Fate In Macbeth Essay

In the Shakespearean tragedy of Macbeth, the events predicted by the three witches in Act I came true due to Macbeth’s free will, not due to fate since those around him, including Lady Macbeth, pressured him to make certain decisions, such as murdering Duncan. However, his own motives and greed drove him to fulfill the prophecies of him becoming Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, as well as a king, proposed by the witches. To begin, in Act I Scene III, the witches tell Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will soon become the Thane of Cawdor, even though the thane is still alive, and he will become a king soon after. Learning this, Macbeth becomes power hungry, in order to fulfill in his fate predicted by the witches. Likewise, in Act I Scene IV, Macbeth discovers that King Duncan has named his oldest song, Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland, a position which ultimately transfers into the Scottish throne, him the only heir for Scotland's kingdom. In this moment, Macbeth’s quest for power consumes me when he admits, “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way …show more content…
After reading about the prophecy, she states that fate does not aid in someone’s future, but actions do, and Macbeth must take control of his life in order to become king. She suggests that they murder Duncan, who is the King of Scotland, which occurs in Act I Scene VII. Without taking the action of murder, Macbeth would have not became the King of Scotland unless Duncan died else wise. Macbeth takes matters into his own hands and fulfills the predictions of the witches by murdering Duncan, something that was not predestined by fate. All in all, in the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth, Macbeth’s free will allows him to fulfill the prophecies of the witches, something that fate has no part