How Does Macbeth Control His Own Fate

Imagine learning the future from a complete stranger. Life’s plan laid out plain and simple. Learning the key to success and how to avoid death. Fate and the future plays an interesting role in William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth. This play is the tale of fate, tragedy, betrayal, and love portrayed through several flawed characters. Shakespeare uses the idea of power and fate in character’s lives to explain consequences of being evil. In the play, the witches do not control Macbeth’s fate because they do not have total control over his life, the witches only initiate the prophecies, and Macbeth has the free will to ultimately control his own fate. The witches do not have control Macbeth’s life. He has the ability to control his own fate. The witches cannot control Macbeth’s life because they do not have the ability to make Macbeth choose a certain decision. The witches often talk of sending torturous actions towards people. They send a sailor’ ship into a storm even “though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tossed” (Shakespeare 1.3.25-26). The witches are expressing the fact that

While the witches can influence Macbeth in his actions and his mind, Macbeth ultimately has free will to make his own decisions. When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are discussing the assassination of King Duncan, Macbeth does have second thoughts about this action when he says, “We will proceed no further in this business” (1.7.34). This action occurs after the witches tell Macbeth that he is to be “king hereafter,” and Macbeth still has the free will either to kill Duncan or to choose against this action (1.3.53). Although Macbeth chooses to kill King Duncan, he still has the free will to choose against the witches’ prophecies. In the end, the witches’ prophecies do come true, but the decisions Macbeth makes are all on his own mindset; therefore, the witches in The Tragedy of Macbeth do not control Macbeth’s