Macbeth Free Will Quotes

However, these qualities are amplified by the prophecies of the witches, who predict his rise to kingship. Macbeth's initial murder of King Duncan is driven by his desire to fulfill this prophecy and secure his power. However, the act of regicide proves too much for Macbeth

This quote can seem as if his own choices should be credited for the outcome, but referring back to the quote from Act I. Sc.3 51-53, the witches already predicted it. This quote relates to the fact that fate is controlling Macbeth’s life because seeing that the witches predicted this outcome show that this was fate. In Act I. Sc.3 51-53 the witches never elaborated on how Macbeth shall become king, but they stated that he shall be king. In the end is he king? Yes, he is king.

Caliana Hoffmann Mr. Knapp English, Per 6 21 March, 2022 Macbeth Essay Is free will a choice, do you decide for yourself if you are going to let something control your life or are you going to take control and make decisions for yourselves? The concept of free will has been questioned throughout recorded human history. Shakespeare gives an example of this in his play Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth the three witches play an important role.

In the book Macbeth the witches came to Macbeth to tell him about a prophecy of him being the next king of cawdor. Now this is where free will comes in, it was Macbeth 's choice to listen to the witches or not, if he didn 't listen to them the whole story

In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband, Macbeth, which informs her about the appearance of the 3 witches who prophesied Macbeth to be the “future king’’ of Scotland. After hearing this, Lady Macbeth conceives the idea of manipulating her husband to kill the king as she states after reading the letter, “Hurry home so I can persuade you to talk you out of whatever’s keeping you from going after the crown”. From this it shows that Lady Macbeth is impatient and eager to do anything to make the prophecy come true. From this, not only that Lady Macbeth wanted to end someone’s life, she was determined to take advantage of her husband to act on her vicious deeds just because she wanted to become the “future queen of Scotland”. These reasons are not just for Lady Macbeth’s role to kill King Duncan at all!

At the start of the play, Macbeth is well respected among King Duncan’s army. He encounters three witches who give him a prophecy that he will become king. At first, Macbeth believes that fate and the natural order will lead him to become king, and he doesn’t have to do anything. Macbeth’s wife convinces him to kill King Duncan, which he eventually proceeds to do. Macbeth continues to commit murders to maintain his power, and he thinks there is no going back.

He was left in deep troubling contemplation when the first prophecy came true, unsure of what to do. Before his encounter with the witches, Macbeth's character had no ambition of becoming king; nevertheless, once the witches intervened in his life, Macbeth started to worry about matters beyond his control. As a result, Macbeth decided to control his destiny by killing King Duncan. The witches took advantage of Macbeth's weakness—his desire to control the uncontrollable—and once he became king, he began to instill a false sense of confidence in the witches and their prophecies. Macbeth's admirable traits were being stripped away by his decision to murder.

Thus, his judgement may be impaired or at least very questionable, as he cannot clearly or thoughtfully think through all of his actions and their consequences. However, Lady Macbeth is his only confidant in his struggle to fulfill the prophecy. She is the only one working with him that knows the full story of what he is doing and, most importantly, why he is doing so. Therefore, she is responsible for not stopping him from committing these terrible acts, as he is not sane enough to do so himself. And, as Macbeth continues to rule cruelly without interference from his knowledgeable wife, the citizens begin to realize more and more that he must be overthrown.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, once stated, “Life is a game of cards. The hand you're dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will,” is very relevant to Macbeth, in which the main protagonist, Macbeth, struggles as he assumes power. Throughout the play, Macbeth runs into many situations such as the witch's prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s persuasion, which seem to cause his violent actions. The witches and Lady Macbeth try to twist Macbeth’s morals, causing his ideas to become disturbing. Although one may believe Macbeth’s actions are an act of fate, Macbeth’s decisions are entirely based on his free will.

The first quote in Macbeth that supports how fate is more powerful than free will is, “if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir.” (i, iii, 9). The witches have prophesied that Macbeth will become king, and this quote provides evidence that Macbeth is already enjoying the idea of becoming king. The quote suggests Macbeth believes that his fate is already predetermined, and that he does not need to do anything for these prophecies to become true. He believes that if it is meant to be, then it will happen on its own.

Macbeth shows that he is willing to kill King Duncan because he is interested in the witches prophecy, after they tell him that he will become ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and then the King.

Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).

All of the decisions Macbeth made and all the lives he took because of those decisions are all products of his own free will. The play itself along with the poem Invictus, prove the actuality of the idea of free will. People use ambition to seek their goals. It is one of the main motives behind successful people. When someone becomes successful usually, that status does not just approach them.

Macbeth chose to listen and accept the prophecy as truth even though he had no proof. Although the witches influence Macbeth they did not suggest to Macbeth to kill the king, he got that idea from his selfish thoughts. After the witches visit Macbeth he goes to his wife about his thoughts of killing the king. Lady Macbeth encourages murder because that’s the only way she thinks Macbeth can become king.

The witches did give his apparition but they didn 't tell him to kill the King and while murder passed Macbeth’s mind he never truly had the guts to go kill the King. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth had this whole plan and the confidence to execute it, she was the only one from everybody else that was actually willing to commit a crime for the throne. Her confidence and her ambitious personality convinces Macbeth and made him kill the King but even after he killed the kill he never really sure if he wanted to go this way and receive the power with doing a dastardly deed. Later the continuous support leads him to become heartless and made him oblivious to his downfall. Lady Macbeth’s techniques to convincing Macbeth and her greed and her ambitious personality lead Macbeth 's undoing and caused him to suffer through agony.