Macbeth Forum

hi everyone im a gr11 student and i really need your help... i am doing an essay on how the three witches told macbeth his fate. Did the events in macbeths life occur because of the witches prophecies or becasue of the choices he has made? i believe that becasue of the witches prophecies macbeth chose to continue with what he thought needed to be done... the thing is im having trouble finding quotes showing this if anyone has any advice they would like to share it would be really appreciated!!! :)

please email me sarah_mccullough_7@hotmail.com or reply to this post and i only have four days to write it starting tomorrow i would love the help!!

Hi -
There are a lot of quotes you can use.  Here's one":
"Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised; and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't.
Macbeth, 3.1
*** Banquo is telling Macbeth and he got everything the witches prophesized, eventhough he had to do foul things to get them.

and

"Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth."
Macbeth, 4.1

** this is a good one, because the witches basically trick Macbeth into thinking he'd be safe battling Macduff.  He doesn't realize that since Macduff was born by Caesarian, he'd be of harm to Macbeth.

thanks i am also looking for a quote about how macbeth willingly murdered innocent people that were not part of the prophecy

Well, Lady Macbeth was almost as important as the witches in terms of making Macbeth do murderous things.  The witches didn't explictly say that Macbeth had to murder Duncan.  Lady Macbeth just assumed that when she read Macbeth's letter to her.  She knows that Macbeth doesn't have the heart to do it, so she goads him into it, by persuading his ego:
"What beast was't, then, // That made you break this enterprise to me? // When you durst do it, then you were a man; // And, to be more than what you were, you would // Be so much more the man.