The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (945 page)

As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they

Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:

Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,

Or memorise another Golgotha,

I cannot tell.

But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.

Yes, it did. Like it would worry sparrows before the eagle,

or lambs before the lion. I swear, they were like cannons

overcharged with cracks—they doubled twice over their attacks

against the enemy: whether they aimed for a bloodbath

or a second Crucifixion, who knows?

I am faint and my wounds need tending.

DUNCAN

So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;

They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.

Your words speak as highly of you as your wounds.

They speak of your honor. Go, and get him doctors.

Exit Sergeant, attended

Who comes here?

Who is coming?

Enter ROSS

MALCOLM

The worthy thane of Ross.

It is the worthy Thane of Ross.

LENNOX

What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look

That seems to speak things strange.

He has such a hurried look about him! And looking that way,

Has so many strange things to say.

ROSS

God save the king!

God save the king!

DUNCAN

Whence camest thou, worthy thane?

Where have you come from, worthy thane?

ROSS

From Fife, great king;

Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky

And fan our people cold. Norway himself,

With terrible numbers,

Assisted by that most disloyal traitor

The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;

Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,

Confronted him with self-comparisons,

Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.

Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,

The victory fell on us.

I’ve come from Fife, great King,

where the Norwegian flags fly

chilling our people. The King of Norway

was there with great numbers of men.

The thane of Cawdor began a conflict

until the war’s bridegroom himself,

wrapped in truth, confronted him with comparisons,

pointing out how they were both rebellious, and both armed well,

and it stopped his extravagant spirit and the victory fell to us.

DUNCAN

Great happiness!

It makes me so happy to hear this!

ROSS

That now

Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:

Nor would we deign him burial of his men

Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch

Ten thousand dollars to our general use.

After that, Sweno, Norway’s king, wanted an agreement,

but we would not allow his men to be buried

until he paid us ten thousand dollars at Saint Colme’s.

DUNCAN

No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive

Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,

And with his former title greet Macbeth.

The thane of Cawdor will no longer betray

the things important to us: order his death immediately.

And give his former title to Macbeth.

ROSS

I'll see it done.

I’ll see that it’s done.

DUNCAN

What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.

What he has lost, the noble Macbeth has won.

Exeunt

A Heath Near Forres

Thunder. Enter the three Witches

First Witch

Where hast thou been, sister?

Where have you been, sister?

Second Witch

Killing swine.

Killing pigs.

Third Witch

Sister, where thou?

Where were you killing them, sister?

First Witch

A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,

And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:--

'Give me,' quoth I:

'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries.

Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger:

But in a sieve I'll thither sail,

And, like a rat without a tail,

I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.

A sailor’s wife had chestnuts in her lap.

That she ate, and ate, and ate.

‘Give me some,’ I said.

‘Get out of here, witch!’ the fat hag said.

Her husband had gone to see Allepo, the master

of the Tiger. I will sail there in a vessel with holes,

and like a tail-less rat,

I’ll do, and I’ll do, and I’ll do harm.

Second Witch

I'll give thee a wind.

I will provide you with a wind!

First Witch

Thou'rt kind.

You are kind.

Third Witch

And I another.

I will give you a wind, as well.

First Witch

I myself have all the other,

And the very ports they blow,

All the quarters that they know

I' the shipman's card.

I will drain him dry as hay:

Sleep shall neither night nor day

Hang upon his pent-house lid;

He shall live a man forbid:

Weary se'nnights nine times nine

Shall he dwindle, peak and pine:

Though his bark cannot be lost,

Yet it shall be tempest-tost.

Look what I have.

I have all the other winds,

and I have the ports they blow in.

I have all the places that they know,

and I have the ship’s direction.

I will drain the sailor dry as hay:

sleep will not come night or day

to the roof of his home.

He will live like a man without:

he will go for weeks without rest,

and he will fade and become weak and weary.

But his ship will not be lost—

it will be tossed on a stormy sea.

Look here at what I have.

Second Witch

Show me, show me.

Show me, show me!

First Witch

Here I have a pilot's thumb,

Wreck'd as homeward he did come.

I have a sailor’s thumb who died in a shipwreck

as he was coming home.

Drum within

Third Witch

A drum, a drum!

Macbeth doth come.

A drum, a drum!

Macbeth is coming!

ALL

The weird sisters, hand in hand,

Posters of the sea and land,

Thus do go about, about:

Thrice to thine and thrice to mine

And thrice again, to make up nine.

Peace! the charm's wound up.

The three witches, hand in hand,

who know all of sea and land,

thus do go about and about:

three times to you, and three times to me

and three times once more makes nine.

Peace! That spell has been cast.

Enter MACBETH and BANQUO

MACBETH

So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

I have never seen a day so beautiful and ugly at the same time.

BANQUO

How far is't call'd to Forres? What are these

So wither'd and so wild in their attire,

That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,

And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught

That man may question? You seem to understand me,

By each at once her chappy finger laying

Upon her skinny lips: you should be women,

And yet your beards forbid me to interpret

That you are so.

How far is it to a place called Forres? What are these

creatures so withered and wild looking that

do not even look like they belong on this earth?

And yet they are on it. Are you alive? Or are you

something that we should wonder about? You seem

to understand me, since you are putting your gnarled

fingers to your thin lips. You seem to be women,

but your beards make me think that you are not.

MACBETH

Speak, if you can: what are you?

Speak, if you can. What are you?

First Witch

All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, Thane of Glamis!

Second Witch

All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, Thane of Cawdor!

Third Witch

All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!

All hail, Macbeth, you will be king someday!

BANQUO

Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear

Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth,

Are ye fantastical, or that indeed

Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner

You greet with present grace and great prediction

Of noble having and of royal hope,

That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not.

If you can look into the seeds of time,

And say which grain will grow and which will not,

Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear

Your favours nor your hate.

My good man, why do you look so upset and

afraid to hear things that sound so good? Tell

me the truth, are you illusions, or are you real?

You greet my friend here with grace and great predictions

of having nobility and someday being king.

He looks as if he is in a spell! But you do not speak to me.

If you can tell the future and say what will happen to me,

then tell me. I do not beg and I am not afraid

of your favors or your hate.