Representation Of Fate In Macbeth

A celebrated cartoonist Scott Adams once said “Free will is an illusion; people always choose the perceived path of greatest pleasure” (Brainyquote, 2016). One of the most studied plays in the world, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, can be seen as a direct representation of this quote. In the play, Shakespeare highlights the overall fulfillment of the witches’ prophecy of Macbeth, Macbeth’s failure to overcome his fate, and his gradual dependence on the witches’ prophecy rather than his own choice to portray how one's’ destiny is predetermined by fate.
The witches in Macbeth serve as a symbolic representation of faith, as they excite Macbeth’s ambition and foreshadow his ultimate destiny. Some literary scholars argue that the witches represent the Greek

As described before, In Shakespeare’s time, in the Elizabethan era, it was almost unanimously believed that life is predestined and is controlled by impersonal forces (Letterpile, 2011). This point raises a very important question that relates to how Shakespeare explores fate and human will in all of his plays. In Act I Scene III, Macbeth tries to reject the witches’ prophecy that he will be king hereafter, and says that he will leave everything to chance. He says that “if chances will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir” (I.iii.143-144). In the beginning of the play, Macbeth rejects the witches’ prophecy and says that he will not do any actions to achieve this position. However, as time goes by, he pushes himself to the path made by the witches’ predetermined destiny; this further gives the idea that one’s fate is unavoidable. Macbeth once again tries to deny the witches’ prophecies to kill Duncan, but he is once again lured by his wife, Lady Macbeth. In Act I Scene V, Lady Macbeth calls the evil spirits to help her get rid of her feminine quality to aid and persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan. In the seventeenth century, men were expected to rule over his wife, and his wife was also expected to obey his words. Women who do not obey their husband were often accused of practicing witchcraft, and thus in this case, it can be comprehended that Lady Macbeth’s character here resembles that of the witches, and give rise to the implication of the witches’ evil mischief. Following this, in Act I Scene VII, Macbeth thinks again about murdering king Duncan. He knows that this will result in eternal punishment in the afterlife, and weighs the different pros and cons of proceeding the murder. This shows the real side of Macbeth and what he really thinks inside him. In line 138, he says that “My