The Death Of An Honorable Hero : Fate Or Freewill?

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 life, many of us will find ourselves in some of the worst situations that leave us wondering who’s to blame. The truth is that the misfortunes that befall us are due to our own actions and sometimes due to fate or bad luck. Fate is one person's destiny and it can not be understood by simple mortals but a greater power beyond human comprehension. Fate is so powerful that it can control a person's outcome on life before it happens. Many people tend to become victims of fate in which they catch a glimpse of what their future is going to look like, but do not totally take hold of the outcome. Macbeth can not fully realize the possible outcome of his fate because he is human, and therefore is a victim to his power driven

   Destiny "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." (William Jennings Bryan) Are we in control of our own destiny, our own fate, or are our lives really already planned and mapped out for us? Does Macbeth willfully choose evil in order to achieve his "destiny"? Or, is his "destiny" doomed by the witches' prophecies? Macbeth may not have made any of his same choices, if the three Weird sisters hadn't come to him. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Macbeth is no pawn of fate. Although Macbeth was destined to become king, the path he chose to take to achieve his aspiration of obtaining the throne was of his own free

In many stories fate is said to determine the paths that people lead in their lives. However, even though some events can seem like fate to the people experiencing them, these people always made their own decisions that led to them. Although some of the events in the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare may lead readers to believe that fate determined many of Macbeth’s actions, the truth is that Macbeth made all of the decisions in the story through his own free will.

Fate is one person's destiny, it cannot be understood by mere mortals but a greater power beyond human comprehension. Fate is so powerful that it controls a person's outcome on life before it happens. Many people become victims of fate in which they catch a glimpse of what their future is going to look like, but do not totally grasp the outcome. Macbeth cannot fully comprehend the possible outcome of his fate because he is mortal, and therefore is a victim to his power driven quest and his ultimate fate. Many have been said to agree with this statement. For example, as stated in Shakespeare A to Z, "The Witches are an enactment of the irrational. The supernatural world if terrifying because it is beyond human control, and in the play it is

Fate always plays a dangerously important role in the lives of men, and knowing their destinies can make people do things that may be good or bad. Although Macbeth was a good general, fighting with the interest of protecting his country from invaders, his destiny forbade it and he was changed into cold, heartless tyrant. Even when he tried to resist his fate, the very thing he did, was what caused his death in the end. This illustrates the unsurmountable power of fate and the path set out for us. We can’t avoid it, and no matter what we do , we are always drawn back to what was meant to be. Often, this is what causes people to do unnatural (bad) things out of desperation.

In the play Macbeth, we see an innocent man who is also recognized as a great warrior and hero, till the witches appeared and we begin to see changes in his behavior. When the witches’ prophecies comes true, you begin to wonder, was it the witches’ doing in causing Macbeth’s downfall or was it Macbeth’s own choice that he made himself? Macbeth shows a few signs of it being him that’s making those decisions. In the five acts we see a transition between fate and free will and both seem to act on each other throughout the play.

First off, Macbeth encounters the witches and gets a sense of his future of having power as a king. That information gives off a craving for his deepest desire and it influences his actions to deliberately make his future come true. (http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/does-macbeth-have-free-will-his-actions-why-why-336). But if fate is in control of him then fate would have make it come to him instead of Macbeth doing all the work. He even pondered himself that “if chance will have me king/why chance may crown me without my stir.” (1.3. 156-158). But after, it was clearly seen that his actions were not with his destiny. All the wrong deed that he has done is his fault. It should be himself to blame not Lady Macbeth’s strong persuasion when he decided that “I am settled, and bend up/each corporal agent to this terrible feat.” (1.7. 89-90). He had a long soliloquy about his rights and wrongs if he did this crime. If fate was behind his actions in this murder than why does he still kill King Duncan if he knew his consequences? To that scene

While Macbeth’s downfall is caused by his own decisions, fate still does play a role. If the witches had not given him the prophecy that he would become king, Macbeth may never have decided to murder Duncan, the act that caused him to continue his downwards spiral into madness and cruelty. Fate can also be considered to encompass the free will of other characters in the play, as Macbeth cannot control their actions or make decisions for them. If Lady Macbeth had not spurred Macbeth towards the murder of Duncan, Macbeth may have made a different decision when he heard the bell ring. If Macduff had not fled to England, Macbeth may not have been motivated to kill everyone residing at Fife, which led Macduff to seek revenge by killing Macbeth. However, Macbeth never lost the option to choose how he would react to each of these events presented to him by fate. He clearly was able to think for himself, as evidenced by his

Throughout the play “Macbeth” Shakespeare uses multiple examples of strong diction, paradox, metaphors, and imagery to demonstrate the theme that fate is inevitable. These examples also help emphasize that the witches are in control of Macbeth's severe and hostile actions throughout the tragic play. Without the witches prophecies the idea of murder would have never crossed Macbeth’s mind. After the witches informed Macbeth that he would soon become king he was willed to do anything to make sure this bizarre prophecy would come true.

Free will is an illusion. People always choose the perceived path of greatest pleasure. After reading Shakespeare ’s Macbeth, many wonder why Macbeth turns as evil as he does.

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.

Warriors of ancient Greece were considered heroes by following the Heroic Code of excellence. They achieved this by acquiring a kleos; establishing fame, glory and a positive reputation. It was not an easy task to become a Grecian hero. Building and maintaining kleos meant that a warrior must be brave and strong, be “a speaker of words and a doer of deeds.” The solider had to protect his friends and harm his enemies, respect the gods and his elders, and most of all value his honor over his life. To die in battle, and be spoken of after death was the most important act of honor for a hero. The Greek tragedy, Iliad, attributed to Homer, portrays Achilles as the most gallant hero of the Athenian army. The story tells of Achilles, who develops into the greatest hero of the Trojan War. While the end of the end of the poem does portray Achilles as the solider that the story foretells throughout the poem he does not act like that. Many times in the story Achilles actions are perceived as unheroic but ultimately they shape the course of the few weeks of the Trojan Wars described in the Iliad, the Achaean’s final victory at Troy and his emergence as a hero.

Before any of the murderous activity occurs, Macbeth does not experience small, ambiguous premonitions, he is directly told by mysterious, dark figures things that are "ordained" to happen. Although these mysterious prophecies seem doubtful at first,