William Shakespeare Has Remained A Powerful Literary Force

Fate versus free will is a huge theme in the play Macbeth. It is Macbeth's fate that leads his free will to act the way he does. When the witches say "All hail Macbeth the future king" (I.iii.51) it leads Macbeth down a road of death and self-destruction. If Macbeth hadn't known

Macbeth’s unrestrained ambition to gain power turned him into someone completely different from who he was originally. When the play begins and Macbeth is introduced, he is labeled as brave, honorable, moral, and kind. He is such a well-versed person that his wife fears his nature is too kind for the harsh world, speaking of him with words of, “Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness…” (1.5.16-17). He makes his first appearance to the audience just after arriving from battle, and his behavior on the field is described by, “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—…” (1.2.16). Macbeth is a man that many admire, even King Duncan himself, who shortly thereafter names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Following his new label, Macbeth, with the help of three witches’ prophesies suggesting he will become king, notices the power that comes with such a title. Kenneth Deighton describes Macbeth’s behavior with, “When he is informed that Duncan had made him Thane of Cawdor, he at once gives way to the temptation suggested by the words of the witches, and allows his ambitious thoughts 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

Lady Macbeth comes off as one of the most oblique, yet determined characters in the play. She had her mind set on helping her husband conciliate the throne and encourages him to pursue his dreams of being crowned as the king. When his weaknesses appeared she remained firm and made Macbeth’s goals her own ambitions. Things do seem a bit outrageous at that particular moment where Lady Macbeth explains to Macbeth how they should kill King Duncan but it shows not only the true love and devotion for her husband, but how she would stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

The tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, follows the rise and fall of a loyal Scottish warrior. Macbeth is portrayed as a man of multiple sides, presenting three main traits – bravery, ambition, and self-doubt – throughout the play. The character is an example of how ambition and guilt can have terrible effects on an individual lacking in strength of character. Although some people may perceive Macbeth as malicious, his weak character shows that he is incapable of conquering guilt and self-doubt. The prime themes of the play are: ambition, loyalty and betrayal, good and evil, appearance versus reality, supernatural and fate. Shakespeare presents these themes through the actions of Macbeth and their results: the corrupting effects

Macbeth first shows signs of change when he becomes Thane of Cawdor. While Macbeth first meets the witches they tell him he will be king and he wishes to know more. “Why/upon this blasted heath you stop our way/ with such a prophetic greeting? Speak I charge you.” (1.3.77-78) When Macbeth hears he will be king he becomes instantly curious and sparks a interest on the prospect of becoming king. This is when he first begins to show the signs of his greed. This is shown even further when Macbeth is told he was Thane of Cawdor and acts hopeful, “If chance will have me king,/ why chance may crown me” (1.3.143-144) Knowing the witches said he would soon become Thane of Cawdor now Macbeth has a purpose and a drive knowing what’s next in store for him. This is shown within his letter to Macbeth “that though might’ve not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being integral of what greatness is sponsored thee/” (1.5.8-9) Here he states to lady macbeth he doesn’t want to waste his chance and lose out on the greatness of becoming king. All of these quotes show Macbeth slip to the side of darkness by wanting to become king.

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

In Shakespeare’s Tragedy Macbeth, it is very debatable if fate, or freewill is what causes Macbeth to do the things he does through out the tragedy. Freewill is at work most through out the tragedy because Macbeth is convinced he can change or speed up the fate the three weird sisters prophesized for him at his own will. Throughout the play, Macbeth slowly begins to think he can modify his fate by using the prophecies told to Macbeth by the weird sisters and attempting to change them by his free will.

     Once Macbeth possessed the power of being Thane of Cawdor he began to exhibit more greed. He has just been given such a huge responsibility and once he was given new power, he craved more; especially when he stumbled upon the witches. He liked the power that he had and wanted to gain more, no matter what he has to do to get it. Macbeth had an encounter with the three witches and they had told him that he will become the next king. Although the witches did say this it did not mean that it was certain, it was just a possibility. But when Macbeth realized the opportunity for power he knew he wanted to become the king. This passage was in part of the letter that Macbeth wrote to Lady Macbeth: “Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it came missives from the King, who all-hailed me ‘Thane of Cawdor,’ by which title, before, these Weird Sisters saluted me and referred me to the coming on of time with ‘Hail, king that shalt be’” (1.5.6-10). . It seems as if the power and greed now had full control over him, he is doing things that he wouldn’t do when he did not have all this power. This is the first time that we see this side of Macbeth, the side of him that is greedy for power and is willing to kill the king to do so. In the beginning of the play the thought of being Thane of Cawdor never even crossed his mind, and by no means being

"Disdaining fortune with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution, till he unseamed him from nave to th' chops, and fixed his head upon our battlements" (act 1, scene 2) This suggests an underlying side to Macbeth which was present from the start of the tragedy. That was enough that when given a small taste of power by becoming Thane of Cawdor, could bring out the more brutal side of him.

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1606 that tells the story of relationships, betrayal and destiny. The main character, Macbeth, has to make life-changing decisions based on the fate he expects in his future after talking with three witches. These decisions ‘cause the short rise and lengthy downfall of the main character’s life. The most profound theme expressed by Shakespeare in this play is that changing your course of actions based on your supposed fate will lead to an unhappy and somber life.

Fate is a recurring central idea that develops the story and the character of Macbeth. More specifically, playing with one's’ fate can lead to their downfall. Fate is an aspect of life that should be left alone to work its magic independently. Greed can often lead to desire to change one’s fate. Ultimately, the universe will decide what happens regardless of outside attempts to change it.

Readers can see this when Ross and Angus find Macbeth and Banquo, as Ross says “so by that title I say- Hail, most worthy Thane [of Cawdor]! For that rank is [now] yours.” (I.III.110-111) This tells readers that Macbeth is starting to gain power and this may lead him to want more of it, which may cause him to try and move up in power. This is also the first sign that the witches prophecy, which stated that he would become Thane of Cawdor than king, just might be true after all. However, while he moves up in society he wants to keep moving, keep gaining success. He may argue with the idea but eventually becomes willing to force his way to the top thanks to Lady Macbeth. This becomes clear during a conversation Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have right before King Duncan comes to stay. In example, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that “I am determined, and strain every muscle to ready myself for this terrible feat.” (I.VII.89-90) Macbeth is telling her that he is prepared to do what needs to be done in order for him to gain his rightful place as King. Lady Macbeth doesn’t care if she has to force their way to the top, as long as they get there. She can be seen as being power-hungry since she has set her mind to killing the King just so that Macbeth can become King and so she can become his Queen. Lady Macbeth is able to convince Macbeth to go through with this horrid deed, which tells us that Macbeth must partially want it himself and is easily manipulated. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth move up in society, however, since they are not satisfied with where they are, try to move forward even

Shakespeare makes a unique atmosphere throughout Macbeth, that has the reader become involved with the development of fate characters. This controlled atmosphere provides the readers with analyzation of fate towards the characters and the story. Most of the fate is usually directed towards the character

Although Macbeth has no trouble protecting himself physically from the outside world, emotionally, he is vulnerable and the witches, as well as his wife, take advantage of it. Because Macbeth is in a society that thrives on toxic masculinity, naturally, he suppresses his feelings and leaves himself vulnerable to the manipulation of the witches. This society encourages feats of valiant behavior and bravery, but do not care much for mental fortitude or intelligence. So the witches lure him in with an ounce of truth, saying that he will be “Thane of Cawdor” and because of this one truth, Macbeth believes the rest of their prophecy about him becoming king (Shakespeare 1.3.52). This so-called truth gives him a constant in his life to rely on whether it’s good or bad. In result, Macbeth goes back to the witches to gain more ‘truth’ which causes him to fall deeper into the witches’ evil. On the opposite end, Macbeth’s wife tries to force him to do the extreme, killing King Duncan, in order to secure