The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (966 page)

Exeunt, marching

Dunsinane. A room in the Castle.

Enter MACBETH, Doctor, and Attendants

MACBETH

Bring me no more reports; let them fly all:

Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane,

I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Malcolm?

Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know

All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:

'Fear not, Macbeth; no man that's born of woman

Shall e'er have power upon thee.' Then fly,

false thanes,

And mingle with the English epicures:

The mind I sway by and the heart I bear

Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.

Bring me no more news—let them go.

Until Birnam wood moves to Dunsinane

I need not have any fear. Who’s this boy Malcolm?

Wasn’t he born of a woman? The spirits that can

see all thing have told me this: ‘Fear not, Macbeth,

no man that’s born of woman will ever have power

over you.’ So leave, disloyal thanes, and mingle

with the dainty English: my mind will not sway

and my heart will never sag with doubt

or shake with fear.

Enter a Servant

The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon!

Where got'st thou that goose look?

May the devil make you black, you cream-faced loon!

Why do you look so foolish?

Servant

There is ten thousand—

There are ten thousand—

MACBETH

Geese, villain!

Geese, evil one!

Servant

Soldiers, sir.

Soldiers, sir.

MACBETH

Go prick thy face, and over-red thy fear,

Thou lily-liver'd boy. What soldiers, patch?

Death of thy soul! those linen cheeks of thine

Are counsellors to fear. What soldiers, whey-face?

Go prick your face to make it red so your fear

does not show, you lily-livered coward. What

soldiers, you clown? Death to your soul!

That white face of yours will make others fearful.

What soldiers, milk-face?

Servant

The English force, so please you.

The English army.

MACBETH

Take thy face hence.

Take your face out of here.

Exit Servant

Seyton!--I am sick at heart,

When I behold--Seyton, I say!--This push

Will cheer me ever, or disseat me now.

I have lived long enough: my way of life

Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;

And that which should accompany old age,

As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,

I must not look to have; but, in their stead,

Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,

Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not. Seyton!

Seyton!—I am sick at heart when I see—Seyton,

come here!—this battle will encourage me forever,

or it will de-throne me now. I have lived long enough.

My way of life has withered like a yellow leaf.

That which should keep me company in my old age—

such as honor, love, obedience, lots of friends—

I cannot expect to have. Instead, I have curses,

people who talk about me under their breath,

and life, which my heart would gladly deny,

but dares not. Seyton!

Enter SEYTON

SEYTON

What is your gracious pleasure?

What would be your pleasure?

MACBETH

What news more?

Is there any more news?

SEYTON

All is confirm'd, my lord, which was reported.

All that has been reported, my lord, has been confirmed.

MACBETH

I'll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack'd.

Give me my armor.

I’ll fight until my flesh is hacked from my bones.

Give me my armor.

SEYTON

'Tis not needed yet.

You don’t need it yet.

MACBETH

I'll put it on.

Send out more horses; skirr the country round;

Hang those that talk of fear. Give me mine armour.

How does your patient, doctor?

I’ll go ahead and put it on.

Send out more horses. Search the entire country

and hang those who talk about fear.

Give me my armor.

How is your patient, doctor?

Doctor

Not so sick, my lord,

As she is troubled with thick coming fancies,

That keep her from her rest.

She’s not so sick, my lord, as she is troubled

with numerous visions that keep her from sleep.

MACBETH

Cure her of that.

Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,

Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,

Raze out the written troubles of the brain

And with some sweet oblivious antidote

Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff

Which weighs upon the heart?

Cure her of that.

Can’t you treat a diseased mind?

Can’t you take away the memory rooted

in sorrows, carve out the troubles written

in the brain and with a sweet drug that causes

oblivion and cleans out  the dangerous stuff

that weighs upon her heart?

Doctor

Therein the patient

Must minister to himself.

In that regard, the patient must cure herself.

MACBETH

Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it.

Come, put mine armour on; give me my staff.

Seyton, send out. Doctor, the thanes fly from me.

Come, sir, dispatch. If thou couldst, doctor, cast

The water of my land, find her disease,

And purge it to a sound and pristine health,

I would applaud thee to the very echo,

That should applaud again.--Pull't off, I say.--

What rhubarb, cyme, or what purgative drug,

Would scour these English hence? Hear'st thou of them?

Throw medicine to the dogs, then. I’ll have none of it.

Come, put my armor on me. Give me my staff.

Seyton, send out. Doctor, the thanes leave me.

Come sir, let’s hurry. Can you figure out, doctor,

what is wrong with my country? Check its urine,

and return it to a sound and pristine health.

I would applaud you to the very end, and the applause

will echo back.—I’m telling you, pull it off—

what plant or drug would send the English

from this country? Have you heard of any?

Doctor

Ay, my good lord; your royal preparation

Makes us hear something.

Yes, my good lord. Your royal preparation

for war makes us hear something.

MACBETH

Bring it after me.

I will not be afraid of death and bane,

Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.

Bring it after me.

I will not be afraid of death and destruction

until the Birnam forest comes to Dunsinane.

Doctor

[Aside] Were I from Dunsinane away and clear,

Profit again should hardly draw me here.

[Aside] If I were far away from Dunsinane and clear

of it, nothing could draw me back here again.

Exeunt

Country Near Birnam Wood

Drum and colours. Enter MALCOLM, SIWARD and YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and Soldiers, marching

MALCOLM

Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand

That chambers will be safe.

Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand

when people will be safe in their homes.

MENTEITH

We doubt it nothing.

We don’t doubt it.

SIWARD

What wood is this before us?

What is this wood before us?

MENTEITH

The wood of Birnam.

It’s Birnam wood.

MALCOLM

Let every soldier hew him down a bough

And bear't before him: thereby shall we shadow

The numbers of our host and make discovery

Err in report of us.

Every soldier should cut off a tree limb

and carry it before him. That way we will

conceal how many of us there are and cause

false reports about our numbers.

Soldiers

It shall be done.

We will do it.

SIWARD

We learn no other but the confident tyrant

Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure

Our setting down before 't.

We’ve heard nothing except the confident tyrant

is still in Dunsinane, and will endure

our attacking the castle.

MALCOLM

'Tis his main hope:

For where there is advantage to be given,

Both more and less have given him the revolt,

And none serve with him but constrained things

Whose hearts are absent too.