Fate Flashcards
Quote to use for fate
Witches influence on fate = “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”
Analyse quote “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir” (act 1 scene 3)
This moment is crucial because it contrasts with his later actions—here, Macbeth seems willing to wait, but soon his vaulting ambition (Act 1, Scene 7) will drive him to seize power through violence. The witches’ prophecy plants the seed of ambition in Macbeth’s mind, but they never instruct him to act—his interpretation of fate leads to his downfall. In Jacobean England, the supernatural was a source of great fear and fascination, especially to King James I, who had written Daemonologie, a book condemning witchcraft. Shakespeare presents fate as a manipulative force, but it is Macbeth’s own choices that ultimately lead to his demise. This shift highlights how ambition warps his sense of morality; he initially appears conflicted, but soon he becomes ruthless, believing he must take control of destiny rather than trust in “chance.”
