Theme Of Fate And Freewill In Macbeth

“Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands th’usurper’s cursed head: the time is free…” It was indeed a fatal end that could have been evaded had Macbeth not been told his prophecies. Macbeth’s prophecies could have been exactly that had he not known about them.

At the beginning of the play, three witch sisters told him that he would become Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Right after they told him about the prophecies, Macbeth was told that he did in fact become Thane of Cawdor. Since that prophecy came true, he began to wonder if the prophecy about him becoming King would come true. When Lady Macbeth found out about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth convinced and influenced Macbeth to kill the King so that the prophecy could come true. Macbeth was reluctant to kill the king, but that reluctance was soon overcome by the sheer determination for power that grew inside of him.

The witches in the story represent fate, the murders and cover ups represent free will. It is possible for both to co-exist within this Shakespearean tragedy and here is how. The witches’ prophecies represent fate, they describe the end result, which is evident throughout the play because everything happens as such. Everyone has a path in life and the story of Macbeth very well showed this observation.

Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor, All hail Macbeth! Thou shalt be king hereafter” and to Banquo “… Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Act 1, Scene 3). After Macbeth hears of his promotion to Thane of Cawdor, he quickly begins to believe the witches and prophecies

Both sides are very valid arguments. I firmly believe that Macbeth was controlled by fate. He was cursed by witches at the beginning, it set the rest of his life in stone. What the witches said would happen happened and the seems like a pretty good picture of fate. Fate is defined as “the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.

In many circumstances it can be hard to understand why something happened, especially whether it was fate or free will. If it was fate then what was going to happen was already decided, and if it was free will then whatever the character chooses will result in a different ending. In Macbeth, a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, Lord Macbeth receives multiple prophecies that end up coming true which leads many to believe that all of his actions are a result of fate, but along the way it is shown that Macbeth tends to make his own decisions showing that it could also be a result of free will. Even though Macbeth wasn’t able to escape his fate or prove that the witches prophecies were false, Macbeth's downfall was a result of free will, seeing that he made

They prophesied that he would be king "All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter" (I, 3, 50). Macbeth begins to think about killing Duncan and taking the throne by force. Readers can interpret that he is thinking about murdering Duncan from the quote, "Stars, hide your fires, /Let not light see my black and deep desires;" (1.5.50-51). After the deed is done, Macbeth feels as if he needs to kill Banquo.

The Thane of King Duncan, Macbeth hears a prophecy that he himself will become king later on in the future after King Duncan. This then leads to Macbeth being overcome by greed. Since Macbeth greeds to be king so bad, he murders King Duncan and takes his place of the throne. Macbeth starts to live with so much guilt and fear that he commits even more murders to have his power safe. Macbeth is so confident in the prophecies that his life comes to a downfall and he gets killed by the people he did wrong.

From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.

Often times, people go through rises and downfalls in their lives that they themselves are responsible for. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, both main characters, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, himself, are responsible for the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed. However, Shakespeare accomplishes in showing that Macbeth is more responsible for his own downfall than Lady Macbeth because he listens to the witches and follows his ambition rather than his conscience. To begin, Lady Macbeth is responsible for the tragedy because she convinces and manipulates Macbeth into doing the deed by insulting him when he changes his mind.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth the witches informs Macbeth of his fate that he will become the king in the future. Macbeth believes the witches words and Lady Macbeth persuade him to become the king and murder all the people that get in the way. Shakespeare shows us that fate is complicated by our actions, Macbeth will do anything to meet his fate that in the end lead him to his death because of his greediness.

‘Macbeth’s ambition is his only weakness’. Do you agree? Macbeth’s greatest weakness is his ambition, but it is also his greatest strength. Despite his ambition being one of his major weaknesses, it is not his sole weakness he exhibits that contributes to his inevitable death.

Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! … All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter.” (1.3.50-53) In regards to the prophecies, Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth a letter indicating the prophecies and their already partial fulfilment towards the first two prophecies. He also expresses his strive of determination and hunger for Duncan’s crown to Lady Macbeth in his letter. The witches manipulate Macbeth, telling him half of the truth in the prophecies, especially in the third prophecy involving Macbeth becoming king.

and obtains the title, which trigger an arrogant and self-absorbed thinking leading to madness and finally, death. The play seems to bring up the question, whether Macbeth is fully responsible of his own destiny, or under control of fate. In the first glance, the play seems to take rather fatalistic direction, meaning that we are powerless to make decisions as they are inevitably determined by supernatural power (Hugh 1)) It is due to the presence of supernatural forces throughout the whole play that systematically fulfills the prophecy; therefore the witches represent the idea of fate in the play. However, Shakespeare seems to rather intertwine fate with free will and perhaps even promotes the second philosophy as the play evolves.

Exploring Macbeth’s guilt, influences, and Shakespeare’s theme of fate versus free will supports further blame on Macbeth’s actions. Unquestionably, Macbeth becomes insane as a result of his devious actions. So to answer the question: if an individual has free will, then is that person responsible for his or her crimes, the tragedy of Macbeth provides the absolute answer to this