Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

Is it possible to truly have free will, or are all actions mere effects of events that came before it? Is it possible to make an uninfluenced decision and change one's destiny? These questions have been weighing on the minds of philosophers for hundreds of years and while many people have a strong opinion on these questions, there is a reason these questions are still being asked. Through an analysis of key events in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and the application of philosophical ideas such as determinism, psychological determinism, unconscious influences, and fatalism, this essay argues that free will is only an illusion. Macbeth's downfall portrays the lack of free will he had as external influences and deterministic forces shaped his actions

The prophecy of the witches in the beginning of the play demonstrates the philosophical idea of determinism proving that Macbeth could not ignore what the witches prophesied for him. The influence of Lady Macbeth’s manipulation proves that Macbeth’s psychology gave him the illusion of free will. Macbeth is again given the illusion of choice when he kills the king; however, his so-called choices are easily disproved by determinist beliefs. Finally, as Macbeth faces death he realizes his fate is determined by a higher power just as fatalism suggests.
Philosophical ideas that can be understood through the play, show that Macbeth did not act of his own free will. The main counter-argument to free will argues in favor of determinism. Determinism suggests that every event that happens to Macbeth is determined by outside forces and Macbeth cannot affect what happens to him. A philosopher at Lander University described determinism as a philosophical perspective that asserts that every event, including mental events, is driven by a cause. Suggesting that all physical and mental states are influenced by their causes and can be explained by scientific laws (Varieties of Free Will and Determinism, n.d.). They propose that everything that happens, both

Macbeth’s thoughts are not free because people around him use him to get what they want. After Lady Macbeth hears about the witch's prophecy she is determined to manipulate Macbeth to be more ambitious and eventually kill the king. Lady Macbeth uses a variety of psychological strategies to manipulate Macbeth’s thoughts, first by emasculating him, she says, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man” (Shakespeare 1.7.49-51). Lady Macbeth attempts to make Macbeth more masculine and save him from what she deems as flaws. She convinces Macbeth that by not wanting more power he is less of a man, challenging his masculinity. In the same speech she also uses violent imagery and guilt to intentionally manipulate Macbeth into this course of action, by saying how far she’d go to achieve this, “Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this” (Shakespeare 1.7.56-58). Lady Macbeth uses shockingly violent imagery of a baby to guilt Macbeth into taking violent actions himself, so Lady Macbeth does not have to. In these lines, Lady Macbeth says that she would go as far as act violently towards a baby for her ambition similar to how Macbeth would act on a battlefield. Macbeth would not want Lady Macbeth to act so heinous as the man is