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Macbeth - Fate and Free Will (You could say that Macbeth is doomed from…
Macbeth - Fate and Free Will
Fate is the opposite of free will
Free will means that humans choose their own course of action, so their future is made up of the results of their choices.
If it's fate that everything that happens was destined, then it's not Macbeth's fault that he murders Duncan. If free will exists, then Macbeth's own choices led to his downfall.
Fate is the idea that everything has already been decided, so people can't change what happens to them.
The play raises a lot of questions, but Shakespeare doesn't make it clear whether it's Macbeth's fate to kill Duncan.
You could say that Macbeth is doomed from the start...
Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth is fated to become king - "fate and metaphysical aid doth seem / To have the crowned withal". Despite believing in fate, she decides Macbeth must act to make it happen.
By the end of the play, Macbeth says that life is "a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage". He feels that people are no more than actors playing a part who aren't in control of their lives.
At times, Macbeth seems to believe in fate. After he hears the Witches' prophecy, he seems happy to let fate take it's course - he believes that "chance may crown me / Without my stir" so he'll become king without having to do anything to make it happen.
Character - Macbeth
You could say Macbeth is doomed because of his "fatal flaw". If he wasn't so ambitious, he's ignore the Witches' and Lady Macbeth.
Character - The Witches
It's not clear whether the Witches are messengers of Macbeth's fate or whether their prediction inspires Macbeth to make bad choices.
...or that he acts out of his own free will
Later, Macbeth acts of the Witches' prophecies despite Banquo's earlier warning that they're "instruments of darkness". Macbeth could do as Baquo does and accept prophecies without acting.
Some of the prophecies are self-fulfilling - Macbeth only acts because he hears his future, so he causes it to happen. This suggests that he has free will.
At first, Macbeth makes a deliberate choice not to kill Duncan after he's considered the options: "We will proceed no further". He carefully weighs up the pros and cons, which suggests that he is in control.
Character - Macbeth
The captain says that Macbeth was "Disdaining fortune" when he fought Macdonald - it showed that Macbeth killed Macdonald against the odds. It hints that Macbeth could have changed his actions if he wanted to.