This is a false statement because Macbeth’s friend, Banquo, was also given a prophecy-one that said his sons would be kings. This prophecy is similar to Macbeth’s that he would be a king. Unlike Macbeth, Banquo does not become obsessed with the prophesy and makes no plans to murder Macbeth for son’s personal gain. This makes that argument specious because it seems as though the witches caused Macbeth to kill while they were only stating facts- it was Macbeth's own ambition that caused him to kill. Banquo was also given these facts and he chose to accept them and not try to intervene with fate. This takes the witches out of the equation for being a cause of Macbeth’s terrible decisions. Fallon even says “regardless of their enticements, Macbeth brings his tragic end upon himself”. These concedes the fact that the witches did play a small role in Macbeth’s fate, but in the long run Macbeth made his own choices. The witches were also described as having limited power which means that they would not have been able to completely affect Macbeth’s life. The witches were not able to control Macbeth’s actions, making it impossible to excuse him for all the deaths he
This is a false statement because Macbeth’s friend, Banquo, was also given a prophecy-one that said his sons would be kings. This prophecy is similar to Macbeth’s that he would be a king. Unlike Macbeth, Banquo does not become obsessed with the prophesy and makes no plans to murder Macbeth for son’s personal gain. This makes that argument specious because it seems as though the witches caused Macbeth to kill while they were only stating facts- it was Macbeth's own ambition that caused him to kill. Banquo was also given these facts and he chose to accept them and not try to intervene with fate. This takes the witches out of the equation for being a cause of Macbeth’s terrible decisions. Fallon even says “regardless of their enticements, Macbeth brings his tragic end upon himself”. These concedes the fact that the witches did play a small role in Macbeth’s fate, but in the long run Macbeth made his own choices. The witches were also described as having limited power which means that they would not have been able to completely affect Macbeth’s life. The witches were not able to control Macbeth’s actions, making it impossible to excuse him for all the deaths he