Fate And Free Will In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Was it destined to happen or was the ending already determined? In one of the greatest tragedies ever written William Shakespeare helps to answer whether Macbeth’s life was based off of fate or free will. Macbeth is full of internal struggle and outside forces pushing the characters toward the battle between the two. The play makes you ask yourself whether Macbeth’s failure was caused by fate or was because of his own free will. This question has been asked for many years, and while we may never know which way it was written, it gives the reader a chance to think about how fate and free will affect every decision we make.

Fate is defined as the destiny that your life will take. It is shown very clearly throughout Macbeth through the characters

Macbeth’s desire is so obvious, regarding what the witches said to be his future, that he will let nothing stand in the way, including his sanity. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feelings as to sight? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? I see thee yet, in form as papable. As this which now I draw.” (SparkNotes 2.1.18). The dagger in this scene represents the voice inside of Macbeth that is telling him to carry out the murder, that it has to be done to reach the finish line. It is a reflection on the battle he is fighting within, between how determined he is and his lack of free will. This part of the play is foreshadowing his mental health that eventually drives him

He has given up his free will to the dagger- which gave him the strength to kill Duncan; to Lady Macbeth- which encouraged him to achieve his role as King; and to the witches’ prophecy- which created the desire to become King. In act 3 the fate the witches prophesized for Banquo and Macbeth is tested. This to me is one of the first times Macbeth really uses his own free will to change the course of his destiny. Chowdhury states, “The significant role of fate is recognized when, despite a character's heroic acts and good intentions, they face death simply because they are doomed to die” Fate was set for them, but the free will of Macbeth changes the outcome. To make sure he remains in power he takes it upon himself to destroy anyone standing as a threat, even if that means to kill one of his best friends and his