The stance that Macbeth’s free will, and by logical extension his own actions, is the foundation of his impending downfall is not an unpopular one to hold. On first reading of the play and its unfoldings, such a view might promise to be the most entertaining to follow along. The belief that the agents in the story have full control over their actions ignores the futility that might be proposed instead by the inclination of predetermined fate, but such a view itself is not dismissable from the text alone. Therefore, it is not impossible for one to argue that Macbeth has no free will, and therefore his destiny is the foundation of his impending downfall. Another point of contention that can be ascertained within the statement is whether Macbeth’s free will, if he has any such luxuries, is the sole cause for his fall - whether there is an implicit, second cause that can be attributed to this would certainly have to be investigated. 

 

First, the viewpoint that he has complete control and agency over his actions necessitates that the Witches do not have any premonition of the future; they are merely reduced to be a causal trigger to the events. When the Witches hail Macbeth three times in 1:3, there is a peculiar aspect in the information delivered. Whilst the First Witch states to Macbeth 'hail to thee, Thane of Glamis' and the Second Witch states 'hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor', the Third Witch states that Macbeth 'shalt be king hereafter'. Important to note when the scene occurs, Macbeth (and Banquo, also present) do not have knowledge regarding the appointment of Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan - which is later explicitly stated by Macbeth himself, as he remarks that 'the Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentlemen' - but the audience is aware of this promotion. This dramatic irony would certainly appear supernatural to the characters on the stage, but it is clear to the audience that this information has already materialised. Note the present tense used by the first two witches, as they are not stating a future to come, but rather the present titles of the man. To them, the supernatural aspect of the Witches is of their omnipresence - as they were able to learn of this promotion as it happened - but not necessarily their clairvoyant abilities. With the expectation now set that Macbeth is acting upon his own will from hereafter, it is clear that his own actions lead to his downfall, with the plotting of his own king’s murder in 1:7 being the beginning of his upward social trajectory, but his downward moral trajectory. 

 

A quick tangent is needed to explore the alternative possibility that Macbeth has no free will, and therefore his actions were predetermined along with his downfall. The primary source for this interpretation is once again the Witches, and determining the limit of their supernatural powers. Originally, Shakespeare wrote the characters as if they were the Fates from Ancient Greek mythology. There are three Fates, same as the number of the Witches, and each are responsible for a certain part of a human’s life. While it would be fascinating to explore deeply the mythological implication here, it is far too beyond the scope of the answer. The important takeaways are that the Ancient Greeks believed that humans had free will but predetermined outcomes, which could be discerned from the three Fates. Considering that Shakespeare was more likely than not aware of this philosophy when he modelled the Witches around the Fates (and only changed to the former in an attempt to please the audience and King James), it could be argued that the Witches play a similar role in Macbeth’s life. They know of his downfall, his eventual tyranny and subsequent death - but they might not know the specificities of his actions. Those are under his will, and his agency alone is what can cause them into reality. This is a more nuanced understanding of ‘free will’ mentioned in the statement so boldly, and it suggests perhaps the foundation of Macbeth’s downfall was beyond his control completely. To provide a more analogous scenario, it is equivalent to tell someone to be at some place by a certain time, but not give them a route to guide them - that is a choice left up to them. Similarly, Macbeth is doomed from the beginning - but the manner at which he degrades is entirely in his free will. 

 

Of course, there has been an emphasis on the free will aspect of the play so far, but that does not do the statement its whole justice. Rather, assuming that Macbeth indeed acts upon his own agency, the significant contention in the statement is whether it was his actions alone that lay the foundation for his downfall. There are many other cogs in this system that the statement does not take into consideration. For example, Lady Macbeth is an integral piece of the machinery that becomes Macbeth’s downfall - her ideas and her attitude towards the so-called ‘prophecy’ spur on Macbeth and allows his conscience to commit the activities he does. Not only was Lady Macbeth an important precondition for his downfall, but Macbeth’s own hubris also plays a key role. There is evidence that Macbeth sees himself in a very high manner, and he thinks he is able to do anything. This is seen when Macbeth talks to the audience aside in 1:5, stating rather cunningly that ‘The Prince of Cumberland: that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, for in my way it lies’. The last phrase in this proclamation, ‘for in my way it lies’, shows that the aspirations of Macbeth have been kindled and he thinks that the title of ‘Prince of Cumberland’ is now one that he can definitely achieve. A pattern for his hubris, one can imply. These aspects of his character - Lady Macbeth and his hubris - can be argued to be more influential in his downfall than free will. The play itself does not state explicitly which aspects are at work; Shakespeare leaves it an interesting mystery, one that ironically every person in this world will also have to face at some point - is this all my doing, or is this set in stone as old as time? The answer we derive for ourselves has no hesitation when applied to Macbeth.