In Macbeth, list and explain four quotes that refer to the idea of free will.

In act 1, scene 2, a
captain who has fought withandagainst the Macdonwald rebels and Norwegian army reports to the
king about the Scottish force's success in battle. He says, in part, that "brave ... /
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel...carved out his passage / Till he faced [the
rebel]" (1.2.18€“22).

The captain suggests with this statement that, if
"Fortune" or fate had its way, Macbeth would never have been able to do as he did. He
used his sword to carve a path to the enemy through an army of men; he ought not to have been
successful in this, but he was! The implication is that Macbeth's own will overpowered
fate.

In act 1, scene 3, Macbeth has received his supposed prophecy from the
Weird Sisters, as well as the news that he has been made Thane of Cawdor, as they said he would.
He stands in amazement while , Angus, and Banquo speak among themselves. In an aside, speaking
to himself, Macbeth says, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may / crown me /
Without my stir" (1.3.157€“159). He believes that chance, not fate, is in control of his
fortune.

Humans can affect chance with their will. We can increase our chance
of being chosen for a promotion by working hard and doing a good job, right? Notably, Macbeth
denies the presence of fate in these lines, and if there is no fate, then we must have free
will.

In act 3, scene 1, Macbeth expresses his fear that he has killedjust so
that Banquo's descendants will one day rule. Macbeth has no kids of his own, and the Weird
Sisters told Banquo that he would "get kings," though he would never be king himself.
Now, Macbeth says, "Rather than so, come fate into the list / And champion me to th'
utterance" (3.1.76€“77). He says that, rather than giving up his crown to Banquo's line, he
prefers to invite fate to do battle and oppose him to the death; again, this implies that
Macbeth could triumph over fate, with his free will and strong desire to retain the throne for
himself and his own line.

In act 4, scene 1,praises the Weird Sisters for
their work in deceiving Macbeth. She says, "I commend your pains, / And everyone shall
share i' th' gains" (4.1.39€“40). If fate were a guarantee, then there would be no need for
them to take "pains" to deceive Macbeth, to make him feel secure. Instead, they need
to manipulate Macbeth so that he feels that he is invulnerable; this way, they can conspire to
achieve the outcome they want. The fact that the sisters need to manipulate Macbeth at all shows
that he does, indeed, have free will, and his demise is not fated.