Fate Vs Free Will Macbeth

William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a tragic tale of murder and betrayal that effectively reveals humanity's struggle between fate and free will. Shakespeare shows this conflict by using the inner turmoil of his main character, Macbeth, by having him pulled in opposite directions by conflicting motivations reflecting how his life is torn asunder by his fate and the choices he makes. The first of Macbeth's two motivations shown in the play is his loyalty to king and country. This is first shown when the bloody captain is reporting on Macbeth's reaction to an enemy counterattack reports that “they were as cannons overcharged with double cracks so they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe”(act 1 scene 2 lines 41-42). Macbeth's actions

This patriotism represents man's free will. In the play, Macbeth had chosen to follow the king and serve Scotland. However, this choice to follow the king may have also been driven by fate because Macbeth was born into a family that held a title and land in Scotland. Macbeth’s patriotism and free will are again demonstrated when Macbeth is in his castle preparing to receive Duncan and he debates with himself and Lady Macbeth whether to kill Duncan or not (1.7.1-96). Macbeth's inner turmoil about the decision shows that there are pros and cons to either option suggesting that he has a choice whether to do it or not and isn't just driven by fate. Macbeth's ability to make choices could reflect how humanity as a whole has the ability to make choices and isn't driven by fate. Macbeth's free will is again demonstrated when he agrees to fight Macduff to the death even though

This fate is first revealed to both Macbeth and the audience when the weird sisters greet him as “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor” and he “that shalt be king hereafter”(1.3.51-53). This scene reveals that Macbeth has a fate that he didn't previously choose or even know about. The disparity between the life Macbeth chose for himself and the one he is fated to have demonstrates that there is a driving force in everyone's lives that can't be controlled by us. A second scene that reveals facets of Macbeth's relationship with fate is when he is on his way to kill Duncan and he sees a bloody dagger floating in the air that points him towards Duncan's chamber(2.1.50-54). The apparition of the dagger solidifies the fact that Macbeth is being driven by something outside of himself driving him to become king. Macbeth acknowledges that the dagger could just be a product of his own brain; however, I find this unlikely since it is only after he kills the king that he shows other symptoms of madness and up to this point he has been depicted as healthy. The influence of fate on Macbeth's life is also a prominent part of a scene where Macbeth receives a report that “[Birnam] wood began to move”(5.5.39). Macbeth was fated to lose his final battle but, Birnam forest had to move up a hill first. Even something that seemed impossible happened to fulfill Macbeth's fate implying that