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. At the beginning of the play, the witches tell Macbeth and Banquo their prophecies about Macbeth becoming king and Banquo’s children becoming kings. The witches use repetition …show more content…
If Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition did not come into play, they would have never acted on the witches’ prophecies which would have impacted the whole trajectory of the play’s plot and ending. Macbeth personifies his ambition after he analyses his options and says, ‘I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, only vaulting ambition’. This gives the impression that his desire to be king is so powerful that it overrules his common sense and the reasoning he had to not perform regicide. Ultimately when he decides to ‘proceed no further in this business’ Lady Macbeth’s ambition to be Queen enters and she weakens his masculinity with her persuasive words and rids his doubt with her certainty of the plan working. Her own ambition is further displayed when she uses inclusive language and says that ‘we’ll not fail’ and again states their plan and how foolproof it is. This indicates her awareness of how she will gain a significant role as queen from Macbeth’s actions and how she has full trust in the plan. Therefore, it is apparent that ambition has as important a role in shaping the plot and characters of Macbeth as does