Act I: Destiny, Fate and Influence

The witches have the biggest influence on the events of the play. The few words that they do say to people they encounter in the first act are taken very seriously by whomever listens to them (for example Macbeth and Banquo). They are supposed to have supernatural ability to predict the future, but if you think about it their ability could be questionable. Perhaps they made a lucky guess about Macbeth becoming Thane of Cawdor that day, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" (Shakespeare, 57) but this nonetheless makes Macbeth believe that what they said must be true. He now believes that the witches' prediction about him becoming king "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" (Shakespeare, 58) is his destiny. He and Lady Macbeth think that the only way for his destiny to come true is if they take matters into their own hands and murder Duncan. But this begs the question: If it was his destiny, wouldn't fate make it come true on its own without the obligation to commit murder against innocent men?

Fate and destiny are tricky subjects. Once one knows their pre-determined destiny and believes in it, they will be influenced to commit certain actions to make certain that it becomes true. This is what happens to Macbeth in Act I, and predictably throughout the rest of the play. In the letter he writes to Lady Macbeth about his encounter with the Weird Sisters, he writes "This I have thought good to deliver thee....that though might'st not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee." (Shakespeare, 10-13). What he means by this is that now that he knows what his destiny is, he should not just sit back and wait for it to happen, he should take action to make sure that his fate becomes true. This is what leads to the conflicts he will face later in the play. Had Macbeth never known about his pre-determined destiny, he would not have reason to commit murder to anyone, yet he may have still become king if it really was his destiny. All of this is due to the influence that the witches' predictions had on him.

Photo: Théodore Chassériau. "Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches on the heath." Macbeth and Banquo with the three witches. Wikipedia.  5 Apr 2006.  12 Dec 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MacbethAndBanquo-Witches.jpg>