Fate versus Free Will William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragic play which details the rise and fall of King Macbeth of Scotland. The tragic downfall of the hero Macbeth begins with the encounter between him and three witches who prophecy his rise to the throne, his descent into tyranny and his ultimate demise. Some may consider the fulfillment of these witches' predictions as a clear sign that Macbeth is led by fate, destined to do …showed first 75 words of 921 total…

…showed last 75 words of 921 total…death, then fate had nothing to do with it. Free-will's influence was paramount to the story of Macbeth. The weird sisters, though having influence over Macbeth, did not directly see the future events. Macbeth's own fickle constitution showed his lack of faith in fate. And his active input in the fulfillment of the witches' prophecies showed that it was free-will, and not fate, which led Macbeth's rise to the throne and his fall there from.