breath. There is no place in the castle
the bird has not nested and bred. The
house martin tends to favor, by my observation,
places where the air is delicate and nice.
Enter LADY MACBETH
DUNCAN
See, see, our honour'd hostess!
The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,
Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you
How you shall bid God 'ild us for your pains,
And thank us for your trouble.
Look, here comes our honored hostess!
Sometimes the love that follows us
is trouble, but we still are grateful
of the love. Here, I will teach you
how to ask God to yield to your pains,
and thank us for your trouble.
LADY MACBETH
All our service
In every point twice done and then done double
Were poor and single business to contend
Against those honours deep and broad wherewith
Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,
And the late dignities heap'd up to them,
We rest your hermits.
All of our service, in every way, if it were to be done
and done again could not match the deep honor
you have brought to us by being here. For the past
and new dignities you’ve heaped on us, we intend
to pray for you so much that your almsmen
can take a break from their praying.
DUNCAN
Where's the thane of Cawdor?
We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well;
And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him
To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,
We are your guest to-night.
Where is Macbeth? We rode right at his heels,
but he had purpose to get here first, and he
rides well. His great love, sharp as his spur,
helped him to get to his castle before us.
Fair and noble hostess, we are your guests tonight.
LADY MACBETH
Your servants ever
Have theirs, themselves and what is theirs, in compt,
To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,
Still to return your own.
Your servants may help themselves to whatever
they need to make you comfortable. We are glad
to be able to give back to you what is yours.
DUNCAN
Give me your hand;
Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,
And shall continue our graces towards him.
By your leave, hostess.
Give me your hand.
Take me to my host. We love him dearly,
and shall continue to offer him good things.
After you, Lady Macbeth.
Exeunt
Macbeth's Castle.
Hautboys and torches. Enter a Sewer, and divers Servants with dishes and service, and pass over the stage. Then enter MACBETH
MACBETH
If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'ld jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
If it were over when it is over, then it would be best
if it were done quickly. If the murder could be without
consequence, bringing up only a success, then the blow
would be the be-all and the end-all now. And here,
upon this bank and this place in time, I’d jump
at the chance. But in these sort of situations
there will be judgment, and the bloody instructions
taught by the murderer will come back to haunt the
murderer: this even-handed justice makes for our
own death, and we might as well put a poisoned chalice
to our own lips. Duncan is here in double trust.
First, I am his relative as well as his subject,
and I should not harm him. Also, as his host,
I should be protecting his from a murderer,
not bearing the knife myself. Besides all of this,
Duncan is so meek, and has been so great as king,
that his good points will plead like angels blaring trumpets
against the sin of his killing. And pity, like
a naked new born baby, will stride before the
trumpet’s blast on unseen horses to deliver
the news of his murder to everyone, causing so
many tears that they could drown the wind.
I have no courage to carry out my intent,
I have only great ambition, which can jump over
itself and bring me to a fall.
Enter LADY MACBETH
How now! what news?
Hey there! What’s the news?
LADY MACBETH
He has almost supp'd: why have you left the chamber?
He is almost done with his dinner. Why have you left the dining room?
MACBETH
Hath he ask'd for me?
Has he asked for me?
LADY MACBETH
Know you not he has?
Don’t you know he has?
MACBETH
We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon.
We will go no further in this business.
He has given me great honors recently
and I have won high opinion from all sorts of people.
I should savor this all while it is fresh, and not
cast it aside so soon.
LADY MACBETH
Was the hope drunk
Wherein you dress'd yourself? hath it slept since?
And wakes it now, to look so green and pale
At what it did so freely? From this time
Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valour
As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,'
Like the poor cat i' the adage?
Was the hope that you had drunk,
and has it slept it off since? And now it wakes up
and looks so green and pale, to see what it
did so freely? From this time forward, I will
take account of you. Are you afraid to be
what you truly want to be? Would you have
the crown you want so badly within your reach,
but live like a coward in your own eyes,
allowing ‘I can not’ to be stronger than
‘I will,’ like the cat in the old saying?
MACBETH
Prithee, peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.
Please, be quiet. I dare to do all a man can.
Who dares to do more than that is not a man.
LADY MACBETH
What beast was't, then,
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more the man. Nor time nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me:
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
What beast was it, then that made you tell all
of this to me? When you told me, you were a man.
And if you were to follow through, you would
be so much more the man! Neither time or place
were set then, and yet you were ready to make it happen.
Now, time and place have arrived and you are not
ready and willing. I have breast-fed, and I know
how tender it is to love the baby that feeds on me.
I would, however, while it was smiling in my face,
pluck my nipple from its toothless gums
and dash its brains out if I had sworn to do so,
as you have sworn to do this.
MACBETH
If we should fail?
What if we fail?
LADY MACBETH
We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we'll not fail. When Duncan is asleep--
Whereto the rather shall his day's hard journey
Soundly invite him--his two chamberlains
Will I with wine and wassail so convince
That memory, the warder of the brain,
Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason
A limbeck only: when in swinish sleep
Their drenched natures lie as in a death,
What cannot you and I perform upon
The unguarded Duncan? what not put upon
His spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt
Of our great quell?
Then we fail!
But find your courage and set your mind to it
and we will not fail. When Duncan is asleep,
which he will be soundly after the long journey
he made today, I will wine and woo his two
body guards until they lose their memory
and reason. When they are passed out like pigs—
so out of it they might as well be dead—
there is nothing you and I cannot do
to the unguarded Duncan. And then we
can put the blame on them, as if they did it.
MACBETH
Bring forth men-children only;
For thy undaunted mettle should compose
Nothing but males. Will it not be received,
When we have mark'd with blood those sleepy two
Of his own chamber and used their very daggers,
That they have done't?
You should bear male children, only,
because that unwavering courage should be in
nothing but males. Once we have marked those
two guards with the king’s blood and used their
daggers to kill him, won’t it look like they have done it?
LADY MACBETH
Who dares receive it other,
As we shall make our griefs and clamour roar
Upon his death?
Who could possibly see it any other way,
once we make our cries of grief and alarm
when we hear of his death?
MACBETH
I am settled, and bend up
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat.
Away, and mock the time with fairest show:
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
I am settled with everything in me to make this
terrible thing happen. Let’s go, and pass the time
by looking calm and putting on a happy face
to hide what we know we are about to do.
Exeunt
Court of Macbeth's Castle.
Enter BANQUO, and FLEANCE bearing a torch before him
BANQUO
How goes the night, boy?
How’s your night going, boy?
FLEANCE
The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.
The moon has gone down. I have not heard the clock chime.
BANQUO
And she goes down at twelve.
The moon goes down at midnight.
FLEANCE
I take't, 'tis later, sir.
I think it is later than that, sir.
BANQUO
Hold, take my sword. There's husbandry in heaven;
Their candles are all out. Take thee that too.
A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not sleep: merciful powers,
Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature
Gives way to in repose!
Here, take my sword. They are being frugal tonight in heaven;
the candles are all out. Take this, too.
I have such a need for sleep, it weighs heavy on me,
but I can’t sleep. God help me, and keep me
from the nightmares that come with sleep!
Enter MACBETH, and a Servant with a torch
Give me my sword.
Who's there?
Give me back my sword.
Who’s there!
MACBETH
A friend.
A friend.
BANQUO
What, sir, not yet at rest? The king's a-bed:
He hath been in unusual pleasure, and
Sent forth great largess to your offices.
This diamond he greets your wife withal,
By the name of most kind hostess; and shut up
In measureless content.
You haven’t gone to bed yet, sir? The king
is asleep. He has been in great spirits and
has given so much to your home. He greeted
your wife with a diamond, calling her the most
kind hostess, and went to bed immeasurably happy.
MACBETH
Being unprepared,
Our will became the servant to defect;
Which else should free have wrought.
We were not prepared for the visit,
but tried our best to overcome what lacked
and would have been freely available otherwise.
BANQUO
All's well.
I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters:
To you they have show'd some truth.
All is well.
I dreamt last night of the three witches.
What they said to you proved to be true.
MACBETH
I think not of them:
Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve,
We would spend it in some words upon that business,
If you would grant the time.
<
br /> I don’t think about them.
But when we can find an hour to do so,
we should talk some more about all of that,
if you can find the time.
BANQUO
At your kind'st leisure.
Whenever you get a chance.
MACBETH
If you shall cleave to my consent, when 'tis,
It shall make honour for you.
If you stick to me, I will honor you in time.
BANQUO
So I lose none
In seeking to augment it, but still keep
My bosom franchised and allegiance clear,
I shall be counsell'd.
As long as I lose nothing in seeking
more honor, and can still keep
my heart and conscious clean,
I’ll do whatever you say.
MACBETH
Good repose the while!
Rest well in the meantime!
BANQUO
Thanks, sir: the like to you!
Thanks, sir—the same to you!
Exeunt BANQUO and FLEANCE
MACBETH
Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready,
She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed.
Go tell your mistress that when my drink is ready,
she should ring the bell. Then go to bed.
Exit Servant
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 576