Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents the idea of fate as closely intertwined with the evil of the supernatural. He emphasises the presence of free will through the character of Banquo, who contrasts with Macbeth and his belief in fate. In the extract, Macbeth is clearly consumed by his trust in the witches and faith in the idea of fate. For example, when he says “two truths are told”, this suggests he is already being convinced that all his actions are predetermined. He gains more trust in the witches and begins to believe in the prophecies. This is emphasised by the fact that this is said in an “aside”. This is significant as it shows Macbeth is already beginning to hide his true thoughts from those around him, even his friend Banquo. This closely links Macbeth to the supernatural, as similar to the witches, this is when he begins to act secretly and start equivocating. Through this, Shakespeare warns the audience of the dangers of believing in fate. This is because it is this belief that leads to the growth of evil within Macbeth, resulting in his ultimate hamartia and death. In contrast, in the extract, Banquo seems to be exercising his free will. He refers to the witches as “instruments of darkness”. Through this, Banquo’s distrust and wariness of the supernatural becomes evident. The noun “instruments” dehumanises the witches and presents them as a vessel in which evil is transmitted. The word “darkness” has connotations of evil and corruption, suggesting the witches, who promote the idea of fate, have negative motivations. Not only does this dehumanise the witches and show a distrust towards them, it clearly highlights Banquo’s moral stance which contrasts to Macbeth’s growing ambition at this point of the play. Furthermore, this distances them from God and the King (Duncan). This is because God and purity were often linked to light and white. Even Lady Macbeth resorts to having light beside her continually in hopes of repentance. By presenting the witches as having non-Christian values, Shakespeare makes the audience fear the witches and their prophecies. This is because there was a wide belief that witches were evil and could be blamed for poor harvests. King James himself believed that the witches tried to drown him when he was younger. This leads to the audience’s lack of faith that fate predetermines everyone’s course of action. Banquo appears as Macbeth’s foil character throughout the play. For example, later in the play, Macbeth demands of the witches, “tell me more, imperfect speakers”. This quote shows us how Macbeth becomes reliant upon fate to make decisions. The use of the word “more” portrays how Macbeth’s growing greed and ambition is fuelled by the witches’ prophecies. Through this, Macbeth clearly conforms to Hecate’s statement that “security is man’s greatest enemy”. Shakespeare does this to effectively warn the audience of the dangers of blind trust. It is clearly revealed to the audience that fate itself is an inadequate reason to make a decision. By doing so, Shakespeare promotes the idea of taking responsibility for one’s actions. This also emphasises the dangers of committing regicide and the consequences of committing sins. Furthermore, the prophecies said by the witches are intentionally vague. The witches use equivocation or simply withhold information from Macbeth to highlight the importance of free will. For example, due to Macbeth’s blind trust in fate and the supernatural, he believes he cannot be killed by anyone born of a woman. However, this leads to his complacency and eventual downfall. The vagueness of the prophecies also highlights the importance of free will. This is because Macbeth’s decisions were a clear result of his interpretation of the prophecies, which shows it was ultimately his free will that led to his increasingly tyrannical rule. Through this, Shakespeare further emphasises the dangers of fate. In contrast, Banquo’s constant distrust in fate and focus on free will leads to him dying a noble death. This is significant as Macbeth is referred to as a “dead butcher” after his death. This highlights how Macbeth’s belief in fate and the supernatural led to him becoming a tyrannical leader who loses the support of his nobles. However, foreshadowing is used throughout the play, which suggests that perhaps fate is an important theme. For example, in Act 1, Macbeth is described as beheading a traitor and “fixing his head upon our battlements”. Similarly, at the end of the play, Macduff enters with Macbeth’s head in his hands. This foreshadowing could suggest that fate itself is a prevalent force. Perhaps Shakespeare did this to highlight the importance of not meddling with fate. When fate isn’t acted upon, the correct outcomes are received, but when human power tries to interfere, there are significant consequences, as seen by Macbeth’s eventual death. In conclusion, Shakespeare clearly presents fate as a powerful and mostly dangerous force. Through the character of Banquo, he emphasises the importance of free will, and Macbeth highlights the dangers of fate. Regardless of this, fate is an undeniably important force as it is an underlying theme throughout the play. Overall, Shakespeare uses these themes to encourage free will and promote a lack of trust in the supernatural and in fate.