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.
Free Will over Fate in Macbeth
This theory is obvious in a scene, where Macbeth is consciously deciding to kill king Duncan. In Act 1, Scene 3 he states: - “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function, is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is, but what is not” (Macbeth 1.3.138-141). We observe his conscious unstable thought processes about contemplating and planning the murder of Duncan emerging shortly after hearing the prophecy, and before Lady Macbeth could hear the message and influence his decision. There also appears no evidence in the text, that the witches would force Macbeth or foretell him how to reach his destiny and become a king by murder, therefore we start to perceive Macbeth’s
Importance of control elsewhere in the play • How control is shown • Reasons for control within the play Control is a recurring theme in the play "Macbeth" as it warns the audience of the repercussions of trying to control your fate. The first key event where control features in a significant way is the witches' prophecies. They tell Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland which establishes the importance of fate. Shakespeare conveys the witches as agents of evil that are deceptive and dangerous, "oftentimes to win us to our harm/the instruments of darkness tell us truths," showing that they use truth itself to influence a horrible outcome (Macbeth's tragic demise.) Their message is compelling and attractive and we
In the beginning of the story, one of the first things that caused Macbeth to falter with his free will was manipulation. He was first manipulated by the three witches in act one, scene three. The witches tell Macbeth that he “shalt be king hereafter” (Mac.1.3.50). By saying this, the witches were able to plant that idea in his mind, manipulating his actions.
Macbeth: Free Will or Pre-Determined? If you have read any of William Shakespeare’s plays, you may have wondered if the characters’ destinies have been pre-determined or are being altered by the characters’ actions. For instance, when you read “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, you may have wondered if Macbeth’s destiny is pre-determined or if it is self-altered. Some people believe another force controls Macbeth’s life, and that everything is pre-determined.
“If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir” (Shakespeare 144). Macbeth, a loyal subject to his king has an encounter that will change his fate with an ultimate effect on his free will. They claim three predictions, Macbeth will be the Thane of Cawdor and later crowned King but Macbeths lineage will not maintain the throne. After this supernatural confrontation, Macbeth questions this loyalty which will ultimately lead to his new fate carried out (LitCharts 1). Fully capable to act upon his own free will, Macbeth instead is driven by fate to his destruction which gives further insight of his character advancement.
As proved by Macbeth’s success to become the Thane of Cawdor, the prophecies are Macbeth’s fate; they will be the outcomes of his life, but how they will come to be is dependent on Macbeth’s own choices. When Macbeth shares the prophesies with his wife, Lady Macbeth, she helps him murder King Duncan in order to gain the throne. The witches had predicted that Macbeth would be king but they hadn’t said when or how. It is Macbeth’s own choice to murder Duncan because of his deep desire to become king. Macbeth wants to protect his power and eliminate all enemies that may come in the way.
Firstly, the witches could have complete power over Macbeth’s destiny while he has no control whatsoever. On the other hand, there is also the argument that Macbeth carves his own path due to his ambitious nature. However, the witches cannot control the fate of Macbeth because we control our own fates, and our own actions in the present are what shapes our future. Macbeth is seen as a very ambitious character from the start of the play while fighting against the rebels, to the end when he is slain. How he decides he uses his ambition
At the start of the play, Macbeth visits the witches with Banquo at the closing of the battle. The witches speak to Macbeth and Banquo and get the idea of a prophecy in Macbeth’s mind. “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis./ All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor./ All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.46-48). When the witches get the prophecy in Macbeth’s mind, he believes it will come true and misunderstands the prophecy of the witches. Although the witches make Macbeth believe in the prophecy of becoming the King, Macbeth is responsible for his downfall because they do not recommend Macbeth to kill Duncan.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth, expresses the universal truth that one’s life is not determined by fate, but rather the choices that one makes; furthermore, how choosing poorly can lead to overwhelming feelings of guilt. The most prominent and underlying theme of Macbeth, is the concept of fate vs. free will, most clearly seen through the rising in power and eventual downfall of Macbeth himself. Early in the play, the Three Witches prophesied that Macbeth will become king of Scotland; however, the prophecy ends there. Macbeth exercises his free will and makes the decision to kill King Duncan and ensure his appointment to king.
Throughout the play, the witches have a strong influence on many characters. MacBeth listens to their prophecies and tries to pursue ultimate power because of them. The witches are an example of supernatural beings and change in natural order of events. The witches prophecies were seen as concrete and not able to be altered, so by MacBeth trying to usurp and affect his future, he reaps the poor consequences of his actions. The witches are stronger and more powerful than MacBeth because they have all-power and the ability to forever alter the course of someone’s life.
For example, when the witches notify Macbeth that he will gain a new title, they are simply telling him of the fact and are not prompting him to act upon it (Rahman and Tajuddin 138). In spite of that, he instantly conjures up an image in his head of himself killing King Duncan in order to get the position of the King, and subtly questions if his thoughts are against his own morals (Mac I.iii.130-137). This thought is not the witches’ fault, but if they never told Macbeth of his imminent future, he would not think this way. Macbeth’s murderous thought of Duncan lets readers see that Macbeth has a lust for power, which ultimately leads to the tragedy (Kesur 5561). In addition, the witches’ apparitions also play a slight part in Macbeth’s decision making.
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.
Fate Versus Free Will In Macbeth Fate versus free will is a theme well known throughout literature and in life as well. Is life controlled by fate, or are people’s lives dependent on the choices they make? In Macbeth, Shakespeare emphasizes the idea of fate vs. freewill, indicating that both elements play a role in the lives of individuals, as well as society as a whole. The main character, Macbeth’s, life is a combination of fate and his conscious decisions. The witches in Macbeth can control the fates of many, but only to a point.
In other words, they told him he would become king in the future. This causes a catastrophe because the Three Witches were the masterminds behind all the murder and planting the seed of ambition into Macbeth’s head. It shows how the Witches were the puppet masters behind all of it and they
At first these thoughts remain hidden, but when the witches approach him with their predictions his desires reform his character. The witches wait for Macbeth and tell him series of predictions. The specific prediction, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51) causes Macbeth’s desire to become more intensified. Their prediction that he would become king brings a change in his character.
In the play Macbeth, the lead role “Macbeth” was given a prophecy. Part of the prophecy stated that Macbeth would be king. Macbeth made decisions to make the prophecies come true, rather than believing that his actions were predetermined. Shakespeare, the author of Macbeth, probably believed that fate is never predetermined. I believe Macbeth’s actions were the cause of his own decisions, and that he did what he could to make his prophecies come true.