Fate and free will macbeth

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The 1607 play “ macbeth written by william shakespere delves into the tragedy of a loyal genral whos hunger for authoirty leads him to personal corruption

Argument 1

Macbeth does not wait for the prophecy to unfold on its own. His murderous thoughts turn the witches’ words into action, and through his own deeds he forces their prediction to come true.

evidence 1

“If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.”

Evidence 1 explanation

Macbeth first considers letting fate take its course, which shows the prophecy could have transpirred without any action from him. he quickly abandons this idea, and the word “stir” marks the choice he will soon reverse by acting.

• taking matters into his own hands, he forces the prophecy into effect instead of letting it unfold naturally.

quote 2

“It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.” (2.1)

quote 2 explanation

“It is the bloody business which informs Thus to mine eyes.” (2.1)

the dagger he sees is not real. His own plan to murder Duncan has made his mind produce it. This shows that the murder began in his thoughts before any physical act, brings the prophecy to fruition himself, since the vision is a product of his own intent and not a sign sent by fate.

Evidence 3

“I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before.”

evidence 3 explanation

The dagger now appears covered in blood, even though it wasn’t before. His imagination has moved from planning the murder to picturing it already done. The blood foreshadows the violence he will commit, and it shows his ambition pulling him from thought into action.

arg2

Once part of the prophecy becomes unwelcome, Macbeth is determined to stop it from coming true. He tries to change the course of events and prevent Banquo’s descendants from taking the throne. This shows a man trying to control his future instead of accepting it.

quote 1 Evidence 1: “I’ll make assurance double sure, / And take a bond of fate.” (4.1)

Macbeth decides to kill Macduff even though the apparition has just warned him about him, so he is trying to override the prophecy instead of trusting it. “Bond” is a legal term, and he wants to make fate bend to a contract he controls. This shows a man who cannot accept the future and tries to secure it himself.

Evidence 2 Evidence 2: “For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; / For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered.” (3.1)

Macbeth is furious that all his crimes will benefit Banquo’s descendants. He regrets that his ambition has served someone else’s line, so he moves to stop the prophecy. The word “murdered” shows he already knows the cost of forcing events.

Evidence 3: “The spirits that know / All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus.” (5.3)

Here Macbeth clings to the second prophecy, that no man born of woman can harm him, as proof of his own safety. He trusts only the part of the prophecy that protects him, which shows he is selective, not accepting. The irony is that Macduff, born by caesarean, proves the prophecy cannot be controlled.

The witches’ prophecies tempt Macbeth with the promise of the crown, but his tyranny and downfall come from his own ambition and deliberate choices, from murdering Duncan to ordering the slaughter of Macduff’s family.

argument 3

The witches only predict outcomes, but Macbeth chooses the methods, so he shapes his own destiny at three stages: seizing the crown, securing it, and destroying himself. 

 “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap.” (Act 1, Scene 4)

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Duncan naming Malcolm as heir is a political obstacle the witches never mention, and Macbeth decides to “o’erleap” it. This shows he is not waiting for fate to hand him the crown but looking for a way to take it.

3. “From this moment, the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.” (Act 4, Scene 1)

Macbeth vows to act on every impulse at once, which leads to the slaughter of Macduff’s family. The witches never prophesied this, so it is clearly a free and cruel choice.

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition.” (Act 1, Scene 7)

Here Macbeth admits that nothing but his own ambition drives him to murder Duncan. He names no outside force, so responsibility rests with him rather than the witches.