Free will is defined as the power to act without the constraint of necessity or fate. It is the ability to act at one's own discretion. This means that there is no fixed destiny; only a person's own decisions can impact the outcome of their life. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, free will plays a very important and powerful role. In 11th-century Scotland, three witches prophesy to Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, that he will one day become king himself. They also give a prophecy to Macbeth's best friend, Banquo, telling him that his descendants will be kings. Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, hatch a plan to commit regicide in order to speed up the process. After their father is found dead, the king's sons flee to England and Ireland and unknowingly place the blame on them. Macbeth is crowned king and the prophecy has come true. Macbeth's reign as king is marked by violence and destruction, and he is overcome by guilt. He kills the family of a lord named Macduff because he discovers that he has gone to England to help one of the sons. Macduff returns to Scotland and kills Macbeth, and King's eldest son Duncan becomes king. Some might argue that Macbeth was a victim of fate and circumstance, but it was of his own free will that he decided to murder King Duncan and bring about a reign of terror as king. Shakespeare's Macbeth establishes that a person's free will can impact their decision-making abilities, ambition, and paranoia. Free will is a concept that not everyone accepts, but one that Macbeth takes head on. A person's decision-making abilities are severely affected by the concept of free will. Macbeth's free will before and after the murder of King Duncan leads him to do extremely rash acts... middle of paper ... his wife caused Macbeth to kill the king, kill his best friend Banquo, and kill his counterpart Macduff's family. These choices ultimately caused his downfall; in the form of a beheading by Macduff. The concept of fate versus free will is often examined in Macbeth, what Shakespeare wanted people to do, and in real life. Many people believe that everyone controls their own destiny; that the outcome of their lives depends on the decisions they make. Others conclude that people have a set life path. Some people conceive of the idea that life is a mixture of the two, where people's decisions impact their lives, but not its outcome. The concept of “fate versus free will” will continue to be examined, and plays like Shakespeare's Macbeth allow people to do so. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Mississauga: Canadian School Book Exchange, 1996.