Macbeth is an oddity in that it brings into question fate or a conscious choice dictating our actions. Do we, as a people, have the will to affect our charted course, or are we doomed to walk a predetermined path? Making no decisions for ourselves along the way? I fall into the mindset that, at least in Macbeth’s story, it’s a mixture of the two. We are heading toward a chosen point, but we choose how we arrive. In Macbeth, the witches play a central role in directing Macbeth to commit regicide. The prophecy they deliver to Macbeth plant the seeds of the plot to murder the king, Duncan. This is vital for the actions of the play to run their course, without which there would likely be no cause for Macbeth to assassinate him. Macbeth
