Macbeth Act 1-- Destiny, Fate and Influence

N.d. Web. 19 May 2013. http://saltlakemagazine.com/site_media/uploads/2010/07/macbeth-witches.jpg.

The witches have an important role in the novel. Before the witches met Macbeth, they talked about the tricks that they played on other humans. For instance at the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3, the witches talked about the mischief that they played on the humans, like crashing a sailors ship. This is evidence that the witches like to cause trouble to humans. As a result, the witches might use their magic to do the same by making Macbeth kill Duncan. Banquo, on the other hand, believe that the witches have the  power to see into the future. To cite an example we only have to refer to when Banquo says "If you can look into the seeds of time/ And say which grain will grow and which will not/ Speak, then, to me, who neither beg nor fear" (I, iii, 61-63). In the lines it is apparent that Banquo thinks that the witches have the ability to predict what will happen in the future. However, he is not entirely certain whether the witches can correctly predict the future. Their abilities to look into the future seem believable because they predicted that Macbeth will become the new thane of Cawdor, which does eventually end up becoming true. As a result, this means that the witches in the play have a lot to do in planning out what will happen later on, but whether or not the characters' actions are already decided by the witches is not clear in the first two acts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXcT7nrpglw

This is a scene when Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches and hears the prophecy of Macbeth and Banquo's kids becoming the future King of Scotland.

 

 

 

Even though the witches appear to have special magic powers to predict or change the future, I believe that destiny is determined by people's choices. We can choose our own paths by what we decide to do and how we act. The future is not already set because we are the only ones that can shape our own destiny and make things happen that other people think will not. People have the ability to influence their own future and they can succeed by working hard, setting goals and getting an education. Macbeth, on the other hand, wonders if the witches' prediction will occur by themselves without him having to do anything. "If chance will have me king, why, chance may/ crown me/ Without my stir" (I, iv, 157-159). However, Macbeth does not understand that his future can only be shaped by his actions, not according to the witches' predictions. To cite an example of that we only have to refer to Macbeth's actions. Macbeth did not have to kill, but his bad decisions that he made to fulfill his great future end up ruining his life. The King of Scotland would not have been killed and Macbeth's life would not have been ruined if Macbeth did not believe the witches' predictions.