Free Essays - Free Will Isn't Free in Macbeth

Macbeth - Free Will Isn't Free

Could Macbeth choose his own path in life or is it already planned? Everything he does in his life is already planned out. It is destined for what happens happened in his life. He still has his free will, but no matter what everything is bound to happen as it were destined to. His destiny is still a step ahead of him. No matter what his decision is, even the three witches can foretell his future. Every decision that Macbeth choose was on his free will and his fate is already destined for him ahead of times.

The three witches knew everything before hand. Therefore, they could foretell who would be the destined one and be king. They knew the exact time and place in which they were suppose to encounter the future king. They knew Macbeth would be ordained to be this future king. They told Macbeth that he was the Thane of Glamis because he is the rightful heir "all hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!" [I, iii, 49], Thane of Cawdor all hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Tthane of Cawdor" [I, iii, 51] and King of Scotland, "all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"[I, iii, 49]. They told Macbeth about the apparitions of the signs that he would be overthrown off the throne. The first apparition was Macduff "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, Beware the thane of Fife" [IV, I, 71]. The second apparition is foreshadowing that nothing woman born shall kill him, "the pow'r of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" [IV, I, 80]. While, the third apparition telling Macbeth not to worry until the forest comes to him and the eight kings overthrow him from the thrown. "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him" [IV, I, 92]. So the three witches already know Macbeths destiny and his decisions.

When the witches told Macbeth that he was going to be king, he was not patient enough to wait, hence, wanted for him to be king right then. He discussed the ordeal to his wife about the three witches warning him and how things started to take its course.