Free Will In Macbeth

Fate vs Free Will is one of the most oft used literary techniques in writing. It is never more evident than in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The major theme of the story Macbeth is whether or not the story is fueled by the free will of Macbeth, or by his fate. Are the events in Macbeth a result of his mentality and outlook on life, or were they going to happen no matter what? Almost every major event that takes place can be traced back to this question. It can be viewed in different ways, and most people have their own opinions. Dissecting this question is a part of what makes teaching Macbeth still have so much value to this day. But there is a clear answer to this question upon further dissection. The story of Macbeth is fueled by his free

After he had attained his destiny, Macbeth felt that Banquo would become a serious threat. He did not like the fact that Banquo was destined to be a father to a whole line of kings. "Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared...If `t be so, for Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; for them the gracious Duncan have I murdered..."(85). The path Macbeth chooses to take in order to stay at the throne was to have Banquo killed. But, Macbeth was never destined to kill anyone. Killing Duncan, Banquo and Macduff's whole household were all his decisions to attain his destiny.

From the beginning, Macbeth chose to follow the witches instead of letting things just naturally occur. Banquo serves to show how the predictions were not just destiny and did not control his life. Even when he sees that many are becoming true, he states, "may they (witches) not be my oracles"(Act III, sc.i, 9). He is stating that he will just let events occur and not try to fulfill the prophecies. Macbeth also had this same choice. If he had taken the same approach as Banquo, a claim could be made that it was destiny that Macbeth would murder Duncan. However, Macbeth lived on account of the prophecies, not the reverse.

After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is titled the King of Scotland. Having Macbeth murder Duncan to become King makes it seem to Macbeth that he can control his own fate. This only makes it worse for Macbeth, because it is now engraved in his mind that murder can change fate. Now that Duncan is taken care of, it is Banquo that Macbeth is worried about, for Macbeth is convinced that Banquo knows too much because he was the only other person with him when the witches prophesized his fate. It’s not only Banquo that Macbeth wants to murder, he also wants to change the prophecy of Banquo’s descendants becoming Kings by murdering them as well, as he states “To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!;/ Rather than so, come fate into the list,;/ And champion me to th’ utterance.” (III, I, 70-73). This line directly shows that Macbeth now thinks he is in control, and that he can challenge fate by murdering the sons of Banquo to change what the witch’s prophesized for the descendants of Banquo to become kings.

Although Duncan is out of the way now, Macbeth finds out that Banquo’s sons are the next in line to become King. With this realization, he says, “To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!/Rather than so, come fate into the list,/And champion me to th' utterance.” (3.1.75-77). Now that Lady Macbeth has convinced Macbeth that he is destined to be King, his statement shows how he is going to do everything in his power to make it happen. He feels that he has to prove to himself and to others that he is not womanly, and is capable of performing ‘manly’ tasks. In order to prove this to himself, he says, “There’s comfort yet; they are assailable./Then be thou jocund.” (3.2.44-45). Here Macbeth is saying that he finds comfort in knowing that he can simply kill Banquo’s sons so he can become king. This further represents his transition to becoming in full control over the events that take place in the play. This is because he is planning to commit a tragedy, in this case, a murder, in order to fulfill his desires. Lady Macbeth persuaded him in the beginning, but now it is completely his own doing. By saying he feels comfortable with murder, which contradicts his belief from the beginning, it may be noticed how this is a clue that he will hold responsibility for more tragedies in the near

Throughout the story of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth acts in a much despised manner: he becomes a murderer and later, when king of Scotland, a tyrant. Many who have read or seen the play are left wondering how a man’s whole approach to life can change; how Macbeth turned from the hero whom all adored, to the tyrant who was hated and ended up a lone man, fighting for his life.

Macbeth displays his irreverent attitude toward fortune when he attempts to seize the kingship from Duncan, rather than allowing fortune to take its own course. He says that people will not suspect that he killed Duncan “When we have marked with blood those two of his own chamber and used their very daggers” (1.7. 82-83). According to this quotation, Macbeth plans to blame Duncan’s murder on the guards of the chamber. This course of action is rash and dangerous, as it would be very difficult for one to murder the king and successfully frame the guards when other nobles are on the premises and able to inspect the crime scene. But, driven by his desire to seize his fate, Macbeth follows through with such a dangerous plan, regardless of its possible repercussions. Unfortunately for Macbeth, his rash actions have negative consequences. When he attempts to clarify the events of the murder, his explanation is met with some skepticism, especially from Macduff. Macbeth’s shady explanation of the murder sparks doubt within some of the nobles. This initial doubt is what eventually blossoms into full-blown rebellion against the tyrannical Macbeth. Hence, Macbeth’s inane murder constitutes a rash action upon his fate, an action that eventually leads to his fall from power and death. Macbeth continues to act upon and challenge fate when he remembers that Banquo’s children are also destined to claim the throne. He realizes, “No son of mine succeeding. If’t be so, / For Banquo’s issue I have filed my mind” (3.1. 68-69) and says, “Rather than so, come fate into the list, and champion me to th’utterance” (3.1. 74-75). In this quotation, Macbeth acknowledges that with “no son of mine succeeding,” he has essentially

Yet after his encounter with the witches, his mind was going back and forth trying to figure out how he should act upon the prophecy of becoming king! It was by then that the idea of fate had been planted into his head, and with such good title to come with it, why wouldn’t he want to believe his ‘fate’? Something that I found very interesting about the witches was that looking closely at line 24-25 when one of the witches says, "Though his bark cannot be lost, yet it shall be tempest-tossed." From what I seemed to understand, these lines seemed to really show the limitations to the witches’ powers, because they were basically saying that they could only make life rough for the clueless captain, but they could not kill him. I think that this is really important to all the people who thought that the witches had ‘written out’ Macbeth’s fate because in the same way as the previous stated scene they can tempt Macbeth with predictions about his future, but they cannot make him choose evil. Meaning that in this scene, one of the conflicts is obviously fate vs. free will! All the witches really did was find a way of stirring up evil, by tempting Macbeth into choosing to opt for evil instead of good. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” (Act 1. Scene iii. Line 10). Here, Macbeth seems content to leave his future to "chance." If "chance" will have

Macbeth was driven by his own free will, because the witches were not the cause of his choices, his ruthless ambitions ruled his mind, and he was the direct cause for his downfall. Every prediction made by the witches proved correct, yet they did not determine Macbeth’s fate. The witches took advantage of his curiosity by leading him to do things he normally would not have. When Macbeth heard the predictions it inspired him to pursue is given “fate”.

Free-will and fate often work hand in hand. However, when people take fate into their own hands, they are only using their free-will to manipulate their fate as see fit. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, after Macbeth is told his fate, he manipulates it in order to get what he really want; to be king. All the events that unfold in Macbeth are the result of free-will not fate.

Soon after, Macbeth realizes one of the prophecies the witches say has come true and now he believes he will be thrown and is willing to murder anyone in the way. After the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth is starting to doubt who he really believes is on his side. He thinks, Banquo his friend from the start knows what he has done. As the witches said to both of them “ Banquo’s children will be king but he will not”. The second prophecy that is given by the witches makes Macbeth’s mind go spinning around on whether or not the murder of King Duncan should have been Banquo and if he knows he has killed the king.

Macbeth Analysis Humans are affected by everything and everyone around them regardless of who or what it is. They are affected by others in the choices they make, the foods they eat, where they go, and who they will be. Because people are affected by everything and everyone, do they ultimately have free will? Free will is "the ability to choose how to act" (Merriam-Webster, para 1). The Tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, attempts to understand to what extent humans have free will.

Fate and free will are two main themes in Macbeth. Though they are opposites, fate and free will are both represented in the events of the play. In this play, these themes are intertwined. The free will of Macbeth is affected by his knowing of his fate/future. It was Macbeth's belief in his foretold fate that justified him and his wife to do anything to attain the crown.

After the witches give Macbeth a glimpse into his future, they turn to Banquo and tell him that his children will inherit the throne. When Macbeth hears this, he feels a little threatened by the fact that his children will not become king. The third witch tells Banquo “Though shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Macbeth. 1.3.67). The plot advances further after the witches tell Banquo the good news by foreshadowing future events. Lee Jamieson says in their article that “Macbeth sees Banquo as a threat and employs murderers to kill him and his son,”

While the sisters’ do prophesize his rise to power, they never mention murdering King Duncan. The thoughts of murder come to Macbeth all on his own. Perhaps Macbeth has had a murderous ambition inside himself all along. After he has become king, Macbeth decides to kill Banquo. Here, he has already accomplished his goal, a rise to power, but he is choosing to kill more.