Macbeth (29 page)

⁵⁵
fantastical
imaginary   

indeed
in truth/in deed  

⁵⁶
show
appear to be  

⁵⁷
present grace
immediate honor  

⁵⁸
having
gain  

⁵⁹
rapt withal
entranced, absorbed by it  

⁶²
neither … hate
neither begs your favor nor fears your hate  

⁶⁸
happy
favored by fortune/content  

⁶⁹
get
beget, conceive  

⁷²
imperfect
unclear/cryptic/incomplete  

⁷³
Sinel
Macbeth’s father  

⁷⁶
prospect
field of view/anticipation of the future  

⁷⁷
whence … intelligence
where you got this strange information  

⁷⁹
blasted
blighted/accursed  

⁸⁰
charge
command  

⁸³
corporal
physical, bodily  

⁸⁴
Would
I wish  

⁸⁶
on
of   

insane root
root of plant (probably henbane) that was reputed to cause madness if eaten  

⁹¹
th’selfsame
the very same  

⁹³
reads
perceives, comprehends  

⁹⁴
venture
risky involvement  

⁹⁵
His … his
i.e. his personal feelings of awe and praises for you are both so great as to compete with one another (the result being that he finds himself
silenced
)  

⁹⁸
stout
brave  

⁹⁹
Nothing afeard
not at all afraid   

what … make
i.e. slaughter on the battlefield (
strange images of death
)  

¹⁰⁰
As … post
messengers arrived as thick and fast as the tales they had to tell (though some editors emend “tale” to “hail,” which fits better with the subsequent
poured down
)  

¹⁰⁶
Only … thee
only in order to usher you into his presence, not as a means of rewarding you  

¹⁰⁸
earnest
pledge, foretaste  

¹¹⁰
addition
title  

¹¹⁵
Who
he who  

¹¹⁶
judgement
sentence  

¹¹⁸
combined
in league  

¹¹⁹
line
reinforce (metaphorically, “line the rebel’s garment”)   

rebel
i.e. Macdonald  

¹²²
capital
deserving of the death penalty  

¹²⁵
behind
yet to come  

¹²⁹
home
fully  

¹³⁰
enkindle
inflame, provoke  

¹³³
darkness
i.e. the devil  

¹³⁴
trifles
insignificant things  

¹³⁵
deepest consequence
the profoundly serious outcome  

¹³⁸
happy
fortunate   

prologues
preliminary actions/lines spoken by an actor before the beginning of a play   

swelling
growing/exalted   

act
division of a play (plays on the sense of “deed, action”)  

¹³⁹
imperial theme
royal subject matter (
theme
plays on the sense of “subject that causes action”)  

¹⁴⁰
soliciting
incitement  

¹⁴²
earnest
pledge, foretaste  

¹⁴⁴
suggestion
temptation, incitement  

¹⁴⁵
horrid
frightful/bristling (like Macbeth’s
hair
)   

unfix my hair
make my hair stand on end  

¹⁴⁶
seated
fixed, stable  

¹⁴⁷
use
usual practice  

¹⁴⁸
less
i.e. not as ghastly and terrifying  

¹⁴⁹
whose murder
the enactment of which (this unusual use of
murder
reveals only too clearly what Macbeth’s
thought
is of)  

¹⁵⁰
single state
unified existence/weak condition (
state
introduces a human body/body politic metaphor)  

¹⁵¹
function … surmise
usual powers of action are overwhelmed by speculation and
imaginings
  

¹⁵²
nothing … not
only imaginings have any reality for me  

¹⁵⁵
stir
stirring, taking action  

¹⁵⁷
strange
unfamiliar   

cleave … use
do not cling snugly to the body’s contours until they have been worn many times  

¹⁶⁰
Time … day
i.e. time is unstoppable and even the worst day has an end  

¹⁶¹
stay
wait  

¹⁶²
favour
pardon  

¹⁶³
wrought
preoccupied/stirred/worked on  

¹⁶⁴
registered
recorded  

¹⁶⁵
Where … them
i.e. in his memory  

¹⁶⁷
chanced
happened   

at more time
when we have more time/at a later time  

¹⁶⁸
The … it
i.e. having had time to consider it thoroughly  

¹⁶⁹
free
frank, unrestrained  

Flourish
trumpet fanfare signaling the arrival of a person of authority  

¹
or not
or are not  

²
in commission
given a warrant to see the execution carried out  

³
liege
lord  

⁹
Became
befitted/honored  

¹⁰
studied
practiced/skilled  

¹¹
owed
owned  

¹²
careless
uncared for  

¹³
art
craft, skill  

¹⁴
construction
interpretation, explanation/way of building itself  

¹⁸
before
ahead (in terms of merit)  

²⁰
Would … mine
I wish that you were less deserving so that I might have had sufficient thanks and payment with which to reward you  

²³
all
everything, all my
thanks and payment
  

²⁵
In … itself
i.e. being a loyal servant is sufficient reward  

²⁹
Safe toward
to safeguard  

³³
nor … so
i.e. your equal worth must be recognized  

³⁴
enfold
embrace  

³⁸
Wanton
unrestrained/abundant  

³⁹
drops of sorrow
i.e. tears  

⁴⁰
nearest
closest to Duncan (i.e. relatives and favored nobles)  

⁴¹
establish our estate
settle the succession of the state  

⁴³
Prince of Cumberland
the title given to the heir to the Scottish throne  

⁴⁴
invest
adorn, clothe  

which … only
an honor that must not be the only one to be bestowed (i.e. other nobles will be favored too)  

⁴⁶
Inverness
town in the north of Scotland, location of Macbeth’s castle  

⁴⁷
bind … you
make me more indebted to you (as your guest)  

⁴⁸
The … you
a period of rest that is not used to serve you seems like hard work/anything that is not done on your behalf is tedious  

⁴⁹
harbinger
royal messenger  

⁵⁷
wink … hand
shut itself to the deeds carried out by the hand  

be
come to pass  

⁵⁹
he … valiant
Macbeth is just as brave (as you say); Duncan and Banquo have been conversing during Macbeth’s aside  

⁶⁰
his commendations
praises given to him  

⁶²
care
considerate solicitude  

⁶³
peerless
without equal  

²
perfect’st report
most accurate testimony  

⁶
missives
messengers  

⁹
deliver thee
report to you  

¹²
Lay … heart
reflect seriously on it/keep it secret  

¹⁵
o’th’milk … kindness
of compassion/natural humanity  

¹⁶
catch
seize  

nearest
most obvious, most direct  

wouldst
want to  

¹⁸
illness … it
wickedness that must go with it  

highly
greatly/ambitiously  

¹⁹
holily
virtuously  

play false
be deceptive, treacherous  

²⁰
Thou’dst have
thou wouldst have, i.e. you want  

²¹
have
are to have  

²²
And … undone
i.e. you fear carrying out the deed (murder) rather than its consequences (the crown)  

²³
Hie
hasten  

²⁵
chastise
rebuke  

²⁶
impedes
hinders  

golden round
crown  

²⁷
metaphysical
supernatural  

²⁸
withal
with  

³²
informed for preparation
sent news so that preparations might be made  

³⁴
had … of
overtook  

³⁷
tending
attention, care  

³⁹
raven
considered a bird of ill omen  

⁴²
tend on
attend  

mortal
deadly/human  

⁴⁵
remorse
pity  

⁴⁶
compunctious
remorseful, filled with conscience  

⁴⁷
fell
fierce, cruel  

keep
maintain, preserve  

⁴⁸
Th’effect and it
the outcome and my intention (
purpose
)  

⁴⁹
take
exchange/consider, treat (as)/feed on  

gall
bile, bitterness  

ministers
agents/attendants  

⁵⁰
sightless
invisible  

⁵¹
wait on
wait upon/lie in wait for  

nature’s mischief
human evil  

⁵²
pall
envelop, wrap (as if with a pall or cloth used to cover a coffin)  

dunnest
darkest/murkiest  

⁵³
keen
sharp (plays on the sense of “eager, fervent”)  

⁵⁵
Hold
stop, desist  

⁵⁶
all-hail hereafter
the future prophesied by the witches/the salutation of “king” that followed Glamis and Cawdor  

⁵⁸
ignorant
unknowing  

⁵⁹
instant
present moment  

⁶³
purposes
intends  

⁶⁷
strange
mysterious/unnatural/unfamiliar