Introduction
Does fate exist, or is it just an excuse for weak people who cannot take responsibility for their actions? William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth helps to find an answer to this question. The topic of this essay is whether Macbeth is a victim of fate or if he can be held responsible for his own downfall.
It is difficult to answer this question: the play’s main plot starts with witches declaring a prophecy about Macbeth becoming the king. Supernatural things exist in the world where the characters of the play live. If witches are real in this universe, then prophecies can also be real. Still, Macbeth’s downfall is a result of his own actions, as his ambitions led him to the choices he made, rather than prophecies. Another reason that Macbeth is to blame for his own downfall is that he does not always let prophecies define his actions, which means he does not believe in them that much.
Causes and Responsibility for Macbeth’s Tragic End
One reason Macbeth’s downfall is a result of his actions is that his ambitions led him to kill the king. At the beginning of the play, witches greet Macbeth as the Thane of Glamis, the Thane of Cawdor, and the future king. At first, Macbeth does not believe them, but as soon as he learns that he has been proclaimed the Thane of Cawdor, he starts trusting the witches, hoping to become a king. He wants power; Macbeth and his wife state that he is ambitious. After learning that Malcolm will be the king, Macbeth says, “Let not light see black and deep desires (Shakespeare 1.4.53).
The eye wink reat the hand, yet let that be (Shakespeare 1.4.54). Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (Shakespeare 1.4.55). At this moment, Macbeth decides to kill the king even if it scares him, and he knows it is a horrible deed. This quote shows that even if the prophecy made Macbeth think about becoming a king, his desires drove his actions. If the witches’ words did not resonate with Macbeth’s hunger for power, he would have ignored them and would not have conspired to kill the king. All that is stated above shows that Macbeth’s ambitions dictated his decisions.
Another reason why Macbeth predestined his own downfall is that he does not always follow the prophecies. The witches promised him that no man born from a woman could harm him, but in the end, Macbeth learns that his enemy, Macduff, was not born naturally. Still, when Macduff suggests he surrender, Macbeth responds, “And thou opposed, being of no woman born (Shakespeare 5.8.31). Yet I will try the last” (Shakespeare 5.8.32). He does not accept the possibility of avoiding the fight. These words demonstrate that Macbeth does not follow the prophecies if they contradict his ambition.
Before this moment, Macbeth trusted prophecies and believed he could not be harmed. Finding out that Macduff is the one who can defeat him, Macbeth refuses to trust the witches’ words anymore because he does not want to lose his power. Moreover, when Macbeth meets the witches for the first time and thinks about taking the throne, he has doubts. Macbeth states, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me” (Shakespeare 1.3.147).
This means that if he is destined to be the king, he will have the opportunity to be crowned without active participation, but Macbeth eventually abandons this idea. He does take action and kills the king, and these events start the process that leads to Macbeth’s downfall. It shows that while Macbeth wants prophecies to be accurate, he does not rely on them. He takes his fate into his own hands to achieve his goals.
While some believe that Macbeth’s downfall is a result of his actions, others believe that the reason is fate. Every prophecy Macbeth heard about himself was fulfilled; therefore, every event was predestined. Sometimes, Macbeth acts as if he believes in this predestination, too. When his wife dies, Macbeth, unsurprised, says, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player (Shakespeare 5.5.24). That struts and frets his hour upon the stage (Shakespeare 5.5.25) And then is heard no more” (Shakespeare 5.5.26).
Actors do not have their will on the stage; they follow a script written for them, and as Macbeth perceives life as the play, he sees himself as someone who does not have his own will. However, it is not true, as it is evident from everything said above that Macbeth does have a choice. He chooses whether or not to believe in prophecies. The witches’ words inspire him when they promise him success, but when events do not go well for Macbeth, he states that he no longer believes in witches. It means he had a choice whether to listen to witches. He had a choice of not killing the king and not starting the course of events that led to his downfall.
Conclusion
In conclusion, only Macbeth’s own actions led him to his ruination. He made choices based on his wishes and ambitions and could step back and choose another course of action. The prophecies influenced his fate only to the level that Macbeth himself let them affect his life and choices in the first place.The downfall was not inevitable; it took Macbeth to decide to kill the king and follow his plan for the prophecy to be fulfilled.These steps initiated the process that ended in Macbeth’s downfall, so he predestined his fate.