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Fate (Macbeth (Macbeth seems to really misunderstand the nature of the…
Fate
Macbeth
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At times, he believes that they will come true regardless, and at other times, he wants to manipulate them
e.g. He says If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me / without my stir - this is immediately after their meeting with the witches and he seems to recognise that he did not have to do anything to become Thane of Cawdor, and so may not have to do anything to become King
Here then, we see Lady Macbeth's power - Macbeth seems happy to not do anything and let fate take its course at this point - but Lady Macbeth convinces him that they must kill the King
When he receives the prophecy: Beware the Thane of Fife, he decides he will make assurance double sure / and take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live - this shows how he doesn't understand the witches' prophecies as sometimes he thinks they are guaranteed to come true, and other times he thinks he can control them
He also tries to manipulate the prophecies when he tries to kill Banquo and Fleance to make sure the third prophecy does not come true
Banquo and Macbeth
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Banquo seems happy to let fate take its path - after receiving his prophecy, he does not feel the need to act upon it
Macbeth on the other hand, feels the need to conform fate to his own needs - he takes matters into his own hands
To blame
Would Macbeth have become King anyway? Was he always going to murder Duncan? Did the witches just help it along?
It is still arguable / debatable how much the witches have control over what happens, and how much was just fate
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Macbeth's free will
Does he have free will? Arguably not - his fate is sealed once he has met the witches, and everything he does after is not his fault
Once he tells LM, who convinces him to murder Duncan, he has to kill Banquo, and then he puts his faith in fate, which means he meets the witches again, who tell him about Macduff
Or, he does have free will; he could have not killed Duncan, and then not killed Banquo etc
Witches
The question arises as to how much power the witches have over fate - can they control it? Are they simply messengers or agents of fate, telling Macbeth what is already going to happen?