How Shakespeare's Macbeth Controls His Own Fate

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Macbeth Controls His Own Fate By Katie Griffin British Literature Glenda Davis 3/16/14 Katie Griffin Griffin 1 Glenda Davis British Literature December 8, 2013 Macbeth Controls His Own Fate In Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare, many argue whether the three witches control Macbeth or if Macbeth had control of his own actions. There are numerous points and much evidence that can back up the argument that the witches did not have complete dominance over Macbeth. “Macbeth’s great struggle is not against the witches, but between his conscience and ambition” (Jackson 1). The three…show more content…
The way Macbeth reacts to the witches is similar to a situation when a person is under peer pressure. Macbeth’s circumstances are similar to those of peer pressure because both are situations involve something or someone that tries to provoke the mind to an action by persuasion or pressure, etc. Peer pressure does not make a bad action okay, it is not a viable excuse, and there comes a point where one’s own conscious comes into play. The same goes for Macbeth’s situation; the witches’ influence does not justify what Macbeth did. It compares to a person explaining how he would not have done something if it were not for peer pressure. That does not clear one’s innocence. “Such faithless people are also persuaded, that neither hail nor snow, thunder nor lightning, rain nor tempestuous winds come from the heavens of God: but are raised by the cunning and power of witches and conjurors; insomuch as a clap of thunder, or gale of wind is no sooner heard, but either they run to ring bells, or cry out to burn witches” (Carroll, 309). Essentially, the witches can be persuasive but it all comes down to ones’ own personal conscious decision of right or…show more content…
They test Macbeth to see how he will react and how their prophecies will affect him. If the witches could really control Macbeth there would be no point in their game they play for boredom. They want to see how Macbeth will act if they mess his Fate up a little bit. Considering that the witches know everyone’s Fate, they know before hand how Macbeth would end up. That is where the play hits a confusing part, the witches would not want to control Macbeth. He is not their pawn on a chessboard to move wherever they want him to move, they just happen to know his next move, and they find this entertaining to watch go

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