Fate And Free Will In Macbeth

For centuries, it has been largely disputed whether fate and predestination contribute to one’s decisions in life. The idea that the choices in a person’s life are not of their free will, but of the choices dictated by an outside force, is extremely controversial and has shaped beliefs in such areas as religious life. Others believe that they have the ability to shape their own destiny through the decisions they make at their own discretion, also known as free will. The Shakespearian play Macbeth uses the ideas of fate and free will through its characters and how they develop throughout the play. The three weird witches that appear multiple times in the play tell allegedly unavoidable fates to a few characters in the play. Each of the fates bestowed upon Macbeth and Banquo throughout the play affects their proceeding actions, such as those regarding the throne of Scotland. …show more content…
In addition to Macbeth hearing the prophecy that he would become king of Scotland, Banquo was told that his children would also rule as kings. Seeing as this could be problematic to Macbeth, he took it upon himself to send murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. This is another action that Macbeth takes, without dictation from the witches, in order to sustain his status as king. While Macbeth takes extreme actions to obtain his goals, Cassandra Nelson of Infobase.com suggests that, “Banquo is pleased by the thought that his sons should be kings, but not willing to murder in order to make it happen” (Infobase.com). Banquo is comfortable having fate control the future of his descendants’ kingship. However, Macbeth believes that he must take it upon himself to fulfill his destiny. Rather than proceeding with his life as normal after hearing of his future, Macbeth makes choices through free will that he believes will bring him closer to the prophecies that he is