Macbeth Fate vs. Freewill Essay - 948 Words

Fate vs. Freewill 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. At the first encountering of the three weird sisters by Macbeth, they present to Macbeth a foreshadow of his destiny by saying, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!;/ All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane†¦show more content†¦Macbeth decided go against his predetermined fate prophesized by the three weird sisters, and killed Duncan at his own free will due to his desire for power, and his impulsiveness to become King of Scotland. 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 â€Å"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. Soon after Macbeth murders Banquo and Fleance fleets, the three weird sisters make a second appearance to Macbeth, and they present to Macbeth three apparitions.Show MoreRelated Fate vs. Freedom Essay1046 Words   |  5 Pages Fate may state what will be in ones life however, how that destiny comes about is a matter of mans own choice. In other words, incidents dont occur because our destinies are written. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare expertly uses the theme of fate vs. free will and raises the pre-eminent question of which holds power over the characters. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, fate is not the cause of his downfall, his own desires and choices prove to be the deciding factor. There are several examples of