Power Of Free Will In Macbeth

Is one’s life dominated by fate or free will? Perhaps one’s future has been predetermined by some external force or perhaps one has the choice to pave their future. These ideas are further explored in the the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. Things Fall Apart is about a man named Okonkwo’s struggle between the changes that arise with the arrival of white missionaries in the villages of his home in Nigeria, the conflicts that arise between the arrival of the white men and Okonkwo questions whether his tragic death was due to fate or free will. Macbeth is about protagonist Macbeth whose ambition drives him to kill the king of Scotland to become king. The consequences of killing the king lead to

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

Throughout the play, Macbeth proves that there is a destiny, it just a matter of how one chooses to attain it. Destiny is a thing to be achieved, through choices. Fate has no bearing over what choices are made. Yet, Macbeth may not have made the same choices

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there is a question as to whether or not Macbeth is driven by fate or free will. The three weird sisters approach Macbeth with prophecies that will all come true in the end. It would appear that Macbeth is just following destiny at first. However, Macbeth always had a choice throughout the play to choose his own fate. Macbeth journeyed to his murderous doom through his own free choice.

Decisions you make can lead to the  death of innocent people. In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, examines the elements of fate and free will by the actions of others lead to the bloodshed of the innocent people in the play such as Banquo, Duncan and Lady Macduff and her child. Consequently even though Macduff's actions are for the greater good to stopping Macbeth,  it comes at the ultimate cost of the life of his wife and child.

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, manipulation is an effective device used throughout the play to achieve control and influence behaviour. In the play, Macbeth falls victim to this and becomes controlled like a puppet by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was a loyal and well-respected general, but, later, becomes a treacherous murderer, fulfilling his desires to become king. The puppeteers were pivotal in Macbeth’s eventual downfall in the tragedy and pulled the strings that led Macbeth to his self-destruction. However, Macbeth in himself was a mentally weak character, adding to the ease of manipulation. These factors proved fatal for Macbeth as his death unfolded at the end of the play and his reign diminished. Shakespeare takes on the underestimated power of control that manipulation plays on characters throughout the dramatic performance.

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.

In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson explains the stand taken by Macbeth in his relationship with fate:

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

The ideas about fate versus free will are constantly debated throughout Macbeth. The main reason behind Macbeth’s actions is the idea of fate that caused Macbeth to use his own free will. Shakespeare is the puppet master with the character Macbeth by dangling fate in front of him, but at the same time, it is Macbeth’s own desire and intellectual views that lead him to suffer his foreshadowed fate. Macbeth had his fate going one way, but through his own free will he was able to take a different turn.

The gruesome and supernatural play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, captures the audience's attention in the very first scene and does not let it go. Through countless murders and arguably psychotic main characters the play conveys a mystifying message which has drawn people to it for centuries. The play, which includes mythical aspects such as prophecies, fate, and the three witches, details the antagonist Macbeth's actions and the prophecies given to him. The idea of fate and it’s ability to control the whole plot of the play is brought into question but free will can also be argued as a controlling factor of the characters. Throughout the play, the idea of fate versus free will is a prominent theme; however, ultimately Macbeth controls his own actions and little fate is involved in his downfall.

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.

In his tragedy play Macbeth, William Shakespeare utilizes the motif of free will versus fate and biblical imagery to suggest that the corrupting force of power and greed not only debauches one’s moral but also ultimately leads to one’s self-destruction.

According to Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, “Life is like a game of cards. The hand you're dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.” Nehru believes that fate doesn't decide everything in life. Free will makes a variety of decisions. Although, Macbeth believes that fate is what decides everything in life.

Many people say that you can’t do anything without your own free will. With everything that I have learned in Macbeth by William Shakespeare is that that is not true. Macbeth by William Shakespeare is about a man named Macbeth who was given a prophecies by three witches that he will become king. With major influence from Lady Macbeth he kills the king and takes the throne. Lady Macbeth influenced him and taunted him but many say that Macbeth had his own free will.