Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

Fate or Free will?
Macbeth was a play written by Shakespeare in 1606. This play was written in the Elizabethan era which means it was not written in modern english but more of a classical version. The play’s summary is of a man, Macbeth, at first a trustworthy and kind man turning into a ruthless and sinful demon caused by greed and obsession for power. The question of is Macbeth driven by the fate set into the play by the three witches or by his own free will has been fought over for years and still is today. Evidence found in the play leads one to believe Macbeth’s fall was due to the choices he made with free will such as; he was influenced by others, he second guessed himself, and he tried contradicting the three witches’ predictions in hope of reformat.
In the plot of the play Macbeth is influenced by many people, some more than others. The most influential person to Macbeth in the play is Lady Macbeth. In Macbeth,

Lady Macbeth states, “Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem/ To have thee crowned withal” (I.V.29-30). This means that she does not think fate makes things happen, but instead their actions do. In order for Macbeth to become king, he must make it happen and not wait around for fate to do it for him. Usually when given advice someone has the choice to accept it or leave it alone. In this case, Macbeth accepted it making it his own free will.
Macbeth is a victim of poor decision making and is quite unclear on what he should do.

Right before he and his wife go to kill Duncan, his conscience kicks in. In Macbeth, Macbeth says, “He’s here in double trust:/ First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,/ Strong both against the deed: then, as his host,/ Who should against his murderer shut the door,/ Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in office, that his virtues/ Will plead like angels,” (I.Vll.12-19). All of the guilt about to happen and nerves kicks Macbeth into a full drone conscience. He starts second guessing everything his wife and himself have been thinking about doing. After a huge conversation with Lady Macbeth, he is convinced this is the way to go and they proceed with the plan. The point is that he had second guessed himself and actually considered if he should go along with the plan or not. This tells the reader Macbeth had a choice and even though it was not right, he still had full control over his

decision.
Towards the end of the play, Macbeth starts to be more independent. He decides to start leaving his wife out of decisions like murdering further on after Duncan. After a while Macbeth takes what he knows from the witches’ predictions and challenges fate so he can try to move around them. In Macbeth, the third witch says, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:” (I.III.67). This quote was towards Banquo, Macbeth’s former best friend. It states that Banquo will not become a king but, somewhere down his bloodline he will have a king. Taking this into thought, Macbeth figures out a plan to get rid of Banquo and his son, Fleance. The point of killing both of them in Macbeth’s head is for two reasons. The first reason is so Banquo and his son cannot go around telling everyone about the three witches and their predictions. That is because if they did everyone could lead up the murder of Duncan to Macbeth. The second reason is because if Macbeth was to kill both Banquo and Fleance the prediction would be counteracted and would not happen. This means Macbeth made the decision with free will to try and murder once again.
Critics have always wondered if Macbeth’s fall was caused by fate or free will, but did it ever occur to them that maybe Macbeth was not what the audience thought in the beginning? As if he were a wolf in sheep's clothing and had every audacity to kill another man. Some find that his wife and guilt end up changing him in the end. Although he could have just been a thief in disguise stealing the audience trust and sympathy towards himself. Either way it was Macbeth’s total decision on his behalf to become what he did. In conclusion, Macbeth’s fall was caused by his most definite free will.