(The topic that I chose was fate vs free will in accordance to Macbeth) What is fate and

free will? Free Will is the ability to choose, think and act voluntarily. While fate is the idea that

human actions are determined by external conditions. There are opposing views between whether

life is up to fate or free will. Many believe that our lives are up to our own actions, while others

consider life as already predestined and we our only living out what is meant to happen. William

Shakespeare a highly regarded author, who wrote many plays during the Elizabethan era. During

that time the Elizabethans strongly believed in superstition, destiny, and fate. People believed

they had no influence in their life as everything was already planned out. It was believed that

one’s fate was determined by the stars and God had planned your destiny beforehand. The word

coincidence was not even used in this time period. Everything was a plan and it was determined.

(My thesis statement is….)The acclaimed play entitled “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare

portrays that actions of “free will” do not affect the predetermined fate of the central character

Macbeth.

For my creative extension I decided to make a model of a balance scale. I wanted to

portray the distribution of one’s destiny or life based upon their fate or free will. As shown, fate

outweighs free will. It is a higher power that people cannot amount to. On this balance scale, one

side is Macbeth, a bloody dagger and the ghost of Banquo. This symbolizes, obviously,

Macbeth’s free will. It is with his dagger that he acts with free will, or so he believes, to kill King

Duncan. The ghost of Banquo shows Macbeth’s rebellion against fate and actions of free will

that kill his friend. The other side is fate. This is portrayed by the three witches and their

cauldron. Where they speak the famous lines “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and

caldron bubble.” On the cauldron are all of the prophecies that the witches; the six that were

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 given to Macbeth, and the three given to Banquo. As shown fate is heavier than free will

(Macbeth), because it has a higher influence in determining a person’s end.

Macbeth was given three prophecies, by three witches of fate. They tell him that he will

acquire three positions of power. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail,

Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”

(Macbeth 17) At the beginning of the play we see Macbeth was one of the most loyal and

respected soldiers who fought long and hard against the Norwegians to win Scotland for his King

to honor his position. This shows that he accepts the fact that Duncan is King, and he is Thane of

Glamis. Macbeth wouldn’t have fought so hard for the success of a king he wished to eventually

overcome. He even states that he couldn’t imagine himself becoming King “and to be king

stands not within the prospect of belief, no more than to be Cawdor”. (Macbeth 19) This

elucidates on the idea that the thought of king had not occurred to Macbeth until after he was told

he would be so. In the quote previously stated Shakespeare employed the literary element of

foreshadowing. He does so to help clarify on what is to later happen. This also supports the

thesis, this is the fate that Macbeth is presented with, it is inevitable and will eventually happen

in the course of the play.

It was fate for Macbeth to kill King Duncan. The thought would have never occurred to

him if he had not been told that he would. The overwhelming idea of power that he may be at the

highest level and have utmost authority caused him to become filled with greed. That is why

Macbeth had the idea of killing King Duncan. However, Macbeth was willing to let fate take its

course, and not intervene or act with free will “If chance will have me king, why, chance may

crown me without my stir” (Macbeth 25). In this quote the literary element of personification is

used. It refers to fate, chance with human characteristics. Fate cannot actually crown Macbteth

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 King, for it is not capable of doing so. He refers to this figuratively that if it was fate for Macbeth

to be king then it would happen on his own. Macbeth was willing to talk himself out of killing

the king. However, his wife upbraided him, called him less of a man, and persuaded him to kill

the king. This not only shows that it’s his future but it’s not even Macbeth’s free will. He didn’t

really have a say in any of this, his wife decided it for him. She believed to be to diminutive to

think so big, and if anything it was her free will not his (to go even further she had to call upon

the spirits in order to do so as well they gave her this power, which means it still wasn’t her or

her free will it was still a higher force just like fate) which further shows that his life isn’t in his

hands. It also demonstrates that it was fate for Macbeth to kill Duncan as that would have been

the only way for him to obtain the title of King. This is another reason that portrays that the

events that occurred to Macbeth were up to fate not by his free will actions as stated by my

thesis. Macbeth decided to kill the king after being informed that Malcolm, Duncan’s oldest son,

was going to be heir to the throne, what he hadn’t realized was that if he killed King Duncan than

Malcolm would be claimed King. However because he was fated to become crowned King,

Malcom and Donalbain fled the country afraid of being accused or even killed thus leaving the

crown to Macbeth, allowing fate to take action. “Our separated fortune shall keep us both safer.

Where we are, There’s daggers in mens smiles.” In these line spoken by Donalbain we see the

literary element of metaphor. He compares the smiles of the men to daggers. Suggesting that they

cannot trust anyone or anything. This fear that arises and causes them to leave, that is why

Macbeth was to murder Duncan and “not wait for chance” because this was his chance. This was

the only way that Macbeth would be crowned King without any interference, from Malcolm or

anyone else. If he had actually intervened and followed his true will (which is not killing

Duncan) then Malcolm would have become king and the prophecy wouldn’t have come true.

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 Which is why, in my thesis it is stated that Macbeth has a predetermined, unavoidable

futureAnother reason why it is fate that led to Macbeth’s rise and fall is that Fleance wasn’t

killed. Trying to go against fate, Banquo’s fate, Macbeth ordered the death of Banquo and his son

Fleance. Earlier in the play when Macbeth received his three prophecies so did Banquo. He was

told that although he would not be King his sons would be Kings. Macbeth wanted to go against

fat and thus act with free will by killing Banquo, and Fleance, Banquo’s only son. However,

when the murderers hired attempted to kill Banquo and Fleance, Fleance escaped. Fleance was

really the only one that Macbeth was to fear, because Banquo didn’t really gain anything form

his prophecies, but Fleance did. “O treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst

revenge” These line portray alliteration. The repetition of the letter -f and the word fly provides

an emphasis on the idea that Fleance had to flee, or leave because Banquo knew his fate and he

was to make sure it happen. This illustrates how fate had to happen and even Banquo knew so.

The prophecies were going to come true. That is why Fleance wasn’t killed that day, and

Macbeth’s attempt at free will didn’t work because now that Fleance lived he had the opportunity

to become king and follow his prophecy.

Macbeth is given three new prophecies at this point of the play. “Macbeth! Macbeth!

Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife!....Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the

power of man, for none of women born shall harm Macbeth….Macbeth shall never vanquished

be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.” He also tries to

against the fifth prophecy by killing the family of Macduff. He thought this could possibly cause

such pain and sorrow to Macduff that he returns to mourn his family’s death leaving what

Macbeth believed to be his partner or conspirer against him, Malcom; thus, weakening the power

between them. However, this doesn’t do anything, this probably just angered Macduff more. It

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 gave him more of a motive to against Macbeth and murders him to gain vengeance for his

family. The fifth and fourth prophecy, he was to beware Macduff and a man not born form a

woman. Macduff was both. So basically he fed the beast, fate, he promoted Macduff’s anger

which led to his downfall. As predicted by his fate without doubt. William Shakespeare employs

the concept of fate in Macbeth in order to dramatize the fall of Macbeth. Shakespeare never

offered a definite answer as to whether the actions that took place in the play were created to

follow fate or free will. However, we could stand to believe that they were meant to follow both,

to conform to what was socially accepted in this Elizabethan era, as well to challenge it, opening

minds to new possibilities. This even relates to society. The same way that we don’t know

whether Shakespeare’s Macbeth is up to fate or free will, we don’t know what our lives are up.

Do our actions influence our future, or is our destiny already planned out?

This topic can be related to one flew over the cuckoos nest. The book in a way revolves

around, or is built upon fate. Fate created them with a mental disorder that they had no control

over. That caused them to be outcasts of society, and all in end up in the ward with Nurse

Ratched.

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