Authors: William Shakespeare
Macbeth (10 page)
SERVANT
Ay, madam, but returns again tonight.
LADY MACBETH
Say to the king, I would attend his leisure
For a few words.
SERVANT
Madam, I will.
Exit
LADY MACBETH
Naught’s had, all’s
spent
6
,
Where our desire is got without
content
7
:
’Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in
doubtful
9
joy.
Enter Macbeth
How now, my lord? Why do you keep alone,
Of
sorriest fancies
11
your companions making,
Using
12
those thoughts which should indeed have died
With
them they think on
13
? Things without all remedy
Should be without
regard
14
: what’s done is done.
MACBETH
We have
scorched
15
the snake, not killed it:
She’ll
close
16
and be herself, whilst our
poor malice
Remains in danger of
her former tooth
17
.
But
let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer
18
,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That
shake
21
us nightly. Better be with the dead,
Whom we,
to gain our peace
22
, have sent to peace,
Than
on the torture of the mind to lie
23
In restless
ecstasy
24
. Duncan is in his grave:
After life’s
fitful
25
fever he sleeps well.
Treason has done his worst:
nor
26
steel, nor poison,
Malice domestic
27
,
foreign levy
, nothing
Can touch him further.
LADY MACBETH
Come on,
Gentle my lord
30
,
sleek
o’er your
rugged
looks:
Be bright and jovial among your guests tonight.
MACBETH
So shall I, love, and so I pray be you.
Let your
remembrance
33
apply to Banquo:
Present him eminence
34
, both with eye and tongue:
Unsafe the while, that we
Must
lave
36
our honours in these flattering streams
35
And make our faces
vizards
37
to our hearts,
Disguising what they are.
LADY MACBETH
You must leave this.
MACBETH
O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!
Thou know’st that Banquo and his Fleance lives.
LADY MACBETH
But in them nature’s
copy’s
42
not
eterne
.
MACBETH
There’s comfort yet: they are assailable:
Then be thou
jocund
44
. Ere the bat hath flown
His
cloistered
45
flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons
The
shard-born
46
beetle with his drowsy hums
Hath rung night’s
yawning
47
peal, there shall be done
A deed of dreadful
note
48
.
LADY MACBETH
What’s to be done?
MACBETH
Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest
chuck
50
,
Till thou applaud the deed.—Come,
seeling
51
night,
Scarf up
52
the
tender
eye of
pitiful
day,
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great
bond
54
Which keeps me
pale
55
. Light thickens,
And the crow
makes wing
56
to the
rooky
wood:
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse,
Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do
rouse
58
.—
Thou marvell’st at my words: but
hold thee still
59
.
Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.
So prithee go with me.
Exeunt
running scene 11
Location: about a mile from the Scottish royal palace
Enter three Murderers
FIRST MURDERER
But who did bid thee join with us?
To Third Murderer
THIRD MURDERER
Macbeth.
SECOND MURDERER
He needs not our mistrust
3
, since he
delivers
Our offices
and what we have to do
To the direction just
5
.
FIRST MURDERER
Then stand with us.
The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day.
Now spurs the
lated
8
traveller
apace
To
gain the timely inn
9
, and near approaches
The subject of our watch.
THIRD MURDERER
Hark, I hear horses.
BANQUO
Give us a light there, ho!
Within
SECOND MURDERER
Then ’tis he: the rest
That are
within the note of expectation
14
Already are i’th’court.
FIRST MURDERER
His horses
go about
16
.
THIRD MURDERER
Almost a mile: but he does usually,
So all men do, from hence to th’palace gate
Make it their walk.
Enter Banquo and Fleance, with a torch
SECOND MURDERER
A light, a light!
THIRD MURDERER
’Tis he.
FIRST MURDERER
Stand to’t
22
.
BANQUO
It will be rain tonight.
FIRST MURDERER
Let it
come down
24
.
He puts out the torch
BANQUO
O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance,
fly, fly, fly!
They attack Banquo
Thou mayst revenge.—O slave!
He dies. Fleance flees
THIRD MURDERER
Who did strike out the light?
FIRST MURDERER
Was’t not the
way
28
?
THIRD MURDERER
There’s but one down: the son is fled.
SECOND MURDERER
We have lost best half of our affair.
FIRST MURDERER
Well, let’s away, and say how much is done.
Exeunt
running scene 12
Location: a banqueting hall in the Scottish royal palace
Banquet prepared. Enter Macbeth, Lady
[
Macbeth
]
, Ross, Lennox, Lords and Attendants
MACBETH
You know your own
degrees
1
, sit down:
at first
And last
the hearty welcome.
They sit
LORDS
Thanks to your majesty.
MACBETH
Ourself will mingle
with society
4
And play the humble host:
Our hostess
keeps her state
6
, but
in best time
We will
require her welcome
7
.
LADY MACBETH
Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends,
For my heart speaks they are welcome.
Enter First Murderer
[
at the door
]
MACBETH
See, they
encounter
10
thee with their hearts’ thanks.
Both sides are even
11
: here I’ll sit i’th’midst.
Be
large in mirth
12
, anon we’ll
drink a measure
The table round
.—
Moves to the door
There’s blood upon thy face.
To First Murderer
FIRST MURDERER
’Tis Banquo’s then.
MACBETH
’Tis better
thee without than he within
15
.
Is he
dispatched
16
?
FIRST MURDERER
My lord, his throat is cut: that I did for him.
MACBETH
Thou art the best o’th’cut-throats.
Yet he’s good that did the like for Fleance:
If thou didst it, thou art
the nonpareil
20
.
FIRST MURDERER
Most royal sir, Fleance
is scaped
21
.
MACBETH
Then comes my
fit
22
again. I had else been
perfect
,
Whole as the marble,
founded
23
as the rock,
As
broad and general
24
as the
casing
air:
But now I am
cabined
25
,
cribbed
, confined, bound in
To
saucy
26
doubts and fears. But Banquo’s
safe
?
FIRST MURDERER
Ay, my good lord: safe in a ditch he
bides
27
,
With twenty
trenchèd
28
gashes on his head,
The
least a death to nature
29
.
MACBETH
Thanks for that.—
There the grown serpent lies: the
worm
31
that’s fled
Hath nature that in time will venom breed,
No teeth for th’present.—Get thee gone: tomorrow
We’ll
hear ourselves
34
again.
Exit Murderer
LADY MACBETH
My royal lord,
You do not
give the cheer
36
:
the feast is sold
That is not often
vouched
37
, while ’tis a-making,
’Tis given with welcome.
To feed were best at home
38
:
From thence
39
, the sauce to meat is
ceremony
:
Meeting
40
were
bare
without it.
Enter the Ghost of Banquo, and sits in Macbeth’s place
MACBETH
Sweet
remembrancer
42
.
Now, good digestion wait on appetite,
And health on both!
LENNOX
May’t please your highness sit.
MACBETH
Here
had we
45
now our
country’s honour
roofed
,
Were the
graced
46
person of our Banquo present,
Who may I rather
challenge
47
for unkindness
Than pity for
mischance
48
.
ROSS
His absence, sir,
Lays blame upon his promise
50
. Please’t your highness
To grace us with your royal company?
MACBETH
The table’s full.
LENNOX
Here is a place reserved, sir.
MACBETH
Where?
LENNOX
Here, my good lord. What is’t that
moves
55
your
highness?
MACBETH
Which of you have done this?
LORDS
What, my good lord?
MACBETH
Thou canst not say I did it: never shake
Thy
gory locks
59
at me.
ROSS
Gentlemen, rise: his highness is not well.
The Lords begin to rise
LADY MACBETH
Sit, worthy friends: my lord is often thus,
And hath been from his youth. Pray you keep seat,
The fit is momentary:
upon a thought
63
He will again be well. If much you
note him
64
,
You shall offend him and extend his
passion
65
:
Feed, and
regard
66
him not.—
Are you a man?
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth speak aside
MACBETH
Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that
Which might appal the devil.
LADY MACBETH
O,
proper stuff
70
!
This is the very
painting of your fear
71
:
This is the
air-drawn
72
dagger which you said
Led you to Duncan. O, these
flaws
73
and
starts
—
Impostors to
74
true fear—would well
become
A woman’s story at a winter’s fire,
Authorized
76
by her
grandam
. Shame itself!
Why do you make such faces? When all’s done,
You look but on a stool.