Free Will In Macbeth

Improved Essays
During the Elizabethan era there was a philosophy that many people believed at that time which was the Wheel of Fortune or other known as Rota Fortunae, where your luck was decided on where you ended up on the wheel. Though many others didn’t believe this concept, this plays a role in the play Macbeth on whether Macbeth was a victim of fate or the master of his own destiny. But overall, Macbeth was a master of his own destiny which led into unfortunate event. Macbeth was a thane as well as being a brave warrior in the beginning, until he was approached by three mysterious witches while being with Banquo. They tell him a prophecy that he will be the Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. While he was a bit skeptical about it, later down the …show more content…
It would be assumed that she would prevent Macbeth from doing the evil things he thought of doing but yet she plans on poisoning his mind and persuading him further about killing King Duncan as for she is set for her husband becoming king. “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valor of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round, which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal.”(I.v.25-29) Her eyes are blinded by power with the ambition to persuade Macbeth in taking the crown and to get rid of the feelings that are holding him back. The use of characterization is shown to display how Lady Macbeth true personality is tainted at heart and ruthless to kill for Macbeth to see that they are above anyone else. Because of her actions she is detouring him on the wrong path therefore making him do the wrong …show more content…
He knew what he did was wrong and it slowly starts to haunt him about the deed he has done, he mentions to his wife “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’, the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care…”(II.ii.33-35) Because of his of him killing the King he feel that now because of his decision he will not be able to sleep. He feels guilt slowly taking over him and believe that sleep is only for the innocent and because of the murder he will no longer be able to sleep properly. The tone of his speech was displayed of him feeling cowardly about himself that he couldn’t even go back to see what he has

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Choosing free choice is why Macbeth and Lady Macbeth died at the very end of the story. One reason why they went to their untimely death is that they tried to go against fate. During the time of Shakespeare they obsuosliy did not believe in fate, and that you had a choice make their own fate. This however just helped with the fate that was already choose for them. The example of this is when Macbeth decides to not heave the warning of Macduff that the witches told him.…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fabian Solis English 4 Mrs. Crockett December 18, 2015 Macbeth Fate v. Free will Fate and Free will opposes each other, in the story Macbeth is told that he will fulfill a prophecy by some witches that. People believe that fate does not control your life, people each live to do what they want in life. This freedom is called free will. Macbeth had that choice to do what he wanted. He chose the path to be a king, which led him to problems.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Are humans but the playthings of a higher power, walking blindly along a predetermined path? Or are humans completely in control of their life, and use fate as an excuse to justify their misdeeds? The main character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth brings these questions to the forefront, and it must be decided whether his heinous crimes were the result of a prophecy or if he was merely using the prophecy as an excuse to carry out his heart’s darkest desires. Free will can be defined as the presence of a choice, full knowledge of the consequences, and the lack of external constraint.…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The audience now sees her as less human, because while stating the plan she does not hesitate or think of the people's life they may ruin due to their actions. In fact, they will ruin both of the guards lives as they will be accused, Duncan’s life because he is dead, and their own lives though they do not see it yet. This also demonstrates how greedy Lady Macbeth is, she is not content with the high position Macbeth was given and instead wants more. This also shows how inconsiderate she is for others, and how stubborn she is, Lady Macbeth never considers for a second that there may be another way to get what she wants. Though she knows what she is doing is wrong she pushes these thoughts to the side so she can continue, she asks the spirits to “unsex me here/ and fill me from the crown to the toe topful/ of direst cruelty.…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Freewill In Macbeth

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Tragedy of MacBeth Does Macbeth act as a pawn of fate or an agent of freewill? Macbeth act as a pawn of fate because he wasn’t a killer his blood was like milk so basically he felt like he couldn’t hurt/kill nobody. Well that was until somebody close to him convinced him to do something that he didn’t think he would be able to do. Lady Macbeth (his wife) convinced Macbeth to kill…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Free Will is a Man’s Downfall Free will, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “the ability to think, choose, and act voluntarily.” In Macbeth, William Shakespeare introduces the idea of free will to the readers. The author explores this idea through his main character, Macbeth. Shakespeare shows how free will caused Macbeth to carry out such horrific actions towards his people.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth is not a helpless victim of fate, he was in control of all of his actions and decisions. He is prophesied his fate by the witches, but he is not told how to accomplish it. Although influenced by the witches, Macbeth decided that he would take control of his own fate to achieve his desired goal. The witches foresee Macbeth’s future and recount his predetermined destiny to him, which then leads him to decide whether he should take action or let fate take over.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Act IV/V Essay Shakespeare has showed in many ways how free choice is responsible for the death of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Many choices led to the death of these two characters. To start off, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decided together to kill the king. Even once they were committed, it was not too late to back down. Lady Macbeth chose not to kill the king because the king looked too much like her father.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Free Will Analysis

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although one may believe Macbeth’s actions are an act of fate, his actions are entirely based on his free will. Macbeth willingly trusts the witches’ prophecy although he realized their wickedness. In the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth and Banquo confront three witches…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    All in all fate had a little role in Macbeth’s choices but if free will is what lead him right into the…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When it comes to literature, people will often analyse a character 's fate. More specifically, whether said fate was determined by destiny or free will. In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, scholars will often debate whether Macbeth himself has his fate sealed by his destiny or by his own free will. Although his fate may be predetermined, Macbeth uses his own free will to decide how he will fulfill his own destiny. Macbeth determines his own fate through the murder of King Duncan, the murder of Banquo and the slaughter of Macduff’s subjects.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Free Will or Fate People can influence others, despite the fact that they can achieve the goal of persuading people into thinking another way, oneself is not force-fed into making any actions that one decides to make. Everyone is born with free will, sometimes a person can not control what happens, but they do have control over the choices they aim to make. The choices one makes practically determines their fate. Macbeth made some poor decisions and let people influence him and that led to his ultimate downfall. Macbeth retains free will, although at times he allows the witches and even Lady Macbeth to persuade him, he is the reason for his own fate and downfall.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Quotes On Fate In Macbeth

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Macbeth the witches informs Macbeth of his fate that he will become the king in the future. Macbeth believes the witches words and Lady Macbeth persuade him to become the king and murder all the people that get in the way. Shakespeare shows us that fate is complicated by our actions, Macbeth will do anything to meet his fate that in the end lead him to his death because of his greediness.…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The reader should notice that not once does Lady Macbeth speak of her own desire to be queen or the power that she might gain. Upon realizing that Macbeth can only attain the crown through regicide, her only concern is that her husband will need her help. She even feels it necessary to beg the forces of darkness to fortify her for the task, thus betraying the fact that she does not believe herself to be capable of the murder without appealing to the supernatural. This is important. In Shakespeare’s time, the act of opening oneself up to evil spirits would have been scandalous, and Lady Macbeth does exactly that for the benefit of Macbeth.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Macbeth’s ambition and pride results in his demise. Fate and free will feed into each other however, humans chose to pit them against each other because we often see as one working for us and the other against us. However that is not always the case as we see from Macbeth, without realizing it we often act to fulfill our destiny and other times we act to change it, but what we do not realize is that fate is the final destination but how we get there is up to us. Macbeth does not see this, and that is what the knowledge of our fate does to us, we become blinded by ambition and pride that our ability to think clearly escapes us. He thinks that he can only have one or the other; Fate or free will, but truly we have to use both for either of them work in our favour.…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays