So Did Fate Really Matter? Final Reaction to Macbeth

I was very curious about Macbeth's ending specially regarding the witches predictions about Macbeth being killed when Birnam Wood arrived to his castle. I recall logging or making a write now about fate before we began reading Macbeth. I said that I didn't believe in fate what so ever or in things such as horoscopes or weather predictions. I still maintain this point about fate, however, regarding Macbeth itself I would have to say I believe practically all of the witches predictions seeing that they all come true. At the end of the play, the witches predict Macbeth can't be killed by any woman-born, and he should only worry when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Macbeth's life became in danger when this precise situation occurred: Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane and Macduff said he was not woman born and wanted to fight him. It is said that Macbeth's death was a practical suicide because he knew he would be killed. I completely agree with this idea because, as I said before, all of the witches predictions come true in the play. Macbeth knew he would be killed by a man born not by woman, but he decided to fight Macduff anyways, who said he had been born by force prematurely.

In the end I think that all the witches predictions did was make things occur. For instance, it was not fate that made Macbeth kill Duncan, it was the fact he was intrigued by the witches predictions. He wanted power, and felt he had to fulfill what the Weird Sisters said. Perhaps, if these sisters hadn't told Macbeth he would be killed by a man not born by woman, he would of won the battle against Macduff. However, since Macduff wasn't woman born and Macbeth accepted all the witches predictions, he probably had already accepted his defeat. He thought he couldn't do anything about it, and therefore fought Macduff, with failure already in his mind.

I was also surprised about Macbeth's personality at the end, and the way he reacted to his wife's death. The character development seen in Macbeth throughout the acts is amazing. In the beginning, he was a humble soldier that wanted to protect his country, then he strived for power when hearing of the possibility of becoming King. He was weak when thinking of killing him, but Lady Macbeth led him to do it. When he became King, power slowly started corrupting him. He didn't feel guilty for killing Duncan any more, and basically changed places with his wife. Instead of being weak and afraid, this was now Lady Macbeth's role along with guiltiness and suicide. Macbeth was now past all the guilt and simply wanted to stay in power. This is why his reaction to his wife's death was so out of place. "She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word." (Act 5, Scene 5, Line 20-21, Page 177) This acceptance is also relevant to the topic of fate, seeing that Macbeth is once again accepting fate, and doing nothing about it, not even mourning about his wife's death.