Macbeth (12 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
LENNOX
And that well might
Advise him to a caution
47
, t’hold what
distance
His wisdom can provide. Some holy angel
Fly to the court of England and unfold
His message ere he come,
that
50
a swift blessing
May soon return to this our
suffering country
Under a hand accursed
51
.
LORD
I’ll send my prayers with him.
Exeunt
running scene 15
Location: unspecified; an interior space, perhaps a cavern
Thunder. Enter the three Witches
FIRST WITCH
Thrice the
brinded
1
cat hath mewed.
SECOND WITCH
Thrice and once the
hedge-pig
2
whined.
THIRD WITCH
Harpier
3
cries: ’tis time, ’tis time!
FIRST WITCH
Round about the cauldron go:
In the poisoned
entrails
5
throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweltered
8
venom sleeping got
7
,
Boil thou first i’th’charmèd pot.
They dance around the cauldron
ALL
Double, double,
toil
10
and
trouble
:
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH
Fillet
12
of a
fenny
snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake:
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool
15
of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder’s
fork
16
and
blindworm’s
sting,
Lizard’s leg and
howlet’s
17
wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
ALL
Double, double, toil and trouble:
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
THIRD WITCH
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches’
mummy
23
,
maw
and
gulf
Of the
ravined
24
salt-sea shark,
Root of
hemlock
25
digged i’th’dark,
Liver of
blaspheming
26
Jew,
Gall of goat, and
slips
27
of
yew
Slivered
28
in the moon’s eclipse,
Nose of Turk and
Tartar’s
29
lips,
Finger of
birth-strangled
30
babe
Ditch-delivered
31
by a
drab
,
Make the gruel thick and
slab
32
:
Add thereto a tiger’s
chaudron
33
,
For th’ingredients of our cauldron.
ALL
Double, double, toil and trouble:
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH
Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
Enter Hecate and the other three Witches
HECATE
O, well done: I commend your pains,
And everyone shall share i’th’gains.
And now about the cauldron sing
Like elves and fairies in a ring,
Enchanting all that you put in.
Music and a song:
‘Black spirits’
, etc.
[
Exit Hecate and the other three Witches?
]
SECOND WITCH
By the
pricking
44
of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Knock
Open, locks, whoever knocks.
Enter Macbeth
MACBETH
How now, you secret,
black
47
and midnight hags?
What is’t you do?
ALL
A deed without a name.
MACBETH
I
conjure
50
you, by that which you
profess
—
Howe’er you come to know it—answer me:
Though
52
you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches, though the
yeasty
53
waves
Confound
54
and swallow
navigation
up,
Though
bladed corn
55
be
lodged
and trees blown down,
Though castles topple on their
warders
56
’ heads,
Though palaces and pyramids do
slope
57
Their heads to their foundations, though the treasure
Of nature’s
germens
59
tumble all together
,
Even till destruction
sicken
60
, answer me
To what I ask you.
FIRST WITCH
Speak.
SECOND WITCH
Demand.
THIRD WITCH
We’ll answer.
FIRST WITCH
Say, if thou’dst rather hear it from our mouths
Or from our masters?
MACBETH
Call ’em: let me see ’em.
FIRST WITCH
Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten
Her nine
farrow
69
: grease that’s
sweaten
From the murderer’s
gibbet
70
throw
Into the flame.
ALL
Come high or low,
Thyself and
office
73
deftly show!
Thunder. First Apparition, an
armed
head
MACBETH
Tell me, thou unknown power—
FIRST WITCH
He knows thy thought:
Hear his speech, but say thou nought.
FIRST APPARITION
Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth: beware Macduff,
Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
He
descends
MACBETH
Whate’er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks:
Thou hast
harped
80
my fear
aright
. But one word more—
FIRST WITCH
He will not be commanded. Here’s another,
More potent than the first.
Thunder. Second Apparition, a bloody child
SECOND APPARITION
Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth!
MACBETH
Had I three ears, I’d hear thee.
SECOND APPARITION
Be bloody, bold and resolute: laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.
Descends
MACBETH
Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?
But yet I’ll make
assurance
89
double sure,
And take a
bond
90
of fate:
thou
shalt not live,
That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
And sleep in spite of thunder.
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
And top
94
of sovereignty?
ALL
Listen, but speak not to’t.
THIRD APPARITION
Be
lion-mettled
97
, proud, and take no care
Who
chafes, who frets
98
, or where conspirers are:
Macbeth shall never vanquished be until
Great
Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him
100
.
Descend
MACBETH
That will never be:
Who can
impress
103
the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet
bodements
104
, good!
Rebellious dead
105
, rise never till the wood
Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth
Shall live the
lease of nature
107
, pay his breath
To time and
mortal custom
108
. 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?
ALL
Seek to know no more.
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?
Hautboys Cauldron sinks
FIRST WITCH
Show.
SECOND WITCH
Show.
THIRD WITCH
Show.
ALL
Show his eyes, and grieve his heart:
Come like shadows,
so
120
depart!
A show of
eight kings
and Banquo last:
[
the eighth king
]
with a
glass
in his hand
MACBETH
Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: down!
Thy crown does
sear
122
mine eyeballs: and thy hair,
Thou other
123
gold-bound brow
, is like the first:
A third is like the former.—Filthy hags,
Why do you show me this?—A fourth?
Start
125
, eyes!
What, will the line stretch out to
th’crack of doom
126
?
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 sceptres
130
carry.
Horrible sight! Now I see ’tis true,
For the
blood-boltered
132
Banquo smiles upon me,
And points at them for
his
133
.
[
Exeunt kings and Banquo
]
What, is this so?
FIRST WITCH
Ay, sir, all this is so: but why
Stands Macbeth thus
amazedly
135
?—
Come, sisters, cheer we up his
sprites
136
And show the best of our delights.
I’ll charm the air to give a sound,
While you perform your
antic round
139
,
That this great king may
kindly
140
say,
Our duties did his welcome pay
141
.
Music
THE WITCHES DANCE AND VANISH
MACBETH
Where are they? Gone? Let this
pernicious
142
hour
Stand
aye
143
accursèd in the calendar!—
Come in,
without
144
there!
Enter Lennox
LENNOX
What’s your grace’s will?
MACBETH
Saw you the weyard sisters?
LENNOX
No, my lord.
MACBETH
Came they not by you?
LENNOX
No, indeed, my lord.
MACBETH
Infected be the air whereon they ride,
And damned all those that trust them! I did hear
The galloping of
horse
152
: who was’t came by?
LENNOX
’Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word
Macduff is fled to England.
MACBETH
Fled to England?
LENNOX
Ay, my good lord.
MACBETH
Time, thou
anticipat’st
157
my
dread exploits
:
Aside
The
flighty
158
purpose never is
o’ertook
Unless
the deed go with it
159
. From this moment
The very
firstlings
of my heart shall be
The firstlings of my hand
160
. And even now,
To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
The castle of Macduff I will
surprise
163
,
Seize upon
Fife
164
,
give to th’edge o’th’sword
His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
That
trace him in his line
166
. No boasting like a fool,
This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool.
But no more
sights
168
!—Where are these gentlemen?
To Lennox
Come, bring me where they are.
Exeunt
running scene 16
Location: Macduff’s castle, Fife
Enter Macduff’s Wife, her Son and Ross
LADY MACDUFF
What had he done to make him fly the land?
ROSS
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
4
.
