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Shakespeare presents fate as a tempting and destructive force that plants dangerous ideas into Macbeth’s mind. However, Shakespeare also suggests that Macbeth still possesses free will and picks evil actions over good. Ultimately, the play warns the Jacobean audience that surrendering moral responsibility to fate leads to corruption, guilt and destruction.
Shakespeare portrays fate as an overwhelming force that plants the seeds of ambition into Macbeth's mind. The plays commences with the witches, instantly solidifying that the supernatural would play a massive role in Macbeth. King James was fascinated about the supernatural, even writing a book called Daemonologie to educate the Jacobeans to never trust the supernatural. Shakespeare wrote this play to reinforce this message that King James was trying to send. The witches chant 'fair is foul and foul is fair'. This paradoxical statement cements the idea that the line between truth and lies would be muddy and that everything is not as it seems. The repeated plosive 'f' sound makes it seem like the witches are concocting a potion of evil to control fate, thus controlling Macbeth. When the audience is first introduced to Macbeth he himself says 'so foul and fair a day i have ever seen'. The mirrored paradox enforces the idea of Macbeth being controlled by fate. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the firm grasp fate holds onto Macbeth. Shakespeare warns the audience that when fate has you in its hand, you can not escape. The idea of fate is developed when macbeth begins to speak aside saying 'the greatest is behind'. Now that one prophecy has been carried out, he is consumed by his ambition and now is fully manipulated by the witch's equivocations and fate. The superlative 'greatest' shows that this is Macbeth's most important goal on him mind - he believes that this is the pinnacle of his life. Shakespeare shows that fate is a tempting force that most common men would follow with ease. Shakespeare uses fate as a construct to enlighten the Jacobean audience that to even possess the potential to be controlled by fate is enough to be turned into a tyrant.
Shakespeare also explores the idea of free will being too weak in the face of fate. Macbeth was presented with having free will, when being told his fate of becoming king, he could have just waited, but chose to carry out regicide himself and disrupt the great chain of being. A Jacobean society would believe in the divine right of kings and how kings are chosen by God. By committing regicide, Macbeth disrupts the natural order and turns the world into chaos all due to his free will. In the extract, he states the the thought of 'murder is yet fantastical' showing that he had considered it, but had no intentions of carrying it out so far. The adverb 'yet' hints that the thought might become a reality. He later demands the 'stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires'. The adjective 'black' implies that Macbeth knows that his actions are wrong and still would go against it. He tries to command nature which goes against the great chain of being showing that he is becoming power-hungry and focused on regicide. The rhyme in the sentences emphasises that Macbeth is trapped under the curse of fate and is know is entranced by the melody of darkness. This in enhanced by the fact that the witches always speak in rhyme showing that he is in the clutches if the witches and fate. His desires are 'deep' showing that they are stuck in him and is very hard to squash such desires. It is frightening at how quickly these desires have become 'deep' showing that shakespeare perhaps suggests Macbeth’s idea of becoming king existed long before the prophecy. Later he exercises his free will by stating 'we shall no further proceed in this business'. The use of imperative is to give the impression that he is back in control of his fate, not the witches. Yet, as the play progresses he ends up committing regicide, cementing his submission to fate.
Finally, Shakespeare warns the Jacobean audience that surrendering moral responsibility to fate leads to corruption, guilt and destruction. In the extract, pure-hearted Banquo states 'these instruments of darkness oftentime tell us truths, win us with honest trifles to betray in deepest consequences'. The concrete noun 'instruments' implies that the witches would play a tune that is pleasant to certain people's ears and would place that person under a trance. However Banquo knows this and uses his free will to ensure that he can not be controlled by the supernatural and that although he receives prophecies he is not controlled by the prophecies. It was a general consensus that Banquo is a relative of King James and by making him so noble and incorruptible, makes King James seem more trustworthy as well. However for Macbeth he was unable to resist the urge of fate and surrenders his free will leading to his destruction. With him and his wife dying at the end they are described as a 'dead butcher and fiend-like queen' A 'butcher' is someone who kills without remorse or care in a world, this is enforced with 'dead'. Dead could mean that he is literally dead or could suggest that he feels nothing anymore. This thought is enforced, when Macbeth adopts a nihilistic approach to life, seeing everything as dead to him. In his 'tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow' soliloquy the repeated plosive 't' mimics a clock ticking showing that time is running out for Macbeth and that soon he would face death from Macduff. He can feel every second counting down till he reaches his fate. He understands that is has lost all control and now is an 'agent' to his own fate. His time is literally running out. Shakespeare shows the audience that free will is important and can save people from damnation.
To conclude, fate vs free will is a theme thoroughly explored in Macbeth. At the end, free will is presented stronger than fate as oftentimes free will can save people from becoming driven by fate and controlled by the supernatural. However, Shakespeare also shows that those who have free will, but actively choose evil actions would be punished severely as it goes against the natural order.