
How much of an influence does fate have on the ideals of a person? Is Macbeth acting out the selfish desires of his own accord? Fate is thought to be unavoidable, and all the paths of life lead to a destiny that is inescapable. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, not only is Macbeth’s hand forced in committing a murder, his fate is expedited in the process. Macbeth is in control of his own destiny, but is spurned into decisions by the Witches and his wife. Although Macbeth believes he is controlled by fate, a more thorough inspection reveals his control over all his actions.
The comparison between Fate and Free Will has been going on for centuries. Fate is like what is pre-decided for what is going to happen in the future. Everyone wants to have a choice in life and be free. Sometimes having the opportunity to choose something can make it harder for that person. Throughout the play, Macbeth fights himself on whether or not to go through all of these horrendous courses to become king. He knows it is not the right thing to do, but he has Lady Macbeth telling him to do everything, even when it’s wrong. The three evil sisters are not much help either. They keep feeding him these predictions and make him believe that he has control over what is to come. Macbeth becomes very torn, but winds up listening to his wife and the three witches. He has no excuse for his actions because he had many chances to fix or change them. Macbeth's ruinous decisions and actions are initiated by free will and eventually leads to his death.
In Book I, we learn that Aeneas will be facing many obstacles on his journey because Juno (Hera) “in her sleepless rage” does not favor him (1.7). An issue Odysseus also had to deal with. The difference here is, unlike Odysseus who has angered Poseidon by blinding his son, Cyclops, Aeneas has not done anything to provoke this rage. Juno holds a grudge against Paris for not choosing her in a beauty competition against Minerva (Athena) and Venus, “that suffering, still rankled: deep within her, / Hidden away, the judgment Paris gave” (1.39-40). She also knows what is to come of Carthage, “That generations born of Trojan blood [Aeneas] / Would one day overthrow her Tyrian walls,” a city “[Juno] cared more for…/ Than any walled city of the earth” (1.31-32, 24-25). We know that Aeneas is set to build Rome so she will try her hardest to make him fail on his journey. In the case of Odysseus, Athena interc...
... attempts they do just the opposite. With Venus’ many interventions, Aeneas is prevented from making mistakes and is guided to his fate, from not killing Helen [book 2] to leaving behind the old and the weak for Italy [book 4] . He is shown enough times to be the puppet of their play: from obeying the will of the gods while enduring the wrath of other gods, all this in order to set the wheels in motion for the far off future Roman race. However, there are also times when he is also shown to be exerting his won free will. For example, in book 12, killing Turnus when he is begging for mercy, something not heroic and which Susanna Braund debates the positive and negative aspect of in her essay on Virgil and the Meaning of the Aeneid [1.17-18]. nonetheless, this act demonstrates that even the gods and the fates require his cooperation to fulfil his destiny.
The prophecy is being fulfilled and Macbeth is about to be King. At this point in the story, Macbeth seems like a tragic hero. We don 't know what happens in the future, the only evidence is what we have already seen in the first two acts. We can see that deep in his heart that he knows he is wrong, but he still does it anyway. Macbeth will most likely not have a happy ending. In his head, Macbeth is thinking to himself that the plan was a success. He thinks that he doesn 't look guilty whatsoever and that the reasons that he gave in his head is enough to make him not look guilty. This reader thinks that his guilt will eventually eat him alive from the inside out. He was already having doubts before he actually killed the King, so one couldn 't imagine how guilty he would feel after knowing what he did for all those