The Power of Fate vs. Free Will in Medea and Macbeth
The Power of Fate vs. Free Will in Medea and Macbeth
Throughout both Medea and Macbeth, there is a clear and heavy presence of the gods. This begs the question, are the characters in charge of their own destiny, or are their fates already written? Fate is described as “that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny.” It can be said that it is the gods who are in charge of creating the character’s fates. In both Medea and Macbeth, there is a common theme of placing too much trust into fate, rather than taking responsibility for their personal actions.
In ancient Greek society, it was believed that the gods were in charge of creating people’s destinies. People could make their own small life decisions, but that was the extent of their power of free will. In Medea, Euripides seems to be making a point the entire time that the gods have all power, and that Medea is just going along with what the gods want her to do. This is especially evident when it comes to the murder of her sons, as she questions what their purpose for living is; perhaps it is for them to die at her hands. The chorus knows that Medea wants to harm the children, and though they beg her not to, in the end, it is as if they accept their deaths as inevitable. By stating “Now there is no hope left for the children’s lives,” they seem to be accepting that the fate of the children is to die at the hands of their mother. Even Medea herself seems to believe that the gods want her to kill her children, which is clear when she says “The gods/And my evil-hearted plots have led to this” (1014-1015), as if she believes that she has no choice in the matter, and that the gods are the ones leading her to this terrible fate. However, Medea clearly could have stopped herself from doing this terrible deed. In the end, the fact that Medea is elevated in a godly way, leaving Jason to suffer, shows that the gods are on Medea’s side, and that what she did was right. Jason’s fate was to lose his children and new bride,
Throughout both Medea and Macbeth, there is a clear and heavy presence of the gods. This begs the question, are the characters in charge of their own destiny, or are their fates already written? Fate is described as “that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny.” It can be said that it is the gods who are in charge of creating the character’s fates. In both Medea and Macbeth, there is a common theme of placing too much trust into fate, rather than taking responsibility for their personal actions.
In ancient Greek society, it was believed that the gods were in charge of creating people’s destinies. People could make their own small life decisions, but that was the extent of their power of free will. In Medea, Euripides seems to be making a point the entire time that the gods have all power, and that Medea is just going along with what the gods want her to do. This is especially evident when it comes to the murder of her sons, as she questions what their purpose for living is; perhaps it is for them to die at her hands. The chorus knows that Medea wants to harm the children, and though they beg her not to, in the end, it is as if they accept their deaths as inevitable. By stating “Now there is no hope left for the children’s lives,” they seem to be accepting that the fate of the children is to die at the hands of their mother. Even Medea herself seems to believe that the gods want her to kill her children, which is clear when she says “The gods/And my evil-hearted plots have led to this” (1014-1015), as if she believes that she has no choice in the matter, and that the gods are the ones leading her to this terrible fate. However, Medea clearly could have stopped herself from doing this terrible deed. In the end, the fact that Medea is elevated in a godly way, leaving Jason to suffer, shows that the gods are on Medea’s side, and that what she did was right. Jason’s fate was to lose his children and new bride,
Cited: Euripides, and Donald J. Mastronarde. Medea. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. “Genesis 1. The Holy Bible: King James Version." Genesis 1. The Holy Bible: King James Version. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013. "HECATE : Greek Goddess of Witchcraft, Ghosts & Magic ; Mythology ; Pictures : HEKATE." HECATE : Greek Goddess of Witchcraft, Ghosts & Magic ; Mythology ; Pictures : HEKATE. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2013. Shakespeare, William, and A. R. Braunmuller. Macbeth. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. Print.