The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 583
And top of sovereignty?
What is this that rises like the son of a king
and wears a crown on top of its baby head?
ALL
Listen, but speak not to't.
Listen, but don’t speak to it.
Third Apparition
Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care
Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill
Shall come against him.
Be courageous like a lion, and proud, and don’t
care about who is annoyed by you, or who plans
and plots against you. Macbeth will not be beat
until great Birnam Wood marches to fight
at high Dunsinane Hill.
Descends
MACBETH
That will never be
Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! good!
Rebellion's head, rise never till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
Can tell so much: shall Banquo's issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?
That will never happen. Who can order the forest
and command the tree to pull its roots from the ground?
These are good things to hear! I can not be overtaken
until the woods of Birnam walk, and I shall
be king all of my natural life. Yet my heart pounds
to know one more thing. Tell me, if you can
see so much: will Banquo’s sons ever reign
in this kingdom?
ALL
Seek to know no more.
Do not ask any more questions.
MACBETH
I will be satisfied: deny me this,
And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know.
Why sinks that cauldron? and what noise is this?
No, I must know! If you don’t tell me, an eternal
curse will fall on you! Tell me now.
Why is the cauldron sinking? What is that noise?
Hautboys
First Witch
Show!
Show!
Second Witch
Show!
Show!
Third Witch
Show!
Show!
ALL
Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
Come like shadows, so depart!
Show him, and make him grieve.
Come like shadows, and depart the same way!
A show of Eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand; GHOST OF BANQUO following
MACBETH
Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: down!
Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls. And thy hair,
Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first.
A third is like the former. Filthy hags!
Why do you show me this? A fourth! Start, eyes!
What, will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?
Another yet! A seventh! I'll see no more:
And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass
Which shows me many more; and some I see
That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry:
Horrible sight! Now, I see, 'tis true;
For the blood-bolter'd Banquo smiles upon me,
And points at them for his.
You look too much like the ghost of Banquo! Go away!
Your crown makes my eyes hurt. And your blond
hair is like the hair of the first. The third looks
just like the second. Filthy hags! Why do you
show me this? A fourth! My eyes are bulging!
Will this line stretch out all the way to the end
of time? And another! A seventh! I don’t want
to see anymore. And yet the eighth appears
who carries a mirror that shows me many more.
Some have two parted balls and three scepters!
This is a horrible sight! Now I see that it’s true.
Banquo, with his hair clotted with blood, smiles
at me, and points at them as his sons.
Apparitions vanish
What, is this so?
Is it true?
First Witch
Ay, sir, all this is so: but why
Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,
And show the best of our delights:
I'll charm the air to give a sound,
While you perform your antic round:
That this great king may kindly say,
Our duties did his welcome pay.
Yes, sir, it is all true. But why
are you so confused? Come, sisters,
let’s cheer him up and show him
the best of our magic. I’ll charm the air
to make music while you dance, so that
the great king may kindly say we did
our duty to entertain him.
Music. The witches dance and then vanish, with HECATE
MACBETH
Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour
Stand aye accursed in the calendar!
Come in, without there!
Where are they? Gone? Let this evil hour
be marked as cursed in the calendar.
Whoever is out there, come in!
Enter LENNOX
LENNOX
What's your grace's will?
What would you like?
MACBETH
Saw you the weird sisters?
Did you see the witches?
LENNOX
No, my lord.
No, my lord.
MACBETH
Came they not by you?
They didn’t pass you?
LENNOX
No, indeed, my lord.
Definitely not, my lord.
MACBETH
Infected be the air whereon they ride;
And damn'd all those that trust them! I did hear
The galloping of horse: who was't came by?
The air they ride on is infected, and all who
trust them are damned. I heard the galloping
of horses. Who came by?
LENNOX
'Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word
Macduff is fled to England.
Two or three men, my lord, who are here
to let you know Macduff has fled to England.
MACBETH
Fled to England!
Fled to England!
LENNOX
Ay, my good lord.
Yes, my good lord.
MACBETH
Time, thou anticipatest my dread exploits:
The flighty purpose never is o'ertook
Unless the deed go with it; from this moment
The very firstlings of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
The castle of Macduff I will surprise;
Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
This deed I'll do before this purpose cool.
But no more sights!--Where are these gentlemen?
Come, bring me where they are.
Time, you have guessed my terrible plans.
The intent to act is often overtaken by time.
From this moment on, I will act immediately
on every impulse in my heart. I will start now
to put my thoughts into action, and will
surprise Macduff’s castle with an attack.
I will seize all o
f Fife, and have his wife, his babies,
and all those unfortunate enough to be related to him
killed. I will not boast about doing this; I will simply
do it before my intention cools. But no more visions!—
Where are these men? Take me to where they are.
Exeunt
Fife. Macduff's Castle.
Enter LADY MACDUFF, her Son, and ROSS
LADY MACDUFF
What had he done, to make him fly the land?
What did he do, to make him flee the country?
ROSS
You must have patience, madam.
You must have patience, madam.
LADY MACDUFF
He had none:
His flight was madness: when our actions do not,
Our fears do make us traitors.
He had no patience. His flight was crazy.
Even if we aren’t traitors, we are going to look
like traitors if we run away.
ROSS
You know not
Whether it was his wisdom or his fear.
You don’t know whether he did it out of wisdom or fear.
LADY MACDUFF
Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his babes,
His mansion and his titles in a place
From whence himself does fly? He loves us not;
He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.
All is the fear and nothing is the love;
As little is the wisdom, where the flight
So runs against all reason.
Wisdom! To leave his wife and his babies,
his home and his titles in a place he himself
runs away from? He doesn’t love us.
He lacks the natural instinct to protect.
Even the skinny little wren—the smallest
of birds—will fight to protect her nest
against the owl. He is full of fear
and is showing no love. There’s nothing wise
about such an unreasonable flight.
ROSS
My dearest coz,
I pray you, school yourself: but for your husband,
He is noble, wise, judicious, and best knows
The fits o' the season. I dare not speak
much further;
But cruel are the times, when we are traitors
And do not know ourselves, when we hold rumour
From what we fear, yet know not what we fear,
But float upon a wild and violent sea
Each way and move. I take my leave of you:
Shall not be long but I'll be here again:
Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward
To what they were before. My pretty cousin,
Blessing upon you!
My dearest cousin, I beg you, have patience.
As far as your husband goes, he in noble, wise,
judicious and knows the ways of the times.
I shouldn’t say much more. But these are cruel times
when we are called traitors and do not know why.
We hear rumors that make us afraid, but we do not
know what we fear. We float on a wild and violent
sea and move back and forth. I must leave,
but it won’t be long before I come back.
Things at their worse will either stop or
return to what they were before.
My pretty cousin, I give you my blessing.
LADY MACDUFF
Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherless.
He is a father and yet he is fatherless.
ROSS
I am so much a fool, should I stay longer,
It would be my disgrace and your discomfort:
I take my leave at once.
I am feeling so foolish. If I stay longer
I might disgrace myself and make you feel
uncomfortable. I will leave at once.
Exit
LADY MACDUFF
Sirrah, your father's dead;
And what will you do now? How will you live?
Sir, your father’s dead. What will you do now?
How will you live?
Son
As birds do, mother.
As birds do, mother.
LADY MACDUFF
What, with worms and flies?
What do you mean, that you’ll eat worms and flies?
Son
With what I get, I mean; and so do they.
I mean by what I find. They get by on what they find.
LADY MACDUFF
Poor bird! thou'ldst never fear the net nor lime,
The pitfall nor the gin.
Pathetic bird! You don’t know enough to fear the nets
and glue boards and other traps.
Son
Why should I, mother? Poor birds they are not set for.
My father is not dead, for all your saying.
Why should I know that stuff, mother?
No one hunts for pathetic birds.
My father is not dead, even though you say he is.
LADY MACDUFF
Yes, he is dead; how wilt thou do for a father?
Yes, he is dead. What will you do without a father?
Son
Nay, how will you do for a husband?
No, the question is—what will you do without a husband?
LADY MACDUFF
Why, I can buy me twenty at any market.
I can buy twenty of them at any market.
Son
Then you'll buy 'em to sell again.
Then you’ll buy them to sell again.
LADY MACDUFF
Thou speak'st with all thy wit: and yet, i' faith,
With wit enough for thee.
You speak with all of your intelligence, which,
to be fair, is enough intelligence for you.
Son
Was my father a traitor, mother?
Was my father a traitor, mother?
LADY MACDUFF
Ay, that he was.
Yes, he was.
Son
What is a traitor?
What is a traitor?
LADY MACDUFF
Why, one that swears and lies.
It’s one who swears to do something but lies.
Son
And be all traitors that do so?
And do all traitors do that?
LADY MACDUFF
Every one that does so is a traitor, and must be hanged.
Everyone who does that is a traitor, and must be hanged.
Son
And must they all be hanged that swear and lie?
Everyone who swears and lies must be hanged?
LADY MACDUFF
Every one.
Every one.
Son
Who must hang them?
Who hangs them?
LADY MACDUFF
Why, the honest men.
The honest men do.
Son
Then the liars and swearers are fools,
for there are liars and swearers enow to beat
the honest men and hang up them.
Then the liars and swearers are fools,
because there are enough liars and swearers
to beat the honest men and hang them.
LADY MACDUFF
Now, God help thee, poor monkey!
But how wilt thou do for a father?
God help you, my poor monkey!
But what will you do without a father?
Son
If he were dead, you'ld weep for
him: if you would not, it were a good sign
that I should quickly have a new father.
If he were dead, you’d be crying for him
If you don’t cry, it is a good sign that I will
soon have a new father.
LADY MACDUFF
; Poor prattler, how thou talk'st!
Silly boy, how you talk!
Enter a Messenger
Messenger
Bless you, fair dame! I am not to you known,
Though in your state of honour I am perfect.
I doubt some danger does approach you nearly:
If you will take a homely man's advice,
Be not found here; hence, with your little ones.
To fright you thus, methinks, I am too savage;
To do worse to you were fell cruelty,
Which is too nigh your person. Heaven preserve you!
I dare abide no longer.
Bless you, lovely lady. You do not know me, but
I know who you are and of your state of honor.
I know that danger is heading your way.
If you want to take a common man’s advice—
don’t allow yourself to be found here with your
children. You must think I am awful to frighten
you like this, but I think it would be worse
if I said nothing and you were cruelly harmed.
Harm is nearby. Heaven help you! I can not stay
here any longer.
Exit
LADY MACDUFF
Whither should I fly?
I have done no harm. But I remember now