Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

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In the famous play Macbeth, written by author William Shakespeare, many questions come up regarding fate and free will. In the play, Macbeth, a brave soldier who kills his way into the King position of Scotland, is deeply troubled when it comes down to these two topics. He is mercilessly killing innocent people to get what he wants, but three witches are involved in his future. They somehow seem to know everything Macbeth will do. Are Macbeth’s actions his own fault and responsibility or is his life controlled by the three witches? Even though the witches predict Macbeth’s future, his terrible actions are committed with his own free will due to his ambition and greed, overconfidence, and the obsession he has with staying in control. Ambition. A huge character flaw of Macbeth’s is the reasons his free will is driving him to kill King Duncan. Throughout act 1 Macbeth has a big decision to make: If he should kill the King so he can take his place, or should he stay loyal and be content with his placement. Macbeth finally comes to an agreement…show more content…
Macbeth has the option, after gaining the Kingdom, to end the killing spree and accept what he did wrong. Instead he decides to go on a rampage, killing people who are not even in his way. For example, Macbeth kills Banquo and Fleance because he does not want Banquo’s sons to be Kings. In this line, Macbeth expresses how he will kill Macduff’s family, for no real reason. “Then live, Macduff. What /need I fear of thee?/But yet I’ll make assurance double sure,/ And take a bond of fate.” Even though the third apparition tells him not to worry about those born of a women, Macbeth wants to kill Macduff just in case, as a drastic measure to keep hold of power. A few lines later, Macbeth is informed he will not be able to reach Macduff, so he decides to kill his family instead as a desperate attempt to scare people away from his

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