Name : Intan Kartika Sari

Std. numb : 0808517

Macbeth: Fate vs. Free Will

Macbeth is one of the greatest tragedies made by William Shakespeare. Just like another
Elizabethan plays, Macbeth tells about power, ambition, deceit, murder and the ruin of the main
character in the end of play. Controversial central questions regarding to the Macbeth’s downfall
are Is Macbeth's downfall "fated" to happen? or do his choices cause his downfall? . Those
questions will be discussed in this comparative essay. The three literary reviews related to the
tragedy of Macbeth’s downfall will be served as the comparison. Literary reviews used are Fate:
no cause for fear By Elise L. Moore, C.S.B (1999), Fate in Macbeth (idea) by Byped (2002) and
Macbeth: A Prisoner of Fate by Michelle Cogh (2001). These three literary reviews are same
investigating this issue, but they have different perspectives in analyzing it.

Moore (1999), the author of the first essay relates Macbeth’s downfall to the prophecies
of the three witches and his own action. In her analysis of the existence of the three witches in
Macbeth play. She found that the three witches who are also refers "the Weird Sisters" was the
name given to the goddesses of fate in Norse mythology. It is quite similar to a trio that exists in
Greek and Roman myths. Three goddesses act together determining the course of human life.
The goddesses were collectively referred to as Fata, which is Latin for fate. Regarding to the
prophecies by the three witches, Macbeth has the choices to believe or reject it. However
Macbeth chooses to accept it and follow his ambition to be a king of Scotland by killing Duncan.
His ambition though has brought the downfall to Macbeth in the end of the play. In her essay, It
is said that man’s destiny is predetermined but is the result of one’s own thought and action. She
also supports her argument by quoting lines in another of Shakespeare plays, Julius Caesar:

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 Men at some time are masters of their fates.
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves ....
(Act I, scene 2)

Similar to the idea of fate in the first essay, Byped (2002), the author of the second
literary review also relates the idea of Macbeth’s downfall to the prophecies that is delivered by
the three witches to him. The author agrees that Macbeth’s downfall is caused by his own
inability to understand the three witches’ prophecies. His statement about the cause of Macbeth’s
ruin is right. Because it is true that the three witches said to Macbeth that he would become the
king of Scotland, but the three witches do not say anything about how Macbeth reach that
position. They do not advise him to kill Duncan to get the position of the king. It is himself who
decides to get the crown by choosing the wrong path. The second final conclusion in the second
review is it is Macbeth action of challenging fate or predestination himself who has affected his
ruin in the end of the play.

The third essay also has the same idea about Macbeth’s downfall. Michellecogh (2001)
states that Macbeth action that has made him loss in the end of play. She do not related the
downfall of Macbeth with the prophecies of the three witches but he relates it to other
fundamental element in the story namely ‘time’. She says that time plays such an important role
bringing Macbeth’s fate. Some of his actions show that Macbeth has fooled around time.
Macbeth action of murdering Duncan has done disturbed the natural order of time. In order to
put back on course the Macbeths must both die so that everything can back to normal. The third
essay says that this tragedy conveys a strong message in it shows that we should not make
enemies with time by challenging our destiny as Macbeth did. We should not greedily covet
power and attempt to change our predestined fates through evil means. Otherwise, fate will make
us its prisoner.

The three literary reviews have similar idea about the cause of Macbeth’s downfall. The
authors believe that Macbeth’s downfall is caused by his own action of challenging fate.
Macbeth chooses to maintain his free will. However, there is one more factor that affects

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Macbeth to kill Duncan. The witches may encourage him, but something inside Macbeth makes
him listen to them. This is the persuasion of Lady Macbeth which is encourages Macbeth to Kill
Duncan. Macbeth seems reluctant to kill Duncan until Lady Macbeth heard about prophesies.
She urges him to do an assassination of Duncan, because she thinks it is the only way for
Macbeth to get the King position. In Act 1, scene 5 of the play, Lady Macbeth says that she fears
that Macbeth is too "full of the milk of human kindness" to do what she believes needs to be
done. Lady Macbeth believes that fate needs to be helped by action. In this case we know that
she is the one who also responsible for Macbeth’s downfall. So, it is not only Macbeth weakness
which contributes to Macbeth’s downfall but also Lady Macbeth fault.

To sum up, actually this issue could go either way depending on the reader's or viewer's
interpretation of the play. The play could be interpreted from different angles. People can
consider that Macbeth’s downfall is caused by his own action or it is has written as his destiny or
it is all happen because of the Persuasion of the Lady Macbeth. What is for sure is that
Predestination vs. free will was an issue in Shakespeare's time, and will remain a question until
anytime.

References

Shakespeare, William. (1972), Macbeth. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.

Moore, Elise. (1999). Fate: no cause for fear. Retrieved on November 24, 2011 from
URL: www.elisemoore.com/.../20091014114504.pdf

Macbeth: A Prisoner of Fate by Michelle Cogh (2001). Retrieved on November 21, 2011
from URL:
http://www.epinions.com/review/The_Tragedy_of_Macbeth_by_William_Shakespeare_and_by_
Nicholas_Brooke_and_edited_by_Nicholas_Brooke_and_by_Sylvan_Barnet_and_edited_by_Pa
ul_Werstine_and_edited_by_Barbara_A_Mowat/content_19545362052

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 Fate in Macbeth (idea) by Byped 2002). Retrieved on November 21, 2011 from URL:
http://everything2.com/user/byped/writeups/Fate+in+Macbeth?displaytype=printable