Macbeth’s Free Will
Macbeth’s life offers an insight into how in life, fate is fixed and controls what is to come, but how that fate comes to be is controlled by free will. In Shakespeare’s work, the character of Macbeth shows the power of ambition and the reason for violence in the world. Up to this point in the book, Macbeth, a great Scottish warrior beloved by his country, receives a prophecy from three witches, telling him that he will achieve the title of King. Macbeth was first shocked to hear of his fate, but then he decides to take destiny into his own hands by committing the murder of the present king. One interesting thing about Macbeth’s actions was that some of his actions seem to not be his but influenced by other characters …show more content…
There he realizes that by killing King Duncan “justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own lips” (1.7.10-12). In this quote, Macbeth is saying how justice will cause him to suffer the same fate as King Duncan. If he kills King Duncan, then he will be killed in the end.This is an example of Macbeth making his own decisions. The last scene, he was sure that he wanted to kill the king, but now he is true to himself and thinks of the consequences that might come from killing his king. Macbeth has free will and can choose what he wants to do with his life. But this changes when another character (Lady Macbeth) launches his motivation to again become king. Lady Macbeth questions his manhood and promotes him to make the wrong choice. She says, “What beast was ’t, then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.47-49); By questioning his manhood, she is making Macbeth ashamed to be in her presence. She is making him feel as though she is more masculine and manlier than him. She knows that by saying these things Macbeth will do anything he can to please her. Macbeth then had to choose if he would listen to Lady Macbeth and choose the wrong path or stick to his own decision. Macbeth still has a choice. This shows how he has free will because he has to make a choice. Lady Macbeth has no supernatural powers and did …show more content…
Macbeth kills Duncan, and in the third scene of act two, Macduff and Lennox enter the castle to find him dead. They pin the murderers of Duncan as the guards that were staying in his room in the night because their arms and faces are covered with blood. Macbeth then tells them that “here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood, and his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature” (2.3.104-107). He told them that once seeing the divinity and majesty of Duncan destroyed, he felt an overwhelming emotion to kill the two guards who were lying next to the king covered in his blood. Committing the murder of the two guards was not part of the plan that Lady Macbeth came up with, and it is obvious that Macbeth did not feel anger and frustration against them for killing King Duncan. He was the one that killed Duncan, so he had to kill the guards because of a different reason. Macbeth probably thought that the guards could explain their innocence if they remained alive. This shows an example of Macbeth having free will. He did not have to commit the murder; he saw it as an easy way to make sure that none of the evidence points toward him. If he had not killed the two guards they would probably still have been found guilty because of Macbeth’s popularity in the land and the bloodstains that the guards had on them. Macbeth’s murder of the guards shows how he does not need the three witches
Macbeth’s life offers an insight into how in life, fate is fixed and controls what is to come, but how that fate comes to be is controlled by free will. In Shakespeare’s work, the character of Macbeth shows the power of ambition and the reason for violence in the world. Up to this point in the book, Macbeth, a great Scottish warrior beloved by his country, receives a prophecy from three witches, telling him that he will achieve the title of King. Macbeth was first shocked to hear of his fate, but then he decides to take destiny into his own hands by committing the murder of the present king. One interesting thing about Macbeth’s actions was that some of his actions seem to not be his but influenced by other characters …show more content…
There he realizes that by killing King Duncan “justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own lips” (1.7.10-12). In this quote, Macbeth is saying how justice will cause him to suffer the same fate as King Duncan. If he kills King Duncan, then he will be killed in the end.This is an example of Macbeth making his own decisions. The last scene, he was sure that he wanted to kill the king, but now he is true to himself and thinks of the consequences that might come from killing his king. Macbeth has free will and can choose what he wants to do with his life. But this changes when another character (Lady Macbeth) launches his motivation to again become king. Lady Macbeth questions his manhood and promotes him to make the wrong choice. She says, “What beast was ’t, then, that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.47-49); By questioning his manhood, she is making Macbeth ashamed to be in her presence. She is making him feel as though she is more masculine and manlier than him. She knows that by saying these things Macbeth will do anything he can to please her. Macbeth then had to choose if he would listen to Lady Macbeth and choose the wrong path or stick to his own decision. Macbeth still has a choice. This shows how he has free will because he has to make a choice. Lady Macbeth has no supernatural powers and did …show more content…
Macbeth kills Duncan, and in the third scene of act two, Macduff and Lennox enter the castle to find him dead. They pin the murderers of Duncan as the guards that were staying in his room in the night because their arms and faces are covered with blood. Macbeth then tells them that “here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood, and his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature” (2.3.104-107). He told them that once seeing the divinity and majesty of Duncan destroyed, he felt an overwhelming emotion to kill the two guards who were lying next to the king covered in his blood. Committing the murder of the two guards was not part of the plan that Lady Macbeth came up with, and it is obvious that Macbeth did not feel anger and frustration against them for killing King Duncan. He was the one that killed Duncan, so he had to kill the guards because of a different reason. Macbeth probably thought that the guards could explain their innocence if they remained alive. This shows an example of Macbeth having free will. He did not have to commit the murder; he saw it as an easy way to make sure that none of the evidence points toward him. If he had not killed the two guards they would probably still have been found guilty because of Macbeth’s popularity in the land and the bloodstains that the guards had on them. Macbeth’s murder of the guards shows how he does not need the three witches