Original ShakespeareSCENE II. A camp near Forres.
Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant DUNCAN What bloody man is that? He can report, As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state. MALCOLM This is the sergeant Who like a good and hardy soldier fought 'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil As thou didst leave it. Sergeant Doubtful it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald-- Worthy to be a rebel, for to that The multiplying villanies of nature Do swarm upon him--from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak: For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name-- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, And fix'd his head upon our battlements. DUNCAN O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman! Sergeant As whence the sun 'gins his reflection Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break, So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark: No sooner justice had with valour arm'd Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels, But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage, With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men Began a fresh assault. DUNCAN Dismay'd not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo? Sergeant Yes; As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe: Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, Or memorise another Golgotha, I cannot tell. But I am faint, my gashes cry for help. DUNCAN So well thy words become thee as thy wounds; They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons. Exit Sergeant, attended Who comes here? Enter ROSS MALCOLM The worthy thane of Ross. LENNOX What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look That seems to speak things strange. ROSS God save the king! DUNCAN Whence camest thou, worthy thane? ROSS From Fife, great king; Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky And fan our people cold. Norway himself, With terrible numbers, Assisted by that most disloyal traitor The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict; Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof, Confronted him with self-comparisons, Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm. Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude, The victory fell on us. DUNCAN Great happiness! ROSS That now Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition: Nor would we deign him burial of his men Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch Ten thousand dollars to our general use. DUNCAN No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth. ROSS I'll see it done. DUNCAN What he hath lost, Noble Macbeth hath won. Exeunt SCENE III. A heath near Forres. Thunder. Enter the three Witches First Witch Where hast thou been, sister? Second Witch Killing swine. Third Witch Sister, where thou? First Witch A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap, And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:-- 'Give me,' quoth I: 'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger: But in a sieve I'll thither sail, And, like a rat without a tail, I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do. Second Witch I'll give thee a wind. First Witch Thou'rt kind. Third Witch And I another. First Witch I myself have all the other, And the very ports they blow, All the quarters that they know I' the shipman's card. I will drain him dry as hay: Sleep shall neither night nor day Hang upon his pent-house lid; He shall live a man forbid: Weary se'nnights nine times nine Shall he dwindle, peak and pine: Though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tost. Look what I have. Second Witch Show me, show me. First Witch Here I have a pilot's thumb, Wreck'd as homeward he did come. Drum within Third Witch A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come. ALL The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about: Thrice to thine and thrice to mine And thrice again, to make up nine. Peace! the charm's wound up. Enter MACBETH and BANQUO MACBETH So foul and fair a day I have not seen. BANQUO How far is't call'd to Forres? What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught That man may question? You seem to understand me, By each at once her chappy finger laying Upon her skinny lips: you should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so. MACBETH Speak, if you can: what are you? First Witch All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! Second Witch All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! Third Witch All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! BANQUO Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth, Are ye fantastical, or that indeed Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner You greet with present grace and great prediction Of noble having and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear Your favours nor your hate. First Witch Hail! Second Witch Hail! Third Witch Hail! First Witch Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch Not so happy, yet much happier. Third Witch Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! First Witch Banquo and Macbeth, all hail! MACBETH Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: By Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives, A prosperous gentleman; and to be king Stands not within the prospect of belief, No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence You owe this strange intelligence? or why Upon this blasted heath you stop our way With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you. Witches vanish BANQUO The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd? MACBETH Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted As breath into the wind. Would they had stay'd! BANQUO Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? MACBETH Your children shall be kings. BANQUO You shall be king. MACBETH And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so? BANQUO To the selfsame tune and words. Who's here? Enter ROSS and ANGUS ROSS The king hath happily received, Macbeth, The news of thy success; and when he reads Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, His wonders and his praises do contend Which should be thine or his: silenced with that, In viewing o'er the rest o' the selfsame day, He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make, Strange images of death. As thick as hail Came post with post; and every one did bear Thy praises in his kingdom's great defence, And pour'd them down before him. ANGUS We are sent To give thee from our royal master thanks; Only to herald thee into his sight, Not pay thee. ROSS And, for an earnest of a greater honour, He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail, most worthy thane! For it is thine. BANQUO What, can the devil speak true? MACBETH The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me In borrow'd robes? ANGUS Who was the thane lives yet; But under heavy judgment bears that life Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was combined With those of Norway, or did line the rebel With hidden help and vantage, or that with both He labour'd in his country's wreck, I know not; But treasons capital, confess'd and proved, Have overthrown him. MACBETH [Aside] Glamis, and thane of Cawdor! The greatest is behind. To ROSS and ANGUS Thanks for your pains. To BANQUO Do you not hope your children shall be kings, When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me Promised no less to them? BANQUO That trusted home Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, Besides the thane of Cawdor. But 'tis strange: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence. Cousins, a word, I pray you. MACBETH [Aside] Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme.--I thank you, gentlemen. [Aside] Cannot be ill, cannot be good: if ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor: If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings: My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is But what is not. BANQUO Look, how our partner's rapt. MACBETH [Aside] If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir. BANQUO New horrors come upon him, Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould But with the aid of use. MACBETH [Aside] Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. BANQUO Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure. MACBETH Give me your favour: my dull brain was wrought With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains Are register'd where every day I turn The leaf to read them. Let us toward the king. Think upon what hath chanced, and, at more time, The interim having weigh'd it, let us speak Our free hearts each to other. BANQUO Very gladly. MACBETH Till then, enough. Come, friends. Exeunt SCENE IV. Forres. The palace. Flourish. Enter KING DUNCAN, LENNOX, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and attendants DUNCAN Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not Those in commission yet returned? MALCOLM My liege, They are not yet come back. But I have spoke With one that saw him die, who did report That very frankly he confessed his treasons, Implored your highness' pardon, and set forth A deep repentance. Nothing in his life Became him like the leaving it. He died As one that had been studied in his death To throw away the dearest thing he owed As ’twere a careless trifle. DUNCAN There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust. Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS enter. (To MACBETH) O worthiest cousin, The sin of my ingratitude even now Was heavy on me. Thou art so far before That swiftest wing of recompense is slow To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved, That the proportion both of thanks and payment Might have been mine! Only I have left to say, More is thy due than more than all can pay MACBETH The service and the loyalty I owe In doing it pays itself. Your highness' part Is to receive our duties, and our duties Are to your throne and state children and servants, Which do but what they should, by doing everything Safe toward your love and honor. DUNCAN Welcome hither. I have begun to plant thee, and will labor To make thee full of growing. (To BANQUO) Noble Banquo, That hast no less deserved, nor must be known no less to have done so, let me infold thee And hold thee to my heart. BANQUO There, if I grow, The harvest is your own. DUNCAN My plenteous joys, Wanton in fullness, seek to hide themselves In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, thanes, And you whose places are the nearest, know We will establish our estate upon Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter The prince of Cumberland; which honor must Not unaccompanied invest him only, But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers. (To MACBETH) From hence to Inverness, And bind us further to you. MACBETH The rest is labor which is not used for you: I’ll be myself the harbinger and make joyful The hearing of my wife with your approach. So humbly take my leave. DUNCAN My worthy Cawdor! MACBETH [Aside] The prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. Exit DUNCAN True, worthy Banquo. He is full so valiant, And in his commendations I am fed; It is a banquet to me.—Let’s after him, Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome: It is a peerless kinsman. Flourish. Exeunt SCENE V. Inverness. Macbeth's castle. Enter LADY MACBETH, reading a letter LADY MACBETH 'They met me in the day of success: and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king, who all-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title, before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time, with 'Hail, king that shalt be!' This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to thy heart, and farewell.' Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis, That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it; And that which rather thou dost fear to do Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear; And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crown'd withal. Enter a Messenger What is your tidings? Messenger The king comes here to-night. LADY MACBETH Thou'rt mad to say it: Is not thy master with him? who, were't so, Would have inform'd for preparation. Messenger So please you, it is true: our thane is coming: One of my fellows had the speed of him, Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more Than would make up his message. LADY MACBETH Give him tending; He brings great news. Exit Messenger The raven himself is hoarse That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan Under my battlements. Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, Wherever in your sightless substances You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night, And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry 'Hold, hold!' Enter MACBETH Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor! Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter! Thy letters have transported me beyond This ignorant present, and I feel now The future in the instant. MACBETH My dearest love, Duncan comes here to-night. LADY MACBETH And when goes hence? MACBETH To-morrow, as he purposes. LADY MACBETH O, never Shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't. He that's coming Must be provided for: and you shall put This night's great business into my dispatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. MACBETH We will speak further. LADY MACBETH Only look up clear; To alter favour ever is to fear: Leave all the rest to me. Exeunt |
Modern TranslationSCENE II. A camp near Forres.
Alarm within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant DUNCAN Who is that bloody man? He can report, As can be seen by his current state, about the revolt. MALCOLM This is the sergeant Who fought like a good soldier Against my capture. Hail brave friend! Tell the king of this battle As you left it Sergeant It was doubtful; Like two tired swimmers, who cling together And choke each other. The merciless Macdonwald-- Only worthy of rebel status, because Was supported by rebels From the western isles And rebels from Ireland and Irish foot soldiers And fortune was with him, smiling cruelly at his enemies as if she were his whore, but he was too weak: Brave Macbeth, deserving of that name, Sneering at fortune, with his sword, Which was covered in blood, Like bravery’s minion he cut his way to Macdonwald Who didn’t have time to shake hands or say goodbye Until he was cut from his stomach to his mouth And his head was put on the battlements DUNCAN Oh brave relative! Worthy man! Sergeant And just like the sun shows when Storm and thunder sounds, from that spring comfort comes Discomfort comes from Macdonwald. Listen king of Scotland: Then justice came with bravery And we sent the Irish running for cover The Norwegians began a new assault with weapons and new supplies of men. DUNCAN Did this not scare our brave captains Macbeth and Banquo? Sergeant Yes; It scared them as much as sparrows frighten eagles and hares the lion They were calm and I say that, like cannons loaded with double ammunition, They fought with twice as much force as before. Maybe they wanted to bathe in their enemies blood, or make the battle as infamous as Golgotha. But I am hurt, my wounds must be tended to DUNCAN Your words, like your wounds, bring you honor, take him to the surgeons. Exit Sergeant, attended Who is here? Enter Ross MALCOLM The worthy thane of Ross LENNOX He seems frantic, He looks Like someone with a strange story to tell ROSS God save the king! DUNCAN Where did you come from, worthy thane ROSS From Fife, my king Where Norwegian flags fly Frightening our people. Norway, With many men, Assisted by Macdonwald, The thane of Cawdor, began the conflict Until Macbeth Confronted him And fought sword to sword, arm against arm Finally he broke the enemy’s spirit And we won DUNCAN Great news! ROSS Now, Sweno, the Norwegian king, wants a treaty We told him he couldn’t bury his men Until he retreated to Saint Colme’s Inch And paid us ten thousand dollars DUNCAN Macdonwald will never betray me, go execute him And tell Macbeth that he is now given the title of Thane of Cawdor ROSS I’ll do that DUNCAN What Macdonwald has lost, the noble Macbeth has won Exit SCENE III. A heath near Forres. Thunder. The three Witches enter First Witch Sister, where have you been? Second Witch Killing swine. Third Witch Sister, where were you? First Witch A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap, And munched, and munched, and munched. 'Give me,' I said. 'Get away, witch!' the well-fed women cried. Her husband's off in Aleppo, the master of the Tiger. I’ll sail there in a strainer, And, in the form a rat without a tail, I'll do things to him. Second Witch I'll send you some wind. First Witch That’s nice of you. Third Witch And I’ll give you more. First Witch I’ll send all of the other winds myself, And control the very ports that they hit, And send them in every direction That a compass knows. I will drain all life from him, So that his eyelids will not see sleep Neither in the night nor day; He shall lived a cursed life For eighty-one dreary weeks, Where he’ll have highs and lows. Even though his ship will not get lost, It will be tossed. Look what I have. Second Witch Show me, show me. First Witch I have the thumb of a pilot Whose ship was wrecked on his way home. Drum within Third Witch A drum, a drum! Macbeth is coming. ALL We are the weird sisters, hand in hand, The speedy travellers of the sea and land– In this way we go about: Three times to yours and three times to mine And three times again, to make up nine. Stop! The spell is ready and done. MACBETH and BANQUO enter MACBETH I have never witnessed a day so fair yet so foul. BANQUO How far away is Forres? What are these, Dressed so shriveled and disorderly? They do not look like earthly creatures, And yet they are here before us. Are you alive? You seem to understand me, But can you answer our questions? I would think that you’re women, as each of you have wrinkled fingers upon your skinny lips, And yet you have beards. MACBETH Speak, if you can: what are you? First Witch All hail, Macbeth! hail to you, thane of Glamis! Second Witch All hail, Macbeth, hail to you, thane of Cawdor! Third Witch All hail, Macbeth, that will soon be king! BANQUO Macbeth, why do you seem so fearful of these Things that sound so wonderful? Honestly, are you figments of imagination, Or are you as real as you appear? You refer to my noble friend as his current title, but you also make enormous predictions of great nobility and royalty, So that he seems entranced by it all. You have not spoken to me. If you can look into the future, And say what will or will not come true, Tell me, and I will be satisfied whether my future is favorable or not. First Witch Hail! Second Witch Hail! Third Witch Hail! First Witch You are lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Second Witch You are not as fortunate, yet much happier. Third Witch Your descendants will be kings, though you will not be one; So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! First Witch Banquo and Macbeth, all hail! MACBETH Stay, you cryptic speakers, tell me more: I know that I am thane of Glamis, as my father was before he died; But how am I the thane of Cawdor, If the thane himself is alive and prosperous? To be king is unbelievable, as is thane of Cawdor. Where did you get this bizarre knowledge And why did you stop us in this wilted heath To greet us with prophecies? I demand you to speak. Witches vanish BANQUO If the earth bubbled like water, this is their work. Where did they go? MACBETH Into the air; what seemed real has melted into the breeze. If only they had stayed! BANQUO Were the witches that we were talking about even here? Or did we take drugs that faze our sense of reason? MACBETH Your children will be kings. BANQUO You will be king. MACBETH And Thane of Cawdor too, right? BANQUO The prophecy said so. Who’s there? Enter ROSS and ANGUS ROSS The king was pleased to receive, Macbeth, The news of your success; and when he heard of Your contributions and sacrifices to the fight against the rebels, His praise rendered him speechless; also He found out that you fought against the Norwegians on the same day, Fearless of death despite the carnage around you. Messengers came in, thick as hail, Each one bearing good news and praise Of your fearless defense of our kingdom And delivered them to him. ANGUS He sent us To thank you from our royal master And bring you to him; your reward will come from him, not us. ROSS And, to give you greater honor, He told me to name you thane of Cawdor Who is the most worthy thane! Because he is you. BANQUO Evil can speak truth? MACBETH But the thane of Cawdor is alive, Why are you giving me his position? ANGUS The former thane is alive; But under a trial for his life That he deserves to lose. Whether he was allied With Norway’s ranks, or secretly helped the rebels, or allied with both of the armies, we don’t know But he confessed to his treason, So he’s finished. MACBETH [Aside] Glamis, and thane of Cawdor! The best is yet to come. To ROSS and ANGUS Thank you for your pains. To BANQUO Didn’t you hope your children will be kings, Because the ones who named me thane of Cawdor promised you no less? BANQUO If you trust them You may soon become king as well as the thane of Cawdor. But I think it’s strange: Usually, to trick or harm us, Evil spirits tell us the truth, But with parts left out, and they betray us When it will hurt us most. Gentlemen, a word, if I may. MACBETH [Aside] Two of the predictions have come true, and so it seems likely that I may become the king. -- Thank you gentlemen. [Aside] This can’t be good or bad: if it’s bad, why did they tell me about something good that came true? I am now thane of Cawdor, just like they said I would be: But if this is a good thing, why am I thinking of murdering King Duncan? My thoughts are horrible enough to make my hair stand on end and my heart pound at my ribs. Real danger is less terrifying than the things that I am thinking. The murder is only imaginary but it scares me so much, I don’t know who I am and I cannot take action. What matters to me is what is not real BANQUO Look, Macbeth’s in a daze. MACBETH [Aside] If I’m destined to become king, Maybe I will be crowned, Without having to do anything. BANQUO Macbeth isn’t used to his new title yet, It’s like new clothes that haven’t been worn yet, You have to break them in. MACBETH [Aside] One way or another, What is destined to happen will happen eventually. BANQUO Worthy Macbeth, we’ll leave when you’re ready. MACBETH I beg your pardon: I was just distracted with things in the past. Gentelemn, your services will not be forgotten. Let us go see the king. Think about what just happened today, and at another moment, when we have had more time to consider it, let’s have a private talk And discuss. BANQUO Totally. MACBETH Until then, enough said. Let’s go, my friends. Exit SCENE IV. Forres. The palace. A trumpet fanfare sounds. KING DUNCAN, LENNOX, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and their attendants enter. DUNCAN Has the former thane of Cawdor been executed yet? Haven’t the people in charge of that come back? MALCOLM My king, they haven’t come back yet. But I spoke with someone who saw Cawdor die, and he said that Cawdor openly confessed his treasons, begged your highness’s forgiveness, and repented deeply. He never did anything in his whole life that looked as good as the way he died. He died like someone who had practiced how to toss away his most cherished possession as if it were a worthless a piece of garbage. DUNCAN There’s no way to read a man’s mind by looking at his face. I trusted Cawdor completely. Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS enter. (To MACBETH) My worthiest kinsman! Just this moment I was feeling guilty for not having thanked you enough. You have done so much for me so fast that it has been impossible to reward you properly. If you deserved less, then perhaps my payment would have matched your deeds! All I can say is that I owe you more than I can ever repay. MACBETH The opportunity to serve you is its own reward. Your only duty, your highness, is to accept what we owe you. Our duty to you and your state is like the duty of children to their father or servants to their master. By doing everything we can to protect you, we’re only doing what we should. DUNCAN You are welcome here. By making you thane of Cawdor, I have planted the seeds of a great career for you, and I will make sure they grow. (To BANQUO) Noble Banquo, you deserve no less than Macbeth, and everyone should know it. Let me bring you close to me and give you the benefit of my love and good will. BANQUO Then if I accomplish anything great, it will be a credit to you. DUNCAN My joy is so overwhelming it brings tears to my eyes. My sons, relatives, lords, and all those closest to me, I want you to witness that I will bestow my kingdom on my eldest son, Malcolm. Today I name him the prince of Cumberland. But Malcolm isn’t going to be alone in receiving honors—titles of nobility will shine like stars on all of you who deserve them. (To MACBETH) And now, let’s go to your castle at Inverness, where I will become even more obliged to you because of your hospitality. MACBETH I’m not happy unless I can be working for you. I will go ahead and bring my wife the good news that you are coming. With that, I’ll be off. DUNCAN My worthy Cawdor! MACBETH [To himself] Malcolm is now the prince of Cumberland! To become king myself, I’m either going to have to step over him or give up, because he’s in my way. Stars, hide your light so no one can see the terrible desires within me. I won’t let my eye look at what my hand is doing, but in the end I’m still going to do that thing I’d be horrified to see. MACBETH exits. DUNCAN (To BANQUO, in the middle of a conversation we haven’t heard) You’re right, Banquo. Macbeth is every bit as valiant as you say, and I am satisfied with these praises of him. Let’s follow after him, now that he has gone ahead to prepare our welcome. He is a man without equal. Trumpet fanfare. They exit. SCENE V. Inverness. Macbeth's castle. Enter LADY MACBETH, reading a letter LADY MACBETH “The witches met me on my day of victory in battle and since then I have learned that they possess supernatural powers. When I tried to question them further, they vanished into air. While I stood astounded, the messengers from the King arrived and named by Thane of Cawdor which is what the Weird sisters named me before ‘the future king’. I thought I should tell you this good news, my dearest partner of greatness, so that you can celebrate along with me about the greatness promised to us. Keep it secret, and farewell. You are (talking to Macbeth; soliloquy) Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, and you’re going to be King, just as the witches promised. But I am worried that you do not have what it takes to seize the crown. You are too full of kindness to strike at your first opportunity. You wish to be powerful, you do not lack ambition, but you don’t have the harshness that these need. The things you wish to do, you wish to do as a good man. Cheating is something you do not wish to do, yet you want what doesn’t belong to you. You want something, yet you afraid to do what is necessary to get it. You want it to be done for you. Get home soon so I can persuade you and talk you out of what is keeping you from seizing the crown. Enter a Messenger What is your news? Messenger The King is coming here tonight. LADY MACBETH You must be mad to say that! Surely if Macbeth was with the King, he would have told me in advance so that I could prepare, if the King were truly coming. Messenger I apologize, but it is true. Macbeth is coming. He sent a messenger ahead of him who arrived here so out of breath that he could barely speak his message. LADY MACBETH Make sure you take good care of him. He brings great news. Exit Messenger The messenger himself is short of breath, like a hoarse raven, as he brings the news of Duncan’s entrance into our fortress, where he will die. Come you spirits that fuel murderous thoughts, make me less of a woman and more of a man, and consume me with deadly cruelty. Thicken my blood and clog my veins so that I will not feel remorse, in order to prevent human compassion from stopping me from accomplishing my plan. Come to my breasts and turn my maternal milk into acid, you murdering demons, wherever you hide, invisible, seeking evil. Come thick night, and cover the world in the darkest smoke of hell, so that my knife can’t see the wound it comes open, and so heaven can’t peek through the darkness and order me to stop. Enter MACBETH Great Thane of Glamis! Worthy Thane of Cawdor! Soon you will be greater than both of those titles, once you become king. Your letter have transported me beyond the present and now I feel as if the future is already here. MACBETH My dearest love, Duncan comes here tonight. LADY MACBETH When is he leaving? MACBETH He plans to leave tomorrow. LADY MACBETH That day will never come. Your face portrays strange feelings and people will be able to read your face like a book. In order to deceive them, you have to appear the way that they want you to look. Greet the King with a welcoming expression in your eyes, hands and your words. You must look like an innocent flower, but be the snake that hides behind it. The King is coming and he must be taken care of. I’ll handle the preparations of tonight because tonight can change the rest of our lives. MACBETH We will speak about this later. LADY MACBETH If you do not look like you are peaceful, you will arouse suspicion. You should project a peaceful attitude. Leave the rest to me. Exit |