In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses side characters to amplify Macbeth's true ambitions, which lead him to kill the king. Leaving fate behind and only the will of evil Macbeth to display the consequences of disrupting God and the natural order. After a battle, Banquo and Macbeth encounter three witches who prophesy that Macbeth will become king. At first, he considers this fate, but eventually, his ambitions come into play, causing him to kill King Duncan. Macbeth's contemplation, "If chance will have me, king, why, chance may/crown me/Without my stir" (1.3 167-169), discusses the use of fate or free will. As Macbeth says, "If chance will have me, king," he initially believes fate will guide his actions. Macbeth believes "chance" or fate will crown him king "without my stir" or his actions. …show more content…
Macbeth's portrayal of fate is short-lived as he states, "I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on th' other—" (1.7 25-28) depicting his shift from fate to free will; acknowledging his ambitions are the force behind his intent to kill Duncan, not a used pawn, but the executor. His "Vaulting ambition" is so powerful that it allows him to disrupt God's natural order. Shakespeare uses this action to represent that God's doing should not be disrupted, leaving his paranoia, madness, and downfall as a repercussion. Shakespeare has Macbeth able to avoid his tragic fate, conveying that an individual duty is required to determine the course of oneself. The article, "Tanistry, the 'Due of Birth' and Macbeth's Sin," by Michael J.C. Euchero, delivers a distinctive view on the motivation of Macbeth relating to Christianity. He uses Christianity to discuss the complexity and guilt surrounding Macbeth's