macbeth- fate VS free will

“if change will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir”- Macbeth

macbeth hopes in an aside that “chance” which shaspeare personifies will crown him king without his “stir” or without him having to do anything himself, this seems to imply that although some outcomes are guided by fate, macbeth becoming king is his personal will and his mortal flaws dictate the route at which he arrives their

“stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”- MACBETH

the contrast of imagery between the stars, symbols of heaven and purity and the darkeness of macbeths dark desires emaphises his moral corruption that ambition has caused

the use of rhyme parallels the language that the witches use- suggest he has been fatefullt bewitched by them or he has made the free choice to embrace his dark side

“to bu thus is nothing, but to be saftkey thus”- MACBETH

he argues this, maning that power us pointless unless it is secure- macbeth then resolves to murder fleance who he is mataphorically describes as a serpant, even though he is just a child

the macbeth that once stood happily arm in arm with banquo at the begining is now the macbeth that is plotting to kill his best friends spn- two very different people

contrast between the 2 reveals the extent at ehich macbeth has let power corrupt his soul

he wants to be king saftely- without suspicions of murder or prophicies of the witches

he decides to kill banquo and his sons of free will- there was no mention of murder in the initial prophecy

“macduff was from his mothers womb, uktimely ripped”

when rebels show up disguised as trees and mucduff reveals this- reality of macbeths doom is clear- the witches had tricked him

confidence in skill crumbles as soon as macduff reveals this- macbeth is killed in same scene- is this his fated end, fufilling the prophicies or is it a result of macbeths shock when he relised he had been lied to by the witches

“when the battles lost and won”- witches

seems like condridictory nonsed- paradox makes perfect sense- the battle is both lost and won, but not by the same people- rebeles lose and king wins

these kinds of tricky ridles whihc resolve themsleves in unusueal ways set the tone of mistrust withing the audience- lefty wondering how much the witches actaually know or whether they can simply se fate or simply play on weaknesses of fatal flawa

£hail to thee thane of glamis

hail to thee, thane of cawdorr

all hail macbeth that shalt be king hereafter - the witches

order of witch they speak- first represnet past, ehere macbeth is already this, second is present, macbeth has been made this(doesnt know it yet- dramatic irony) third represent future where he will be king- mythalogical allusion to the tree fates of greek mythology- similialy controlled mortals past present and future

shaspears is suggesting that macbeths path may have already been mapped out or fated

provide no insight on how he will achieve this- it is macbeth that quickly condiders muder as the only way he could possibky become king

* MACETH “thoy haat hapd my fear aright

first appeartion in act 4 scene 1 cautione macbeth to “beware macduff”- replies this quote meaning he was already suspicious and perharps already considering the murders

audiences are positioned to question if macbeth is repsonfing to what has already been fated to ahppend or if his actions are desired by him and him alon

“thou wast born of women” - macbeth

even though he is presented with 2 chocies when he comes up againts oung siward to fight or to dies macbeth choses to kill siwards

suggesting that he is killing out of his own free will- out of spite