What idea does the author develop about the desire of self-fulfillment Shakespeares Macbeth - Essay Example

What idea(s) does the develop about the desire of self-fulfillment? “Occasionally in like there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.” (Martin Luther King Jr). The meaning possessed by the term “Self-fulfillment” is a behavior which causes a false conception to come true. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a prominent play that is a classic example of self-fulfilling prophecies.

Macbeth (a general in the army of King Duncan) is the character that believes in prophecies and gets killed in the end living and fulfilling the prophecy. It is not fate but the actions of an individual that cause the prophecy to fulfill. Macbeth written out by William Shakespeare is an astounding example of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The first thing regarding a prophecy is the fate and consequently the belief in it. The way a prophecy unfolds can be considered something written by divine authority already but taking a closer look reveals that this might not be the case and in fact it is the person that makes the prophecy to become real or ‘self-fulfill’.

Macbeth`s mind is filled with a thought by three witches that he would soon become king, however, someone among the offspring of his best friend would later rule and overthrow Macbeth`s power. Just like an expert chess player (the witches) that lays out a trap for the opponent (Macbeth) and then he eventually falls in it. The strange thing about the prophecy is not the content of the prophecy itself but the belief of the person in it. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth receives news that his wife, Lady Macbeth has killed herself, this throws him into a deep and gloomy despair.

This is where the belief in the prophecy rather than the prophecy itself shows. He is depressed here and should be mournful but still he waits impatiently for the English and strengthens Dunsinane. He thinks that the prophecy will be fulfilled and he will remain invincible. The second thing regarding prophecies is the action, that truly define whether a prophecy will be fulfilled or not. For nothing can be done without movement, without taking charge or taking actions. If prophecy is nothing but mere play of predicting human behavior then without action or sometimes not taking action contribute towards fulfilling it.

In Macbeth, the prophecy will not have been fulfilled if Macbeth had not taken actions. He arranged to kill the king, in fact took the action and stabbed the head of empire with his own hands. Second, then he planned how to get away with murder by making it appear as if king’s guards killed him. He further takes action by plunging the dagger into the bodies of the guards, pretending to be outraged by seeing the dead body of the king. Later he takes action to send assassins to kill Macduff, his potential rival.

He takes even more brutal action by sending murderers to slaughter Lady-Macduff and her young son. Now taking a step back and reflecting upon actions only and not on the prophecy, there was no way such a prophecy would have fulfilled. If the play is read by excluding the part where witches reveal their prophecies, anyone would say that Macbeth was an evil general who craves power and was willing to do anything to achieve that. In other words, there were no wizards or sorcerers that compelled him to do such heinous crimes.

The third part of self-fulfilling prophecies is the external factors. These could not directly fulfill the prophecy but there is no doubt that these help the people to take actions. Without actions, there cannot be any self-fulfilled prophecy. In Macbeth, the greatest external factor was Lady-Macbeth. Most probably Macbeth would only have remained in his uncertainties regarding prophecies and would not have taken any actions but it was his wife that encouraged, provoked and then challenged him to slaughter the king.

Second, Macbeth was a general not aware of the politics, he knew only one way to deal with situations, through the use of brute force. This was an external factor that also helped mound Macbeth’s actions. Then again for the demise of Macbeth, Macduff needed to defeat his army. Most probably he couldn’t have done it however Scottish nobles offered him help which is also an external factor that made Macduff’s support very strong and he ultimately conquered the armies of Macbeth and beheaded him.

Self-fulfillment is used in stories and has gained popularity, more importantly in situations where the prophesied events occur when one is trying to prevent the prophecy. This has been made use of on myths, legends and fairytales and holds a significant position in literature. Probably a prophecy is a devious word, a mischief. It gives the impression of fate but in fact it is a well-crafted plan taking into account the natures of the people involved in it. It is as if people’s behavior can be predicted, so that they play out well into the hands of the prophecy and hence the prophecy gets fulfilled.

Concluding the whole argument, first it is the belief in the prophecy that truly makes it magical. The more the person believes in a prophecy the more he/she inclines to shut down the voice of reason. Second are the actions. Whatever is cooking up inside a person’s head if he doesn’t covert his thoughts into actions, little chance exists of his prophecy coming true., third the external factors act as a catalyst that stimulate person’s action and thought. Hence it can be safely concluded that it is not fate but the actions that fulfill the prophecy.

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair". - (Act I, Scene I). Work Cited Shakespeare, William, and Eugene M. Waith. The Tragedy of Macbeth;. New Haven: Yale UP, 1954. Print.