The Tragedy of Macbeth by “William Shakespeare” incorporates some very drastic changes in human character and sparks many questions because of them. The main character Macbeth is plagued by these alterations and has conjured up many speculations as to why they happened. The theory that I will be investigating is that of wether or not Macbeth acted differently by free will or the witches intervention. In my own personal opinion I believe that Macbeth’s actions were the result of witchcraft and that he would have been fine if they didn’t get involved.
At the start of the play, Macbeth is seen as a valiant warrior who is loyal to his king and friends and capable of no evil. This all changes after his “fateful” meeting with the witches who go on to corrupt his brain. They planted images of riches and success in his mind with full understanding of his fate, which they also didn’t share with him in order to increase their influence over his mortal soul. With this knowledge it is clear that macbeth was severely mislead and acted likewise by comitting many murders that would not have taken place had he not been under the witches
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If he had acted on free will then Macbeth would have had no problem killing Duncan because that was the most necessary step that needed to be completed if he wanted the throne. Due to his regret after the deed was done, it was easy to see that Macbeth was internally forced to complete this act and had little control over the situation. The Witches are definately to blame because Macbeth not only felt bad for killing Duncan but, voiced his opinion of the late king openly. He highly respected Duncan and saw him as a great man and noble leader who had done no wrong. Killing someone whom you hold this high of a reguard for is definately the result of outside forces clouding the sane judgment of this
Macbeth’s downward spiral of events was created through his own free will. The witches did foretell his future but they never directly controlled his actions. The sisters did not cast a spell to make Macbeth go crazy. He was engulfed in his lust for power and his battle with his conscience. This led to his insomnia
They invited Duncan to their home and planned to murder him then. Once Duncan had arrived, Macbeth began to have doubts about killing his upstanding leader. Lady Macbeth did her best to convince Macbeth to go through with the murder. She succeeded in convincing him. It makes sense that someone would think this part made it Lady Macbeth’s fault, but despite Lady Macbeth ‘strongly suggesting’ that he kills Duncan, Macbeth could still have chosen to say no and keep Duncan alive. Lady Macbeth did not control him, she may have persuaded him but in the end it was his choice to kill King Duncan.
Macbeth as a man is to blame for the actions he took, both good and bad. Throughout the play he had every opportunity to turn back or stop his actions, but continued on despite the growing consequences if he were found out. The witches in the beginning are not displayed in a positive and/or helpful manner to Macbeth, instead telling him his prophecy almost as an omen. Later on, when it came to actually killing King Duncan, he was strongly against the idea, but was bullied into it by his wife. Despite what she said, he still could have chosen not to go through with the murder just as easily.
On one hand, this shows a lack of moral character and integrity of Macbeth as he did not keep his ground when he knew what was right. On the other hand, however, this shows that Macbeth was truly in love with Lady Macbeth and would do absolutely anything for her own happiness. As well as this, considering the fact that Macbeth did not want to carry out the plot to murder King Duncan after much thought , his decisions and actions were truly not in his control. As this is the case, the blame for his own downfall should not be placed on Macbeth, but rather the stronger person to person interactive forces around him that caused him to make the tragic decisions
Just as the character spectrum flows from hero to villain, Macbeth also gradually makes his way down the line. In the very beginning of the play (before making his appearance), Macbeth’s fellow Scots and lords praise him for his loyalty and noble deeds. Here, it is made clear that the public initially views him as a heroic figure who is loyal to Scotland; “for brave Macbeth, (well he deserves that name)”(9) Admittedly, Macbeth does unseam a man “from the nave to th’ chops”(9), however this is considered an act of valor in the service of his country and his king. However, Macbeth’s loyalties soon become questionable, as he plots to and then commits the murder of his honored king, Duncan. At this point, the audience
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
Macbeth is crucially at fault for his own death, although blindly following the witches and giving Lady Macbeth so much power over him to manipulate and influence him are an essential irrefutable factors that aided in his death. Although ultimately it was Macbeth’s own blind and greedy ambition which both
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, changes happen. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a well liked and good man of Scotland, who turns into an evil, cold hearted, murderer by the end. His rewards and punishments could have been predetermined by fate, but the actions he took to get to get those rewards and punishments were determined by Macbeth’s free will. In Macbeth, he attempts to control the future and hide the past by listening to other people and committing multiple murders of innocent people.
Fate played a crucial role throughout the story of Macbeth. From the time of the three witches’ telling of the prophecy, Macbeth decided to take fate into his own hands. These decisions ultimately lead to guilt, insanity and finally Macbeth’s demise.
Fate is one person's destiny, it cannot be understood by mere mortals but a greater power beyond human comprehension. Fate is so powerful that it controls a person's outcome on life before it happens. Many people become victims of fate in which they catch a glimpse of what their future is going to look like, but do not totally grasp the outcome. Macbeth cannot fully comprehend the possible outcome of his fate because he is mortal, and therefore is a victim to his power driven quest and his ultimate fate. Many have been said to agree with this statement. For example, as stated in Shakespeare A to Z, "The Witches are an enactment of the irrational. The supernatural world if terrifying because it is beyond human control, and in the play it is
Macbeth decided go against his predetermined fate prophesized by the three weird sisters, and killed Duncan at his own free will due to his desire for power, and his impulsiveness to become King of Scotland.
get him to act. They planted the seed of evil in Macbeth 's head that grew to
Fate has sundry meanings. One of the meanings of fate: power that predetermines events. Destiny’s definition suggests that events will occur and do not change. Whatever unravels in life cannot change by mankind. The statement has undivulged meanings; fate has the opportunity to change if the person wants events to end differently. However, wrong decisions will only seal fate. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, The fate becomes confirmed through Lady Macbeth wanting more power, Macbeth’s inner conflict, and the three witches tricking Macbeth and leading him to his demise.
Macbeth’s first excuse for killing Duncan was that three witches who could see into the future told him of his fate. “All hail, Macbeth, who will be King later on!” (1.3.291) as one of the .witches put it. However, Duncan had already been crowned before Macbeth was told this. Macbeth took matters into his own hands, killing Duncan in order to receive the crown sooner than fate had it. If the witches were right, Macbeth would have been king even if he hadn’t killed Duncan, making it unnecessary to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s unruly decision to kill is an insight as to whether or not he’s solely guilty.
Throughout this tragic play by Shakespeare, Macbeth is faced with the question of fate or free will. While fate is a force or power that predetermines events, free will is the ability to decide actions according to oneself (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Throughout the play, Macbeth’s choices were influenced by many other characters which in turn alter his future. In the opening of the play, there were the 3 witches who sparked his initial interest to become King. Then came Lady Macbeth who, by telling him her opinion and persuading him, gave him the idea to kill King Duncan. But in the end it was his own ambition which resulted in his death, because as the play progressed Macbeth’s character took a drastic turn from good to evil. Even though the witches and Lady Macbeth also played a great role in his decisions, they didn 't force him to commit any of the crimes, and so ultimately it was his own choices that led to his downfall.