Fate And Free Will In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Self-Made Failure A person’s worst enemy can be themself. Macbeth by William Shakespeare is one of many stories that addresses the concept of fate and free will. Macbeth’s actions throughout the play subtly reveal Shakespeare’s stance on this subject. At the beginning of the story, the witches give Macbeth a prophecy stating that he will have various positions of power. As the book progresses, he takes extreme actions to stay in power, which lead to his demise. Although supernatural forces have a significant role in this play, Macbeth still has a substantial amount of autonomy over his own life, therefore, his downfall is the result of his own free will. Firstly, Duncan’s murder was not caused by any external, supernatural forces. After the

Macbeth tries to eliminate every possible obstacle in his way of maintaining power, especially because he is unable to produce an heir. The prophecy states that Banquo’s son will become king. So, Macbeth believes that “Our [his] fears in Banquo / Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature / Reigns that which would be feared.” (3.1.52-54). Macbeth admits that Banquo should be feared, mainly because he is a threat to the throne. Moreover, this fear degrades his character further, as Macbeth hires mercenaries to kill Banquo, rather than allowing the prophecy to come true naturally. In short, his fear of Banquo reveals his unhealthy obsession with the prophecy. Following Banquo’s murder, Macbeth realizes that “I am [he is] in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I [he] wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” (3.4.167-70). He has acknowledged that morally, he is at a point of no return. His recognition of his own actions shows that he realizes that the murders were the consequences of his own actions. Shakespeare is clearly holding Macbeth accountable for his own actions in this scene. Ultimately, Macbeth’s own interpretation of the prophecy—not the prophecy itself—is causing him to degrade as a person, which will lead to his tragic

The witches and the prophecies appear at various times throughout the play, It appears as though they are directly controlling Macbeth when they appeal to his sense of pride. They do this by addressing him as “Thane of Glamis!” (1.3.51), “Thane of Cawdor!” (1.3.52), and “king hereafter!” (1.3.53). Macbeth becomes fixated on the promise of power. Eventually, Macbeth gets all of these titles, but the power goes to his head. He was corrupted by having power and authority, which happens to many people in positions similar to his. It is also important to note that the witches never decide Macbeth’s future for him, they simply interpret it. They simply conjure up a “charm [that] is firm and good” (4.1.38). The charm simply allows them to interpret the future, but it is never specified that the ingredients used to make it can alter the future, therefore, the witches and the magic associated with them have almost no responsibility in bringing about Macbeth’s