and your spells and your charms and
everything else. I’m going to fly.
I’ll spend the night figuring out a dismal
and fatal end. Many things need to be done
before noon. On the corner of the moon hangs
a profound drop of vapor. I will catch it
before it can hit the ground and distill it
with magic deceptions. It will raise such unreal
ghosts that the mere power of their illusion
will draw Macbeth on toward confusion.
He will scorn fate and death and believe
he is above wisdom, grace and fear.
And, as you know, too much confidence
is the enemy of man.
Music and a song within: 'Come away, come away,' & c
Hark! I am call'd; my little spirit, see,
Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.
Listen! I am being called. I see my little spirit
sitting in a foggy cloud, waiting for me.
Exit
First Witch
Come, let's make haste; she'll soon be back again.
C’mon, let’s hurry. She’ll be back again soon.
Exeunt
Forres. The Palace.
Enter LENNOX and another Lord
LENNOX
My former speeches have but hit your thoughts,
Which can interpret further: only, I say,
Things have been strangely borne. The
gracious Duncan
Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead:
And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late;
Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance kill'd,
For Fleance fled: men must not walk too late.
Who cannot want the thought how monstrous
It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain
To kill their gracious father? damned fact!
How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight
In pious rage the two delinquents tear,
That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep?
Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too;
For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive
To hear the men deny't. So that, I say,
He has borne all things well: and I do think
That had he Duncan's sons under his key--
As, an't please heaven, he shall not--they
should find
What 'twere to kill a father; so should Fleance.
But, peace! for from broad words and 'cause he fail'd
His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear
Macduff lives in disgrace: sir, can you tell
Where he bestows himself?
The things I’ve said have been similar to what you’ve
been thinking, and you can figure out what it means.
I’m just saying things have played out strangely.
The gracious Duncan was pitied by Macbeth,
but—keep in mind—it was after he was dead.
The highly noble Banquo was out walking too late.
If you’d like, you could say Fleance killed him,
since Fleance fled: men must not walk too late!
Who cannot wonder at how shockingly wrong
it was for Malcolm and Donalbain to kill
their gracious father? Such a damned act!
It caused Macbeth so much grief! So much
that he had to fly into an exaggerated rage and kill
the drunken and sleepy guards. Wasn’t that good
of him? Yes, and wise of him, too. It would
have angered anyone to hear the men deny it.
It looks like he has handled things well.
I think that if he had Duncan’s sons locked up—
and it’s a good thing he does not—they
would find out what was the punishment
for killing a father, and so would Fleance.
But, enough about that! I hear Macduff lives in disgrace
because he speaks his mind and failed to show up
at Macbeth’s dinner. Sir, can you tell me
where he is keeping himself?
Lord
The son of Duncan,
From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth
Lives in the English court, and is received
Of the most pious Edward with such grace
That the malevolence of fortune nothing
Takes from his high respect: thither Macduff
Is gone to pray the holy king, upon his aid
To wake Northumberland and warlike Siward:
That, by the help of these--with Him above
To ratify the work--we may again
Give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights,
Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives,
Do faithful homage and receive free honours:
All which we pine for now: and this report
Hath so exasperate the king that he
Prepares for some attempt of war.
The son of Duncan, Malcolm, whom Macbeth deprived
of his birthright, lives in the English court.
He has been welcomed by the good Edward with
so much grace that he receives much respect
despite his bad luck. Macduff went there to
ask for Edward’s help to join with Northumberland
and their lord, Siward, to fight Macbeth, with the help of
God above. He wants to put food on our tables, restore
sleep to our nights, allow us to have dinners and
celebrations with no bloody, murderous knives present,
and to pay homage to the king and receive honors freely.
Basically, to give us all that we long for now.
This news has so upset Macbeth that he is preparing for war.
LENNOX
Sent he to Macduff?
Did he send for Macduff?
Lord
He did: and with an absolute 'Sir, not I,'
The cloudy messenger turns me his back,
And hums, as who should say 'You'll rue the time
That clogs me with this answer.'
He did. And after Macduff said an absolute
‘Sir, I will not,’ the gloomy messenger turned
his back to me and hummed, as if to say ‘You’ll
regret the time you gave me this answer.’
LENNOX
And that well might
Advise him to a caution, to hold what distance
His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England and unfold
His message ere he come, that a swift blessing
May soon return to this our suffering country
Under a hand accursed!
And that might cause him to be cautious, and
to keep a wise distance. A holy angel should fly
to the court of England and deliver a message
telling Macduff to return to Scotland and free
this suffering country from the hand of Macbeth.
Lord
I'll send my prayers with him.
I’ll send my prayers with him.
Exeunt
A Cavern. In the Middle, a Boiling Cauldron.
Thunder. Enter the three Witches
First Witch
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
The brindled cat has meowed three times.
Second Witch
Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.
Yes, three times, and once a hedge-hog whined.
Third Witch
Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time.
My spirit companion Harpier cries that it is time.
First Witch
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poison'd entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the c
harmed pot.
Round about the cauldron we go,
and into the poison we throw entrails.
A toad that has spent thirty-one
days under a stone sweating
a poisonous sleeping potion
will go into the pot first.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Double, double the work and trouble;
The fire will burn, and the cauldron will bubble.
Second Witch
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
A slice of a snake that inhabits the ferns,
goes into the cauldron to boil and bake;
Eye of a salamander and toe of a frog;
Fur of the bat and tongue of a dog;
The forked tongue of a poisonous snake
and the sting of a blind worm;
A lizard’s leg and the wing of a baby owl;
This will make a charm of powerful trouble,
boil and bubble like the broth of hell.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Double, double the work and trouble;
The fire will burn, and the cauldron will bubble.
Third Witch
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
Scale of a dragon and tooth of a wolf;
A witches’ mummified skin;
the stomach and throat
of a hungry shark;
Root of hemlock dug up in the dark;
liver of an evil-speaking Jew;
Gallbladder of goat and twigs
of yew broken during an eclipse
of the moon; nose of a Turk
and a Tartar’s lips; finger
of a baby strangled in birth while
delivered in a ditch by a slovenly
woman. Make the potion thick
and pourable. Add a tiger’s intestines
to complete the cauldron’s ingredients.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Double, double the work and trouble;
The fire will burn, and the cauldron will bubble.
Second Witch
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
Cool it off with baboon’s blood,
then the charm will be firm and good.
Enter HECATE to the other three Witches
HECATE
O well done! I commend your pains;
And every one shall share i' the gains;
And now about the cauldron sing,
Live elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.
You’ve done well! I applaud your efforts.
And now everyone should share in the profits.
Gather around the cauldron and sing
like elves and fairies in a ring,
enchanting all that you put into it.
Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' & c
HECATE retires
Second Witch
By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!
I can tell by the way my thumbs tingle
that something wicked is coming this way.
Locks, open to whoever knocks!
Enter MACBETH
MACBETH
How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!
What is't you do?
Well, now, you secret, black, and midnight hags!
What are you doing?
ALL
A deed without a name.
We’re doing something that has no name.
MACBETH
I conjure you, by that which you profess,
Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:
Though you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches; though the yesty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up;
Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down;
Though castles topple on their warders' heads;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope
Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
Of nature's germens tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken; answer me
To what I ask you.
I ask of you, by what you claim to know and however
you know it, to answer me. Even if you have to let
loose winds that will destroy churches, and send
high waves to wash over ships and swallow them up;
if you have to unearth planted corn and blow trees down;
even if castles fall on their lodger’s heads and palaces
and pyramids crumble into their foundations; even if you
have to mix the treasures of nature all up together—
even if destruction takes over everything:
answer me what I ask of you.
First Witch
Speak.
Speak.
Second Witch
Demand.
Demand.
Third Witch
We'll answer.
We’ll answer.
First Witch
Say, if thou'dst rather hear it from our mouths,
Or from our masters?
Would you rather hear it from our mouths
or from our master’s mouth?
MACBETH
Call 'em; let me see 'em.
Call them. Let me see them.
First Witch
Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten
Her nine farrow; grease that's sweaten
From the murderer's gibbet throw
Into the flame.
Pour in the blood of a pig that has eaten
her nine piglets and add fat that has
dripped from a murderer’s gallows
into the fire.
ALL
Come, high or low;
Thyself and office deftly show!
Come, high and low spirits.
Reveal yourself and show who you are.
Thunder. First Apparition: an armed Head
MACBETH
Tell me, thou unknown power,--
Tell me, you unknown power—
First Witch
He knows thy thought:
Hear his speech, but say thou nought.
He can read your thoughts.
Listen to him, but don’t say anything.
First Apparition
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff;
Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff.
Beware the thane of Fife. Let me go now. Enough.
Descends
MACBETH
Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks;
Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: but one
word more,--
Wherever you have gone—thanks for the warning.
You’ve addressed w
hat I feared, but let me ask you
one more thing—
First Witch
He will not be commanded: here's another,
More potent than the first.
He will not be called back. Here’s another
stronger than the first.
Thunder. Second Apparition: A bloody Child
Second Apparition
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
MACBETH
Had I three ears, I'ld hear thee.
If I had three ears, I’d listen with all three.
Second Apparition
Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
Be bloody, bold and determined. Laugh in scorn
at the power of any man, for no man born of a woman
shall harm Macbeth.
Descends
MACBETH
Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?
But yet I'll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live;
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder.
Then Macduff may as well live.
Why should I be afraid of him?
But, just to be double sure and to seal my fate,
I will have him killed. That way I can
tell my fear it lies and sleep at night
in spite of everything.
Thunder. Third Apparition: a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand
What is this
That rises like the issue of a king,
And wears upon his baby-brow the round
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) Page 582