"Does nature or nurture determine a person’s destiny?"
In Act 1, Scene 3, Macbeth discovers that it is his destiny to be king. After the weird sisters first prediction came true, Macbeth thought about the possibilities of he, himself becoming king.
MACBETH
(aside) Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme. (to ROSS and ANGUS) I thank you, gentlemen.
(aside) This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill,
Why hath it given me earnest of success,
Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that suggestion
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs,
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less than horrible imaginings.
We chose this passage because we thought it was the "set up" for the rest of the story. It implies loyalty, power, self worth, humanity, integrity and ambition all in that one passage. Also the character of Macbeth shows some of these traits. He thought about his loyalty to the king, he thinks about the humanity of his thoughts (killing Duncan = inhumane), he's ambitious because he wants his social status to increase and also the passage shows his quick increase of power (Thane of Glamis - Thane of Cawdor - King?).
In relation to the question above, we think that if the weird sisters had not told Macbeth he was to be king, he owuldn't have thought it to be a possibility in the first place. This being said, nature or nurture does, in some way, determine a person's destiny.
~Beth and Hillary
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Here is the modern english version of the passage:
MACBETH
(to himself) So far the witches have told me two things that came true, so it seems like this will culminate in my becoming king. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Thank you, gentlemen. (to himself) This supernatural temptation doesn’t seem like it can be a bad thing, but it can’t be good either. If it’s a bad thing, why was I promised a promotion that turned out to be true? Now I’m the thane of Cawdor, just like they said I would be. But if this is a good thing, why do I find myself thinking about murdering King Duncan, a thought so horrifying that it makes my hair stand on end and my heart pound inside my chest? The dangers that actually threaten me here and now frighten me less than the horrible things I’m imagining.
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