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Macbeth Determinism Quotes

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Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, once stated, “Life is a game of cards.The hand you're dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will,” is very relevant to Macbeth, in which the main protagonist, Macbeth, struggles as he assumes power. Throughout the play, Macbeth runs into many situations such as the witch's prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s persuasion, which seem to cause his violent actions. The witches and Lady Macbeth try to twist Macbeth’s morals, causing his ideas to become disturbing. Although one may believe Macbeth’s actions are an act of fate, Macbeth’s decisions are entirely based on his free will. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo confront the three witches in which they state the prophecy …show more content…

When Macbeth tells his wife of his doubt to kill Duncan she hastily responds, stating, “Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn (1.7.55-56).” In this quote, Lady Macbeth states how she would kill an innocent baby if she had the opportunity. This quote is symbolic, as this is when Lady Macbeth reminds Macbeth to fulfill the witches prophecy and follow fate by challenging his courage. Lady Macbeth’s persuasion seems to be the reason why Macbeth carried out the murder , however Macbeth later reveals his real …show more content…

Right before he murders King Duncan, Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger, and fearfully states, “Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going (2.1.41).” This quote depicts Macbeth’s dagger floating towards King Duncan’s room which is where the murder will take place. It is important that the dagger leads Macbeth to the room, not guiding him as Macbeth was already heading to King Duncan’s room. This is symbolic as it shows that Macbeth used his own free will to commit the murder. This dagger is just Macbeth’s conscience reassuring him to follow the murder . Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan was not fate given to him by the prophecy, instead he merely followed what his conscience

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

After the death of King Duncan, Macbeth begins to freak out, and Lady Macbeth tells him, “I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I sworn as you have done this” (Shakespeare I. vii. 54-59). Here Lady Macbeth is explaining how she is willing to sacrifice her own child for power. This imagery used, shows how ruthless she can be with someone that is so vulnerable, and innocent, just like how Macbeth killed King Duncan in his sleep. In addition to that is shows the lack of innocence Lady Macbeth has because she would have killed her own children and showed no feeling when she spoke about it.

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861 Words | 4 Pages

“There is a sufficiency in the world for man 's need but not for man 's greed.” This quote was spoken from a wise Indian activist, what he says is a correlation towards the rising greed aspect of the character Macbeth. This play Macbeth was about a soldier who became greedy with power. It is about Macbeth’s Tyrant display when he kills Duncan and orders Banquo to be killed and other violent acts.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

I laid their daggers ready; He could not miss’em.” (2.2.11-12). Feeling strongly about the murder, Lady Macbeth wanted to place the murder weapon for Macbeth. She even goes as far as saying “Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t.” (2.2.12-13).

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

The voices he hears that threaten: “Macbeth shall sleep no more” indicate a relationship between guilt and madness. Therefore, the manifestation of the dagger suggests that he feels guilty because of his attempt to murder Duncan. There are three major transitions of thought. First, he contemplates about the dagger’s existence; the second is the invocations of dark images; finally, there is the bell that cuts off Macbeth’s contemplations. The transitions between topics indicate that while Macbeth feels guilty for the murder, his determination makes him ignore

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868 Words | 4 Pages

Fate plays an immensely significant role in shaping the plot and characters of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and is a crucial force in determining the outcome of the play. Macbeth follows the downfall of a noble man after he commits regicide due to the witches and the prophecies, they provide to him. Although his downfall can be credited to fate, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s personal ambition and the manipulation he faces from his wife also drives the play to its tragic conclusion. The plot and characters of Macbeth are significantly influenced by fate throughout the play.

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673 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth shows that he is willing to kill King Duncan because he is interested in the witches prophecy, after they tell him that he will become ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and then the King.

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1257 Words | 6 Pages

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo had a chance meeting the three witches on their way back to their kingdom from a hard-fought battle with the Scottish. In their encounter, the three witches

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953 Words | 4 Pages

Often times, people go through rises and downfalls in their lives that they themselves are responsible for. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, both main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, himself, are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed. However, Shakespeare accomplishes in showing that Macbeth is more responsible for his own downfall than Lady Macbeth because he listens to the witches and follows his ambition rather than his conscience. To begin, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed by insulting him when he changes his mind.

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967 Words | 4 Pages

Of all the failures human beings experience none are as crushing as those that are a result of following someone else’s desires. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the protagonist self-destructs because of his external forces as well as his own poor choices. An external force that influenced Macbeth includes Lady Macbeth’s strong goals, which she forced on her husband. Additionally, the witches impacted Macbeth’s choices by offering him their tricky prophecies. The blind greed that took over Macbeth’s life also impacted his choices.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

He feels as though it is urging him to fulfil his desire to become king. Page 45, Act II, scene ii, "Your shape is as real as my own dagger, which I now draw from its sheath. You lead to in the direction I was going (i.e, to Duncan 's room)."Macbeth interprets the dagger as a sign that he shall proceed with his wicked crusade. Consequently, seeing the chimera of a dagger before the murder inspired Macbeth to kill and inherit the

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999 Words | 4 Pages

From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth the witches informs Macbeth of his fate that he will become the king in the future. Macbeth believes the witches words and Lady Macbeth persuade him to become the king and murder all the people that get in the way. Shakespeare shows us that fate is complicated by our actions, Macbeth will do anything to meet his fate that in the end lead him to his death because of his greediness.

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490 Words | 2 Pages

Superstition is “a belief or way of behaving that is based on fear of the unknown and faith in magic or luck,” or “a belief that certain events of things will bring good or bad luck.” (Merriam-Webster’s Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary) Macbeth by William Shakespeare is one of the book which describes superstitions and supernatural powers well. In Macbeth, Macbeth gets a prophecy, which he will be a king, from three witches, kills the King of Scotland and becomes a king. Even though he feels guilt, he tries to maintain the crown.

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723 Words | 3 Pages

Even though Act 1 Scene 3 was the first meeting of the witches and Macbeth, the witches can be seen accountable for Macbeth 's tragic fall because the witches ' influence him in a negative manner, to a point where he sees Banquo and his Son Fleance as an obstacle. Thus, it is his ambitious nature that leads him to

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842 Words | 4 Pages

The dagger points to Duncan 's room and appears to be covered in blood. This encourages Macbeth to commit the crime of killing the king. Shakespeare is showing the audience that what Macbeth is about to do is evil and catastrophic which will change the whole course of the play. Moreover, his hallucination of the floating dagger signifies Macbeth’s confusion and he can no longer distinguish between his imagination and reality, which is why he firmly believes that the dagger is a sign to commit the

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