The Theme Of Fate Vs. Free Will In Macbeth

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Recommended: Symbolism used in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Does fate determine the outcome of our lives, or do we make our own fate through our actions? William Shakespeare never outright answers this question in his play Macbeth, but the theme of “fate vs. free will” permeates nearly every aspect and situation encountered during Macbeth’s pursuit of the throne. The theme of “fate vs. free will” is evident in three scenes: the captain 's speech concerning Macbeth 's victory against MacDonwal, the dagger monologue, and Banquo 's reflection on fate.

In the second scene of act one, the captain is speaking to king Duncan about Macbeth’s victory over MacDonwal’s troops (I.ii.8). The captain describes the events that occurred directly before this speech where Macbeth overcame all odds posed against him,
Macbeth disdains fortune (I.ii.17), meaning he looks down on fortune with disgust and contempt, which is important because it provides a look into the attitude Macbeth has toward fate in general. Personification is evident in this passage, as fortune is being given the qualities and performing actions of a person, such as smiling like a whore, which is important because it shows how fate was on the enemy 's side so completely (I.ii.15). William Shakespeare chose to use this form of figurative language because it shows Fortune making an active choice to be on the opposing side of Macbeth, which only makes Macbeth’s victory (I.ii.18) more triumphant, which is an adequate use of symbolism. The captain’s speech invokes a sense of pride and admiration for Macbeth by portraying him as the gallant hero of the play. Instead, Macbeth becomes the corrupt protagonist after he receives the witches’ prophecies (I.iii.49-70). This relates to the theme of “fate vs. freewill” because it demonstrate that even when fate is completely against Macbeth, he still gets what he wants through actions of his free will, which makes it even more evident that the events in Macbeth are a result of Macbeth’s conscious pursuit of power, not just

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