Fate and Freewill/Macbeth Flashcards
“Macbeth shall be king”
Killing Duncan is a landmark decision in his moral path, as it is a conscious choice to put an end to his good ways and embrace corrupt temptation. Although the Witches say “Macbeth shall be King”, they never clarify how, therefore murder was solely the choice of Macbeth.
“his head fixed upon [the] battlements”.
The traitorous Macdonald has “his head fixed upon [the] battlements”. The same fate meets Macbeth in the final scene of the play. This implies that Macbeth had the ability to be evil within him all along. Alternatively, Shakespeare may be demonstrating how evil will always be punished. The balance between good and evil is maintained, so the same paths are followed again and again as God keeps order.
“My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical // Shakes so my single state of man // That function is smother’d in surmise // and nothing is but what is not” (A1.S3).
When Macbeth initially meets with the Witches in Act One. During their meeting the Witches reveal their prophecies to him. Although they don’t mention murder, Macbeth’s thoughts jump ahead to the possibility of killing the King: “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical // Shakes so my single state of man // That function is smother’d in surmise // and nothing is but what is not” (A1.S3).
