Does an individual’s actions truly affect their outcome? The question of whether one’s life is predetermined or their decisions affect their ultimatum; fate vs freewill, is one of the most frequently asked philosophical question without a definite answer. The two plays of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and The Crucible by Arthur Miller are excellent at illustrating the theme of fate vs freewill. The two plays provides interesting perspectives on this theme and give intuition on the controversy of fate vs freewill through actions of tragic characters such as Macbeth and John Proctor. Each character progressively and seamlessly becomes victims of their own freewill, although fate is still present, it is ultimately freewill that attributes to …show more content…
Their poor judgement is attributed to this flaw and leads to their demise. John Proctor is a character with a lot of internal conflict. John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth says, “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.” (Miller 65) After his affair with Abigail Williams he no longer views himself as a good and righteous man. When his wife, tells John to go to the court and expose Abigail, he refuses to go because he is afraid of being exposed himself due to his crime of adultery. But when Elizabeth is convicted of witchcraft his ambition to save her increases. He fully feels the guilt of betrayal to his wife, and chooses, through his own freewill, to go to court and try to save his wife despite the fact that his crime of adultery will be revealed. John Proctor’s ambition to save his wife gets himself convicted and leads to his tragic fate. In the same way, Macbeth’s unchecked obsessive ambition for power leads him to make questionable choices, and it is his ambition that makes him a victim of freewill. Macbeth says, “They hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my grip” (III, I, 63 – 65). After Macbeth kills Duncan his ambition increases, he realizes that the prophecy predicted about Banquo is more favorable …show more content…
They are given the freewill to choose their fate, but they choose to die rather than to live, due to their pride. Macbeth’s excessive pride or hubris is another one of Macbeth’s great flaws. Macbeth illustrates his pride when he decides to take on Malcom’s army and eventually fight Macduff. Macbeth says, “Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests; I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born.” Macbeth is so prideful he believes that he is invincible, and that no one is able to kill him. This pride leads him straight into battle where he meets Macduff. Macduff gives Macbeth the choice to surrender but Macbeth’s pride hinders his judgement and through freewill, he chooses to fight and ultimately dies. John Proctor is a character that meets the same fate. John Proctor is given the ultimatum to confess of witchcraft or be hung, and he chooses to confess, but he must sign his name on his confession to be nailed on the church entrance. John Proctor says, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 143) John Proctor would rather die than let his good name be tarnished because of lies. He chooses through his own freewill to not sign the document, his
It has been said that one’s fate lies in one’s own hands; however, when one tries to use free will to rush this fate, the consequences are dire. In the tragedy, Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the character Banquo as a foil to Macbeth to highlight the differences in their personalities and actions. Banquo embodies the belief that fate should run its course; in this way, Banquo represents nature. On the other hand, Macbeth utilizes free will to try to rush time to reach his fate faster. These characteristics are displayed as Macbeth and Banquo hear their fates from the witches and act in response to those prophecies throughout the play. The distinct characteristics of the two demonstrate the clash between fate and free will throughout Macbeth.
Throughout the story Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth seemed to just be a victim of “fate”. But, in the end it was clear that his character gained power over that “fate”, at least he gained power over
Fate vs Free Will is one of the most oft used literary techniques in writing. It is never more evident than in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The major theme of the story Macbeth is whether or not the story is fueled by the free will of Macbeth, or by his fate. Are the events in Macbeth a result of his mentality and outlook on life, or were they going to happen no matter what? Almost every major event that takes place can be traced back to this question. It can be viewed in different ways, and most people have their own opinions. Dissecting this question is a part of what makes teaching Macbeth still have so much value to this day. But there is a clear answer to this question upon further dissection. The story of Macbeth is fueled by his free will, which he perceives to be a necessary part of achieving his fate.
Decisions determine the path of a man's life, The types of decisions ensure the destination and the emotions which follow. In the beginning Macbeth was a hero with lots of fame but he is filled with greed and wants to be king. There were key experiences that Macbeth endured, which show an internal conflict of Macbeth. William Shakespeare highlights the dishonest tasks as thrilling and rewarding until the guilt and stress set in. Showing that doing evil things may be thrilling at the time but sooner or later karma will set in.
Fate is an old, debated concept. Do one's actions truly play a role in determining one's life? Is fate free to some or is it binding to others, in that no individual can make completely individual decisions, and therefore, no one is truly free. Nowadays, fate is a subject often rejected in society, as it is seen as too big, too idealistic, and too hard to wrap a person's head around. However, at the time of Antigone, the concept was a terrifying reality for most people.
Shakespeare clearly explores the themes ‘Fate and Free Will’, and ‘Ambition’ within this tragedy. Shakespeare weaves these themes around the character of Macbeth, showing us the depth of his insight into human society. Macbeth fell victim to his interpretation of supernatural prophecies and the influence from his wife. His impatience for the throne led to his crimes, subsequent guilt and acknowledgement of his sins. Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s life to his audience as a moral tale, warning them how men should be careful how they regard the ideas of fortune and fate and how in the end, evil intents and actions bring with them their own punishment.
A controversial question debated by many is, “Can human beings really have the freedom to do as we wish? Or do people influence our so called ‘free will’, to the extant where we don’t have a choice? ” This question is raised in Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1606, a play that deals with key themes such as good versus evil and power. I will be talking about how the witches aren’t the most powerful characters in the play, and aren’t the catalyst to all of Macbeth’s crimes by using the witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself. It took a combination of the witches, Lady Macbeth and himself for Macbeth to commit these crimes.
How much of an influence does fate have on the ideals of a person? Is Macbeth acting out the selfish desires of his own accord? Fate is thought to be unavoidable, and all the paths of life lead to a destiny that is inescapable. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, not only is Macbeth’s hand forced in committing a murder, his fate is expedited in the process. Macbeth is in control of his own destiny, but is spurned into decisions by the Witches and his wife. Although Macbeth believes he is controlled by fate, a more thorough inspection reveals his control over all his actions.
instill in him the need to be King. Still, desire is not enough for Macbeth and he is thus driven "to seek certainty as his one objective. He wants certainty from the witches . . . at whatever cost" (Campbell 228). Macbeth, however, is not completely lost yet; honour and justice remain in him, and although it takes him some time to fully consider the consequences of the witches' words on him, he rejects his horrible thoughts of murder and postpones all action: "If chance will have me king, why,chance may crown me, / Without my stir" (I. iii.143-144). For the time being, Macbeth's true essence is in control, that of loyalty and honour.
Macbeth is swaying between the forces of good and evil. He wants to stop killing but he also wants to become king and in his mind the only way to do that is to kill whoever is in his path, saying “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (3.4.168-170). Macbeth is already deep into this situation and if he were to turn back now, it would cause him greater hardship than relief. Macbeth has been dealing with this inner conflict ever since he was told by the weird sisters that he is fated to become king. This conflict ties everything together, between fate versus free will and sane or insane. Macbeth started the play as being a glorified war hero, however as time moved on he transformed into a bloodthirsty tyrant. Macbeth has gone through so much that he has shifted into a guilty man haunted by nightmares and hallucinations but will not stop until he gets what he came for. Macbeth has gone so far into the void of guilt that his name has now fell into infamy, as shown by quote by Young Siward saying “The devil himself could not pronounce a title/ More hateful to mine ear.” (5.7.10-11). Macbeth had already grown a name for himself while he kept his innocence, however with all the killings macbeth has made, he has done nothing but shame his name. Macbeth name to others is more hateful and there is nothing that Siward would rather do than to end Macbeth’s life, thus ending all the guilt and evil inside
When we are first introduced to John Proctor, we learn of his affair with Abigail Williams, Abigail's involvement in the accusations of witchcraft, and of John's desire to do what is honorable. Because of John's desire to do what is honorable, he ends the affair with Abigail and begins to attempt to repair his broken marriage. Abigail's jealously of Elizabeth and desire to be John's wife leads to Elizabeth's name being mentioned in court. Abigail's mention of Elizabeth's name in court reveals her attempt to get rid of Elizabeth for she knows Elizabeth will claim innocence and be hung if she does. When word reaches the Proctors, about Abigail's mentioning of Elizabeth's name in court, John concludes that Abigail's motive is to kill Elizabeth. Knowing this information, John is faced with his first difficult decision, save his reputation, keep his affair a secret, and let the accusations continue, or ruin his reputation, tell of his affair, and end the girls' accusations. Not wanting to ruin his good name, John decides to hold his tongue and because of this the trials continue and more accusations are made, some of which lead to his wife's and his friends arrest for witchcraft and bewitchment.
John Proctor is both flawed and honorable. After having an affair with Abigail. His wife has been unable to forgive him for this, and their marriage is unhappy, John has the guilt from his past affair weighing down on his shoulders, he apologizes for the mistake but it is shown that the guilt is still there “I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches round your heart. I cannot speak but I am doubted every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!” this shows that the guilt is crushing him that he has been trying to apologized for his wrong doings but hasn’t been forgiven he needs his wife to forget about the pass and move on he will do anything to show his wife he is devoted to her. John Proctor knows what he will do knowing that now his wife is charged with witchcraft he must go to the court and prove to them that this is all a hoax and this his wife is not involved in witchcraft and that Abigail is making this all up. John makes a ...
Many people throughout the play are faced with fate and fate determines the success and worth of there actions. One who is most prominently faced with fate is Macbeth. After his multitude of deceptive and betraying actions it becomes his fate for all that he is done. Macduff speaks on this as he proclaims “Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands the usurper’s cursed head. The time is
When reading William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, it seems that Macbeth was predestined to do the terrible deeds that he did. However, there is also a valid argument that Macbeth exercised his free will and chose to do those things on his own. This discussion leads into many different topics, but it relates most to spirituality. The concept of free will and how it relates to Macbeth and our present lives yields a relevant and interesting topic for further discussion.
In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the concept I traced was fate and freewill. Macbeth was forced to choose between fate and freewill when he heard of the witches’ prophecy. This concept was interesting because you were tracing how Macbeth’s decisions would affect him later in the story, an example is when he kills Banquo and then later Banquo’s ghost comes to haunt him. These decisions would ultimately decide his future and shape his personality as a ruler. Macbeth choose free will and therefore became king through lying, cheating and murder, his rule as a king was similar to his upbringing as a king. I chose this topic because I thought it was interesting why modern day dictators were making their decisions, how their decisions got them to power, and how they are able to stay in power for extended periods of time. This relates to modern times because leaders today who gain power over totalitarian governments or inherit power through their relatives are inevitably harsher and more tyrannical rulers than those who get elected as leaders. Many leaders from all over the world are showing modern day parallels to Macbeth by gaining and keeping power through rigged elections and by executing or intimidating the opposition.