Why Do We Have To Do If They Were Told In Macbeth
It is not often that one is able to look down the tunnel of time and see their future in front of them. People check their zodiac, pray to Gods, and go to fortune tellers just to catch a glimpse of possibility in their life. But what would they do if they do if they were told who they were to become? In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is posed with that question. He is able to see his fate through with the help of witches. He fulfills one of the requirements for being a tragic hero, learning something, by realizing his individual influence on fate by hearing the witches’ prophecy and deciding what to do and believe after. When the witches revealed Macbeth’s future roles to him, it created conflict and confusion. They not only gave
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After hearing the prophecy, in confusion, he cries out, “Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more”(1.3.73). For him to learn something about himself and about fate, he must first be ignorant of it. His intrigue and requests for more foreshadows how Macbeth will struggle with this information later on in the text. Later, when writing to Lady Macbeth, he references the augury, saying, “These Weїrd Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’”(1.5.8-10). Macbeth shares information as important as becoming king with his wife, which one can assume he most likely would not have done if he believed the Weїrd Sisters to be telling lies. Even though Macbeth accepts what the witches have told him as truth, he still struggles with his free will and means of fulfilling the prophecy. When speaking with Lady Macbeth, he rejects her plan to kill King Duncan, the reigning King, and tells her that they will, “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34). Macbeth begins this scene by having new information about his future proposed to him, and questioning how, and if, it is to come to be. By the end of the scene, he has accepted the inevitable outcome, yet still holds on to the means by which it is to happen. Macbeth, questioning both his power in politics and in his now known fate, learns the most about both through experience: Killing Duncan. While he was originally opposed to claiming the throne through regicide, he murders Duncan, and states that, “To know my deed ‘twere best not know myself”(2.2.93). By questioning his control over his own body, he once again references the prophecy and suggests that there may be higher forces at play in his life. As he begins to wake up to the fact that he may not have jurisdiction over his life, he both comes to gain knowledge about
After hearing the prophecy, in confusion, he cries out, “Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more”(1.3.73). For him to learn something about himself and about fate, he must first be ignorant of it. His intrigue and requests for more foreshadows how Macbeth will struggle with this information later on in the text. Later, when writing to Lady Macbeth, he references the augury, saying, “These Weїrd Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’”(1.5.8-10). Macbeth shares information as important as becoming king with his wife, which one can assume he most likely would not have done if he believed the Weїrd Sisters to be telling lies. Even though Macbeth accepts what the witches have told him as truth, he still struggles with his free will and means of fulfilling the prophecy. When speaking with Lady Macbeth, he rejects her plan to kill King Duncan, the reigning King, and tells her that they will, “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34). Macbeth begins this scene by having new information about his future proposed to him, and questioning how, and if, it is to come to be. By the end of the scene, he has accepted the inevitable outcome, yet still holds on to the means by which it is to happen. Macbeth, questioning both his power in politics and in his now known fate, learns the most about both through experience: Killing Duncan. While he was originally opposed to claiming the throne through regicide, he murders Duncan, and states that, “To know my deed ‘twere best not know myself”(2.2.93). By questioning his control over his own body, he once again references the prophecy and suggests that there may be higher forces at play in his life. As he begins to wake up to the fact that he may not have jurisdiction over his life, he both comes to gain knowledge about