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Examples Of Free Will In Macbeth

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Macbeth & Slaughterhouse Five Comparative Essay

When analyzing the play Macbeth and the novel Slaughterhouse 5, it can be revealed that both pieces of literature explore the concept of fate and free will in different ways. Macbeth plays with the idea of predestined fate affecting free will whilst Slaughterhouse 5 explores fate with almost out of body experiences in the characters. Macbeth more successfully investigates the theme of fate and the result of free will however Slaughterhouse 5 more successfully explores the theme of fate in a 3rd person perspective.

In the play “Macbeth”, the protagonist, Macbeth, seems to go through this internal journey of how his predestined fate affects the decisions he makes. In the beginning of the play, …show more content…

It also reveals that he has some level of free will as he is actively making a decision to go kill Banquo. However, his choices are influenced by the prophecy and his desire to fulfill it. Throughout the entire soliloquy and especially this line, it can be noted that syntax of short and almost incomplete sentences resembles the mental spiral Macbeth is in because he doesn't fully understand the line between predestined fate and the choice he is making to lead to this fate. The chaos of each short frantic sentence shows his inability to recognize his free …show more content…

For instance, Billy Pilgrim sees time in a 4th dimension, meaning he experiences time but his desire of free will will never be able to hinder it, unlike how fate and freewill are viewed in Macbeth.
“All moments, past, present, and future, always will exist.” (SL5, Vonnegut. PDF pg. 16) this quote just explains that time happens as Billy is experiencing it, but he cannot change the past, present or future. Billy can become unstuck in time and can experience moments in non linear fashion, unlike Macbeth, but his free will does not affect the timeline. Billy doesnt think he has any control over his own fate and that everything that happens to him is predetermined. His belief in fate is more scientific rather than Macbeth which is more metaphysical.
This idea is further supported in the repetition Vonnegut uses in the novel. “So it goes” (SL5, Vonnegut, PDF pg.5 ) and “poo-tee-weet” (SL5, Vonnegut, PDF pg.13 ) are commonly used to indicate tragedies that cannot be avoided, meaning no matter what choices the character make, predestined fate cannot be avoided. This idea is also reinforced by the bombing of Dresden. Billy will experience time and “fate”, but has no free will over the events that will

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