Fate And Freewill In Macbeth

The Flow of Fate
Fate is like the stream of a waterfall. One can try to avoid it and follow different paths, but regardless the water always heads down the same direction. Fate is inescapable, but choosing which streams to follow plays a severe role on how the waterfall will subside. No matter how one may flow in life or in the streams, their future is beyond control: the only resolution is fulfilling fate’s course and cascading down the waterfall. Fate is an unstoppable force of complex events controlled by either magic, an entity from above, or the supernatural. Fate is uncontrollable but others try to runoff and take control for themselves; though, despite this, one thing for certain is that the stream will continue to flow and end up on

After thoughts of refusing to kill Duncan in order to become king, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth to yield to her ways. As he reluctantly heads to do the deed, Macbeth hallucinates a floating dagger, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” (50) The dagger seems to call out to him since it heads towards his hand, it seems as if the supernatural dagger is wanting, and encouraging Macbeth to use it. Macbeth subconsciously wants to use it, since he wants to “clutch” the dagger and gain the courage to kill Duncan. Macbeth then sees the dagger transformed, “...thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood.” (52) Macbeth now hallucinates the dagger as bloody, which references to the crime he is about to commit. He believes the blood to be Duncan’s since he must dispose of him in order to have a chance at the throne. The hallucination of the bloody dagger indicates that Macbeth will, in fact, kill Duncan. This is important since even though Macbeth was reluctant at first, he has made up his mind and plans to kill Duncan in order to fulfill the third witch’s prophecy and become

As Macbeth meets with the three witches demanding to know more about his future, he is presented with three apparitions warning him of his downfall. The Second Apparition tells him that “The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth.” (136) The apparition is warning Macbeth that there is indeed a way to stop him, but only if that person wasn't “born” from a woman. This makes it seem like Macbeth is unstoppable but in reality fate is playing Macbeth, boosting his confidence and making him think he is invulnerable to those who attack him. This is important since the apparitions are warning Macbeth of a fate that he can actually be stopped, but only by a specific type of person. The apparition proves to be right when someone not born of a woman is able to kill Macbeth. Macduff is able to kill Macbeth since the Second Apparition's prophecy did not apply to him. As their troops take over the castle of Dunsinane, Macduff battles Macbeth to avenge his murdered family. Macbeth tells him it is futile since he is protected by the apparition's charm; however, Macduff refuses to back down, challenging him to “let the angel whom thou still hast served / Tell thee, Macduff was born from his mother’s womb / Ultimately ripped.” (212) Macduff wasn't “born” from a woman, he was “ripped” from his mother before birth, thus not allowing the prophecy to restrain him. Macduff isn’t susceptible to Macbeth’s protection,