Macbeth Free Will Analysis

William Shakespeare in his play Macbeth uses symbols to portray the decisions of characters in order to demonstrate the importance of how free will determines the nature of one’s life. Thus, Shakespeare uses the floating dagger, Banquo’s ghost, and the bloody baby apparition, to ultimately show the audience that free will leads to choices that depict the course of human life and can lead to moral corruption.
Shakespeare uses the symbol of the floating dagger to exemplify that Macbeth is going against his moral standards in order to please Lady Macbeth, ultimately portraying that free will exhibits the course of Macbeth’s life. The floating dagger is used as an aid to reveal to the audience the emotional turmoil Macbeth is going through. In order to maintain his masculinity, Macbeth is swayed into committing a vile act when he sees the floating dagger and asks, “Is this a dagger which I see before me // the handle toward my hand?” (2.1.44-45) This lets the audience know what Macbeth is thinking and how he now feels compelled to go through with murdering Duncan. After he murders Duncan, he goes to Lady Macbeth because he is disturbed over the fact that he was unable to say “Amen.” This is symbolic of his own sin because he is so focused on what he did and how he went against his
The floating dagger, Banquo’s ghost, and the bloody baby apparition are used to show how free will can lead to moral corruption and will determine the course of human life. This is imperative because it adds involvement into the play. From the dagger, to Banquo’s ghost, up until the bloody baby apparition, viewers have a drastically different view of who Macbeth is for each of those scenarios. The audience has learned that Macbeth goes through psychological confusion that leads him to be such a tragic