Macbeth and Free Will Essay

In Desiderius Erasmuss Defense of Free Will, he refutes Martin Luthers creed that God predestines everyones lives and instead asserts that man but possesses the bureau to choose his own path to either salvation or damnation. The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, raises similar questions did the protagonist, Macbeth, testamentingly choose to commit such atrocities as killing the king and his court to feed his own ambition, or did he merely play the role of a pawn, performing that which fate bade him do?Amid much controversy over this issue, evidence both in Erasmuss critical essay and in the play itself affirms that Macbeth cognitively decides to act as he does in the play, confirming Erasmuss perspective and suggesting that people have the ability to dictate their own fate through their thoughts, decisions, and actions. Through his interpretation of the Old and bleak Testaments in the Bible, Erasmus writes in favor of free will over predestination, a concept that, when appli ed to the character Macbeth, raises questions about the motives behind his detestable actions.In his essay, Erasmus explores the power of the human (46) to turn away from what leads to eternal salvation (46). According to this opinion, Macbeth makes a conscious choice to pursue a life of crime and sin, instead of patently following his fate. Macbeths plea that the stars hide their fires (1. 4. 57) so that light would not see his black and deep desires (1. 4. 58) indicates that Macbeth remains aware that his wicked, rebellious will (Erasmus, 48) lies within himself, and he fears the consequences of his sinful deeds.This very fear of punishment reflects the existence of free will in Macbeth as Erasmus inquires, why should God curse me, when I sinned through necessity? (47). Macbeths clear understanding of the evil that he plans to commit and his fear of divine punishment suggest that characters in Macbeth choose their actions as opposed to following their destiny. Macbeths evil act ions, however, are not completely driven by an inherent evil nature although he does have free will in the play, he becomes a slave to his ruthless ambition because of his own moral weakness.As Erasmus writes, there are certain seeds of goodness planted in mens minds (50), although the will is perhaps more inclined to evil than to good (50). In other words, everyone possesses both good and bad within them, and it is up to the individual mortal to turn themselves towards, or away from, faith (48-9). Macbeths apparently latent moral code surfaces occasionally throughout the first act in his moments of wavering in his violent resolve he tells lady Macbeth that they will proceed no further in this business (1.7. 34) in one of the scenes preceding the murder.However, the manipulative Lady Macbeth must only mention that which Macbeth desires and question his masculinity to crush Macbeths good side and force it to submit to his evil ambition. The ease with which Lady Macbeth extinguishes Macbeths doubt of the evil plan highlights Macbeths weakness for his ambition. Macbeth becomes a slave not to the devil, but instead to the very evil that resides within himself.Neither paradise nor hell predetermines Macbeths actions in the play it is in fact his inability to compromise his ruthless ambition that ultimately forces him into crime. He chooses to sin of his own accord, and so faces his final punishment that sets the world back in order at the end of the tragedy. Through their individual works, Shakespeare and Erasmus imply that humans have free will to determine their own actions, and only the strongest of heart will succeed in accomplishing the work of God.