The dog ate my homework. I didn’t know the gun was loaded. The devil made me do it. Since people have been alive they have coming up with an array of excuse for their own actions. Refusing to admit that it was simply their own fault. These excuses however, are taken to a whole new level when it comes to famous plays, especially those written by none other than Shakespeare, who tend to use the biggest excuse of them all: “fate”. One of the greatest plays by Shakespeare the story of “Macbeth”, however takes this his famous excuse of “fate and questions it. Was Macbeth destined to commit regicide among other murders? Or was it none other than his own actions drawing from a weak character the brought about his own downfall? Throughout the play,
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This description from Shakespeare sets up the reasonable expectation that Macbeth being the honorable man he is, could only logically have morally strong character. In fact, he did, that is until three witches enter the picture. Macbeth’s actions and subsequently his character in the play are not called into question until after the three witches, declare “All hail to thee, Macbeth, thou shalt be King hereafter”, from this instance on Macbeth’s character can be seen taking a very wrong turn, down a very wrong path (1.3.51). As much as some may argue, that the witches were simply delivering “fates” plan. They never specifically, tell Macbeth that he must go on an all out killing spree. In fact, they never say that he needs to do anything in order for their prophecy to play out. It’s Macbeth’s weak moral character that comes to be the true reason that he turns into a murdering tyrant. He alone comes up with the idea that he could kill King Duncan, stating it that it “might be the be-all and end-all” of the prophecy(1.7.5). All he has to do is kill the King and surely he will rule over the land. The witches never tell Macbeth to go out and kill Duncan, showing that it is not the external forces of the three witches or fate, but a character flaw on Macbeth’s part. He knows that killing the King is deeply wrong, yet he goes through with
This description from Shakespeare sets up the reasonable expectation that Macbeth being the honorable man he is, could only logically have morally strong character. In fact, he did, that is until three witches enter the picture. Macbeth’s actions and subsequently his character in the play are not called into question until after the three witches, declare “All hail to thee, Macbeth, thou shalt be King hereafter”, from this instance on Macbeth’s character can be seen taking a very wrong turn, down a very wrong path (1.3.51). As much as some may argue, that the witches were simply delivering “fates” plan. They never specifically, tell Macbeth that he must go on an all out killing spree. In fact, they never say that he needs to do anything in order for their prophecy to play out. It’s Macbeth’s weak moral character that comes to be the true reason that he turns into a murdering tyrant. He alone comes up with the idea that he could kill King Duncan, stating it that it “might be the be-all and end-all” of the prophecy(1.7.5). All he has to do is kill the King and surely he will rule over the land. The witches never tell Macbeth to go out and kill Duncan, showing that it is not the external forces of the three witches or fate, but a character flaw on Macbeth’s part. He knows that killing the King is deeply wrong, yet he goes through with