The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (959 page)

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 charmed 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?