Macbeth Research Paper

John Louie Mr. Osborne English 10GT 23 May 2024 The Illusion of Choice in Macbeth Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a classic tragedy that emphasizes the themes of ambition, and fate. The play’s protagonist, Macbeth, encounters a series of events that eventually lead him to his tragic downfall. The critical question of this play is prominent throughout the tragedy, did Macbeth have a choice in his future, or was he merely a result of fate, destined to the witches prophecy? This paper will take into consideration all of the influencers to Macbeth's downfall, and ultimately determine that while Macbeth had outside influences such as his wife Lady Macbeth, and the witches, his tragic end was simply a result of his free will. The first source of influence

At the beginning of the tragedy, Macbeth comes across the weird sisters on the heath after he returns from battle. The witches feed Macbeth with a very promising prophecy, that he will one day become king. They give him the title of “King Hereafter”(Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 3 Line 53). This would appear to be a very promising future, but Macbeth is at first doubtful of these promises, as “ The Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman.”(Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 3 Line 75-76). However, they do not explicitly tell Macbeth how this prophecy will be fulfilled and they leave out the course of action in order for Macbeth to fulfill this prophecy himself. There was no set of directions enunciated by the witches on how Macbeth would become king. This gave Macbeth what he believed to be the power to become king, however he wished to. These prophecies given to Macbeth do not command Macbeth’s actions, as he is not forced to pursue his Kingship. However, Macbeth uses his own discretion to pursue it. Macbeth’s choices throughout the play are driven by his interpretation of the words given to him by the witches, meaning he used his own free will to dictate his

“Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” (Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene 3 Line 70-71). Macbeth remembers this when he becomes king after murdering Duncan and sees this as a threat to his throne. He uses his own discretion to hire murderers to kill Banquo. No one else made that decision for him, meaning he chose to do it by himself. Critics like Garry Willis in Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare's Macbeth argue that the witches do not command Macbeth’s actions, instead they simply feed him information. Wills states that "The witches prompt the latent thoughts of Macbeth; they do not create those thoughts" (Wills, 54). This states that the witches give Macbeth temptations that he uses free will to pursue. This again put him at fault for the outcome of the tragedy. A second, yet equally important source of influence for Macbeth’s decisions is his wife, Lady Macbeth. From the early stages of the books to the final pages, Lady Macbeth plays an active role in controlling and gaslighting her husband's decisions. However, this influence still does not remove his power of free