Compare and contrast the reaction of Oedipus to the oracle and that of Macbeth to the witches prophesies. Consider the role of their wives and the final outcome of each protagonist and his wife.

The role of fate is often very great in tragedies, especially Greek tragedies. Usually, if one, the protagonist, is adherent to his/her own fate it could determine the course of action throughout the entire piece of literature. In Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's famous tragedies, as well as, Sophocles's Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, the protagonists react in similar ways to prophesies told to them one by an oracle, and the other by three witches. It is however, not solely due to the actions of the protagonists, but it is the very important role of the wives that each of their fate come…