The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 580
Against my near'st of life: and though I could
With barefaced power sweep him from my sight
And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,
For certain friends that are both his and mine,
Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall
Who I myself struck down; and thence it is,
That I to your assistance do make love,
Masking the business from the common eye
For sundry weighty reasons.
He is my enemy, too, and I hate him so much
that every minute he lives thrusts against my heart.
Even though I have the power to sweep him away
and my word can kill him, I must not do that
because we have some friends in common who
I don’t want to lose, and I would need to grieve
his death, even though it was me who had him killed.
So, because of that, I need your help and am asking
you to do this so that no one knows who killed Banquo.
Second Murderer
We shall, my lord,
Perform what you command us.
We will do what you command us, my lord.
First Murderer
Though our lives—
Although our lives—
MACBETH
Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most
I will advise you where to plant yourselves;
Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' the time,
The moment on't; for't must be done to-night,
And something from the palace; always thought
That I require a clearness: and with him--
To leave no rubs nor botches in the work--
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father's, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart:
I'll come to you anon.
Your determination shines through you. I will tell you
within an hour where you should go and when.
It must be done tonight, and away from the palace.
Keep in mind that no one must suspect me.
You must not mess this up or leave any evidence.
His son, Fleance, will be with him, and he
must be killed, too. I need him gone, as well.
Make up your minds about this. I’ll come to you soon.
Both Murderers
We are resolved, my lord.
We have made up our minds, my lord.
MACBETH
I'll call upon you straight: abide within.
I’ll call for you soon. Wait inside.
Exeunt Murderers
It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight,
If it find heaven, must find it out to-night.
It is done. Banquo, if your soul is going to heaven,
it will be tonight.
Exit
The Palace
Enter LADY MACBETH and a Servant
LADY MACBETH
Is Banquo gone from court?
Has Banquo left the court?
Servant
Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.
Yes, madam, but he returns tonight.
LADY MACBETH
Say to the king, I would attend his leisure
For a few words.
Tell the king I would like to talk to him
for a moment.
Servant
Madam, I will.
I will do that, madam.
Exit
LADY MACBETH
Nought's had, all's spent,
Where our desire is got without content:
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
When you’ve spent everything,
but have nothing, when you’ve gotten
what you wanted but are not happy,
It is better to be the one who died
than to live with uneasiness.
Enter MACBETH
How now, my lord! why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making,
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without all remedy
Should be without regard: what's done is done.
How are you, my lord! Why are you keeping
to yourself and making company with sad thoughts?
Those thoughts should have died with those
you think about. You shouldn’t dwell on what
you cannot change: what’s done is done.
MACBETH
We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it:
She'll close and be herself, whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.
But let the frame of things disjoint, both the
worlds suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly: better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave;
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison,
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing,
Can touch him further.
We have injured the snake but not killed it.
She will heal and be herself again and we
remain in danger of her fangs. The universe
may fall apart and heaven and earth will suffer,
and I will eat my meals in fear and sleep
with nightmares shaking me nightly.
We’d be better off with the dead we killed
in order to gain our peace rather than suffering
this torture of the mind. Duncan is in his grave.
after life’s unrest he sleeps well;
The worst that happened to him was treason:
no steel or poison, violence in his country, foreign war—
nothing can touch him now.
LADY MACBETH
Come on;
Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks;
Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night.
Come on, relax, my lord. Change your expression.
Be bright and jovial with your guests tonight.
MACBETH
So shall I, love; and so, I pray, be you:
Let your remembrance apply to Banquo;
Present him eminence, both with eye and tongue:
Unsafe the while, that we
Must lave our honours in these flattering streams,
And make our faces vizards to our hearts,
Disguising what they are.
I will, my love, and so should you.
Pay special attention to Banquo.
Make him feel superior and important,
with the way you look at him and what you say.
We are in danger and must give him honor
and flatter him, and not allow our faces
to reveal what is in our hearts.
LADY MACBETH
You must leave this.
You must stop talking like this.
MACBETH
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.
Oh, my mind is full of scorpions, my dear wife!
You know that Banquo and his son live.
LADY MACBETH
But in them nature's copy's not eterne.
But only as long as they live—
they are not eternal.
MACBETH
There's comfort yet; they are assailable;
Then be thou jocund: ere the bat hath flown
His cloister'd flight, ere to black Hecate's summons
&
nbsp; The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums
Hath rung night's yawning peal, there shall be done
A deed of dreadful note.
There’s a comforting thought—they can die.
So be lighthearted: before the bat has flown
tonight into the darkness, before night falls
and the scaly-winged beetle has begun his
evening humming to usher out the day,
a terrible thing will happen.
LADY MACBETH
What's to be done?
What’s going to happen?
MACBETH
Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond
Which keeps me pale! Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood:
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
While night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
Thou marvell'st at my words: but hold thee still;
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.
So, prithee, go with me.
I am not going to tell you, my sweet little chicken,
until you can applaud it. Come, night, and
cover the eye of day. With your bloody
and invisible hand, cancel and rip to pieces
the bond that keeps me pale! Darkness is falling,
and the crow makes its way home to the woods.
The good things of the daytime are drooping
and falling to sleep, while night’s black agents
rise to hunt. You wonder at my words, but be still.
Once they are started, bad things feed on more bad things.
So, please, come with me.
Exeunt
A Park Near the Palace
Enter three Murderers
First Murderer
But who did bid thee join with us?
But who told you to join us?
Third Murderer
Macbeth.
Macbeth.
Second Murderer
He needs not our mistrust, since he delivers
Our offices and what we have to do
To the direction just.
There’s no need not to trust him since he
is here to tell us what we are to do.
First Murderer
Then stand with us.
The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day:
Now spurs the lated traveller apace
To gain the timely inn; and near approaches
The subject of our watch.
Then stay with us. The sky still
shows some daylight. Now is the time
a late traveler quickens the pace
to get to the destination on time.
The man we are watching for
is getting closer.
Third Murderer
Hark! I hear horses.
Listen! I hear horses.
BANQUO
[Within] Give us a light there, ho!
[Within] Hello! Give us some light here!
Second Murderer
Then 'tis he: the rest
That are within the note of expectation
Already are i' the court.
This is him. The rest that are expected
tonight are already inside.
First Murderer
His horses go about.
His horses are walking about.
Third Murderer
Almost a mile: but he does usually,
So all men do, from hence to the palace gate
Make it their walk.
It’s almost a mile to the palace gate.
But he, like the other men, will walk
the horses from here.
Second Murderer
A light, a light!
Give me a light! Give me a light!
Enter BANQUO, and FLEANCE with a torch
Third Murderer
'Tis he.
It’s him.
First Murderer
Stand to't.
Let’s go to it.
BANQUO
It will be rain to-night.
It’s going to rain tonight.
First Murderer
Let it come down.
Let it pour!
They set upon BANQUO
BANQUO
O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!
Thou mayst revenge. O slave!
Oh, treachery! Run, good Fleance, run, run, run!
Avenge my death. Oh, you hired hand!
Dies. FLEANCE escapes
Third Murderer
Who did strike out the light?
Who put out the light?
First Murderer
Wast not the way?
Wasn’t that the thing to do?
Third Murderer
There's but one down; the son is fled.
There’s only one dead, here. The son has fled.
Second Murderer
We have lost
Best half of our affair.
We lost the better half of what we were to do.
First Murderer
Well, let's away, and say how much is done.
Well, let’s get out of here, and tell Macbeth how much we did.
Exeunt
The Same. Hall in the Palace.
A banquet prepared. Enter MACBETH, LADY MACBETH, ROSS, LENNOX, Lords, and Attendants
MACBETH
You know your own degrees; sit down: at first
And last the hearty welcome.
You know your titles so you know where to be seated.
A hearty welcome to all!
Lords
Thanks to your majesty.
Thank you, your majesty.
MACBETH
Ourself will mingle with society,
And play the humble host.
Our hostess keeps her state, but in best time
We will require her welcome.
I will mingle with you and play the humble host.
Our hostess will stay in her seat, but when
the time is right, she will welcome you.
LADY MACBETH
Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends;
For my heart speaks they are welcome.
Say it for me, sir, to all of our friends.
In my heart they are welcome.
First Murderer appears at the door
MACBETH
See, they encounter thee with their hearts' thanks.
Both sides are even: here I'll sit i' the midst:
Be large in mirth; anon we'll drink a measure
The table round.
And they respond with thanks from their hearts,
so both sides are even. Here, I’ll sit in the middle:
be full of gladness and gaiety. Soon, we’ll drink
a toast around the table.
Approaching the door
There's blood on thy face.
There’s blood on your face.
First Murderer
'Tis Banquo's then.
It’s Banquo’s then.
MACBETH
'Tis better thee without than he within.
Is he dispatch'd?
It’s better on the outside of you instead of inside him.
Is he dead?
First Murderer
My lord, his throat is cut; that I did for him.
My lord, his throat is slit. I did it.
MACBETH
Thou art the best o' the cut-throats: yet he's good
That did the like for Fleance: if thou didst it,
Thou art the nonpareil.
You are the best of killers. Yet whoever
did the same to Fleance is also good. If you
did both of them, you are without equal.
First Murderer
Most royal sir,
Fleance is 'scaped.
Most royal sir,
Fleance has escaped.
MACBETH
Then comes my fit again: I had else been perfect,
Whole as the marble, founded as the rock,
As broad and general as the casing air:
But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confined, bound in
To saucy doubts and fears. But Banquo's safe?
My fears come back again. I had been perfect,
whole as the marble in the rock and as open and
free as the air around it. But now I am bound up
and confined with doubts and fears.
But Banquo’s dead, for sure?
First Murderer
Ay, my good lord: safe in a ditch he bides,
With twenty trenched gashes on his head;
The least a death to nature.
Yes, my good lord. He lies dead in a ditch
with twenty deep gashes on his head,
any which would have killed him.
MACBETH
Thanks for that:
There the grown serpent lies; the worm that's fled
Hath nature that in time will venom breed,