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Macbeth Fate And Free Will Essay

2033 Words9 Pages

Aleena Tahsin
Mrs. Levandowski
AP Language and Composition, Period 2
April 25, 2023
The Divergence Between Fate and Free Will

Free will and fate are two different factors, but they essentially work together to shape life. Macbeth is one of the most famous tragedies known today as it explores the themes of ambition, fate, and free will which are still relevant in today's society; This play also brings up Fate and Free will by discussing the way Macbeth’s life plays out versus how it was supposed to play out. Ambition is a form of desire that drives one to do whatever it takes for them to achieve their goal, and is discussed multiple times in Macbeth as one of the catalysts that drive the plot. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, …show more content…

Fate and ambition drive Macbeth to carry out a variety of actions that end up hurting his propriety and leading to his own downfall while he knows of his fate already. Macbeth encounters three witches who give him three prophecies: he will be the thane of Cawdor, he will be king, and Banquo’s kin will become king. He gets very excited at the thought of being king, but he doesn’t believe it until he gets back from the meeting where he is then told he is the new Thane of Cawdor. His ambition is starting to come alive as he hears this wonderful news and is pondering about how, “two truths are told as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme” (I.iii.140-142). Once Macbeth finds out his prophecies are real, he starts to wonder how he will become the …show more content…

Macbeth wants to be king as soon as he finds out about his prophecies. He even tells Banquo that,“if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.” (I.iii.143-144) At the beginning of the play, Macbeth wanted his destiny to play out and not let ambition drive him as much. He knew that if he was meant to become king, he would but through the manipulation of Lady Macbeth he wanted the throne at that moment which drove his free will proving how these two ideas come together. This proves how two contradictory ideas are used to attain a certain outcome such as being king. Macbeth wants to be above fate; therefore, he is doing everything he can as he resides as king. He certainly does not like the idea of anything or anybody being above him, especially fate. If Macbeth “can prove that he is above fate, then he may not be subject to the retribution which he fears. The escape of Fleance shows him that he is not a free agent but is “bound in” by an external order whose laws he has violated” (Bernard). He realized that not everything is in his hands and that fate comes into play too no matter what he does. He wanted to believe that he was above fate after killing people unnecessarily and becoming king, but at this moment he knew that he was not in complete control. This displays how fate and free will come together. Though he is murdering people and gaining power through the use of his

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