Fate And Free Will In Macbeth

The concept of fate and free will, have dominated philosophy classes for the last century; the intrigue of a divine ruler watching over humanity, and has a plan for each and every individual, has been an accepted idea on account of, the writing of the Old Testament, or, in recent years, the thought that there is no God, and everything that happens to a person is based off of previous choices made. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a fictional tragedy that deals with the prophecy of three witches told to a current Thane, Macbeth, and fate had it, Macbeth was to be King of Scotland. At first, Macbeth thought nothing of the supposed prophecy the witches told him, but then of course, Macbeth became self absorbed, ultimately leading him to his demise. The later King of Scotland, Macbeth, reaches his position through a power hungry murder, and even more barbaric murders following to maintain his kingship. The role of fate and free will in Macbeth by Shakespeare ultimately drive the play through cataclysmic events that seal Macbeth’s fate. Macbeth’s demise would have not been as tragic if he had not acted on free will.

In 1.3 of the play, Macbeth is greeted by three witches on the battlefield that tell him

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! SECOND WITCH. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH. All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53). These lines from the witches foresee Macbeth to rise above the ranks and become king. In addition to, at first Macbeth believes these prophecies are nonsense, but soon after Macbeth is named the Thane of Cawdor, leading Macbeth to believe that it is possible his fate is to become King. Furthermore, the new Thane of Cawdor decides to go back to the witches on his own free will, to ascertain information how Macbeth can ascent to the