Macbeth (32 page)

¹³⁶
brewed
i.e. ready to be shown  

¹³⁸
Upon … motion
ready to move  

¹⁴⁰
our … hid
i.e. temporarily put aside our horror and distress/got dressed  

¹⁴²
question
discuss/inquire into  

¹⁴³
scruples
doubts  

¹⁴⁴
thence
i.e. with God’s help  

¹⁴⁵
Against … malice
I shall fight against the unknown purpose that lies behind this treasonous and hostile act  

¹⁴⁹
briefly
quickly  

manly readiness
i.e. clothes/manly resolve  

¹⁵²
consort
associate, accompany  

¹⁵³
office
task/role  

¹⁵⁷
the … bloody
i.e. the more closely one is related to Duncan, the more likely one is to be murdered  

¹⁵⁹
shaft
i.e. of an arrow  

¹⁶⁰
lighted
alighted, landed  

¹⁶²
dainty of leave-taking
scrupulous about formal goodbyes  

¹⁶³
shift away
leave secretly  

warrant
justification  

¹⁶⁴
steals
purloins/slips away  

¹
Threescore and ten
seventy (years); a score is twenty  

³
dreadful
frightening  

sore
harsh, grievous  

⁴
trifled former knowings
made previous experiences insignificant  

⁵
father
respectful term of address for an old man  

⁶
heavens
sky/heavenly powers/roof over a
stage
  

act
deed/theatrical performance/division of a play  

⁸
travelling lamp
i.e. the sun  

⁹
predominance
greater power/ascendancy (as of a planet or star)  

shame
i.e. at the murder of Duncan  

¹³
Even
exactly  

¹⁴
tow’ring
mounting in order to swoop down on her prey (falconry term)  

pride of place
the highest point in her flight  

¹⁵
mousing owl
i.e. inferior bird that usually feeds on mice  

hawked at
attacked in flight  

¹⁷
minions
darlings, favorites  

¹⁹
as
as if  

²⁹
pretend
intend  

³⁰
suborned
bribed  

³⁵
Thriftless
wasteful, unprofitable  

ravin up
devour greedily  

³⁶
life’s means
resources necessary for survival/source of life (i.e. father)  

like
likely  

³⁸
named
selected  

Scone
ancient city north of Perth, traditional location for Scottish coronations  

³⁹
invested
formally given authority/dressed in the royal garments  

⁴¹
Colmekill
the Western Hebridean island of Iona, the ancient burial place for Scottish kings  

⁴⁶
thither
go there (to Scone)  

⁴⁸
Lest … new
i.e. in case our former situation proves preferable to what is to come  

⁵⁰
benison
blessing  

³
foully
wickedly, sinfully  

⁴
It … posterity
the kingship would not remain in your line of descendants  

⁷
shine
illuminate/look upon favorably  

⁸
verities
truths  

made good
fulfilled  

Sennet
trumpet fanfare signaling a procession  

¹⁴
all-thing unbecoming
inappropriate in every way  

¹⁵
solemn
formal, ceremonious  

¹⁸
Command upon
lay your commands on  

²⁰
knit
united, bound  

²³
else
otherwise  

²⁴
still
always  

grave and prosperous
wise and profitable  

²⁵
council
i.e. of state officials who advised the king  

²⁸
this
now  

go … better
if my horse does not go sufficiently quickly  

³⁰
twain
two  

³³
cousins
i.e. Malcolm and Donalbain  

bestowed
lodged  

³⁵
parricide
murder of one’s father  

³⁶
invention
fabrications, lies  

³⁷
therewithal
with it, in addition  

cause … jointly
affairs of state claiming equal attention  

⁴²
commend
entrust  

⁴⁴
To … welcome
in order to make socializing more delightful  

⁴⁶
while
until  

⁴⁷
Sirrah
sir (term of address to a social inferior)  

Attend … pleasure?
Are those men waiting for me?  

⁴⁹
without
outside  

⁵¹
thus
in this position, i.e. king  

⁵²
stick
are fixed/pierce, stab  

⁵⁵
to
in addition to  

dauntless temper
fearless temperament  

⁵⁸
being
personage/existence  

⁵⁹
genius
personal governing spirit  

rebuked
forcibly retrained/reproached  

⁶⁰
Mark … Caesar
the Roman general Mark Antony was defeated by Octavius Caesar  

chid
upbraided, rebuked  

⁶⁴
fruitless
useless/childless  

⁶⁵
barren
infertile  

sceptre
ornamental rod held by a monarch (possible phallic connotations here)  

⁶⁶
unlineal
not descended directly (from Macbeth)  

⁶⁸
issue
offspring  

filed
defiled, corrupted  

⁶⁹
gracious
generous/virtuous/possessed of divine grace  

⁷⁰
rancours
bitter hatred/poison  

vessel
cup (perhaps recalling the Holy Communion cup)  

⁷¹
eternal jewel
i.e. soul  

⁷²
common … man
i.e. the devil  

⁷⁴
list
designated combat area at a tournament  

⁷⁵
champion me
support/challenge, i.e. in combat  

th’utterance
the limit (death)  

⁸⁰
he
i.e. Banquo  

held … fortune
i.e. prevented you from improving your fortunes  

⁸²
made good
demonstrated  

conference
conversation  

⁸³
passed in probation
proved  

borne in hand
deceived  

⁸⁴
crossed
thwarted  

instruments
means/agents  

wrought
worked  

⁸⁵
notion
mind  

⁹⁰
gospelled
filled with the teachings of the Gospel (the New Testament)  

⁹²
yours
i.e. your
issue
, children  

⁷⁹
Well … ever?
these two speeches are lineated as verse in Folio, but so irregularly that they are likely to be mistakenly set as prose  

⁹⁵
catalogue
official list  

go for
pass for  

⁹⁶
curs
dogs, especially watchdogs or sheepdogs  

⁹⁷
Shoughs
lapdogs  

water-rugs
long-haired waterdogs (trained to retrieve waterfowl)  

demi-wolves
dogs that are half wolf  

clept
called  

⁹⁸
valued file
list classified according to value  

⁹⁹
subtle
wily  

¹⁰⁰
housekeeper
watchdog  

¹⁰¹
bounteous
generous  

¹⁰²
closed
enclosed  

¹⁰³
Particular … alike
special distinction unlike the general list in which they all sound the same  

¹⁰⁵
station
position/place to stand  

file
list/row (of soldiers)  

¹⁰⁶
rank
quality/row (of soldiers)  

¹⁰⁸
execution
enactment (plays on the sense of “murder”)  

¹⁰⁹
Grapples
attaches tightly  

¹¹⁰
in his life
while he (Banquo) lives  

¹¹¹
perfect
complete/ entirely healthy  

¹¹³
buffets
blows/beatings  

¹¹⁷
tugged with
knocked about by  

¹¹⁸
set
stake, gamble  

¹¹⁹
mend
improve  

on’t
of it  

¹²²
distance
hostility, discord  

¹²³
thrusts
stabs  

¹²⁴
near’st of life
vital parts  

¹²⁶
bid … it
justify it on the grounds that it is my wish  

¹²⁷
For
on account of  

¹²⁸
wail
I must lament  

¹³⁰
to … love
do wooingly entreat your help  

¹³²
sundry
various  

¹³⁵
Though our lives—
the First Murderer is interrupted as he declares that he and his companion will carry out the deed even if their lives depend upon it  

¹³⁷
advise
inform  

¹³⁸
perfect spy o’th’time
perhaps “exact awareness of the time (to do the deed),” though some editors suppose the line may be a reference to the Third Murderer  

¹⁴⁰
something
some distance  

always … clearness
it being always remembered that I must be considered guiltless  

¹⁴²
rubs nor botches
impediments or flaws  

¹⁴⁴
material
of consequence  

¹⁴⁶
Resolve yourselves apart
determine matters (or work up your resolution) in private  

¹⁴⁹
straight
straight away  

abide
remain  

⁶
spent
wasted  

⁷
content
contentedness, peace of mind  

⁹
doubtful
uncertain, fearful  

¹¹
sorriest fancies
wretched imaginings  

¹²
Using
entertaining  

¹³
them … on
i.e. past events/Duncan  

¹⁴
regard
thought, consideration