The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (948 page)

you are not willing to do what is necessary

to have them. You wish them done for you.

Hurry home, so that I may say the words

you need to hear to give you strength and

encourage you to banish all that is keeping you

from getting what you want in this golden round.

Fate and supernatural forces both seem to agree

that you should be crowned king.

Enter a Messenger

What is your tidings?

What are you here to tell me?

Messenger

The king comes here to-night.

The king is coming here tonight.

LADY MACBETH

Thou'rt mad to say it:

Is not thy master with him? who, were't so,

Would have inform'd for preparation.

You must be crazy.

Is not your master with him? And, if that were so,

he would have informed us to prepare.

Messenger

So please you, it is true: our thane is coming:

One of my fellows had the speed of him,

Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more

Than would make up his message.

So help me, it is true: Macbeth is coming.

Another messenger ran all the way here,

and—almost dead, he was so out of breath—

he managed to deliver the message.

LADY MACBETH

Give him tending;

He brings great news.

Tend to him.

He brings great news.

Exit Messenger

The raven himself is hoarse

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan

Under my battlements. Come, you spirits

That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,

And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full

Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;

Stop up the access and passage to remorse,

That no compunctious visitings of nature

Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between

The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,

And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,

Wherever in your sightless substances

You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,

And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,

Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,

To cry 'Hold, hold!'

The raven himself is hoarse

who tells of the fatal entrance of Duncan

into my castle. Come, sprits that tend

on mortal thoughts, make me more like a man,

and fill me from head to toe with the worst

cruelty! Make my blood thick,

stop up any feelings of remorse I may have,

so that no regret or guilt may visit me

and shake my sole purpose, or try to stop it.

Come to my motherly breast and make my milk

into poison, you murdering guardians,

wherever you wait unseen to witness

the evil! Come, thick night, and cloak

everything in the darkest smoke of hell,

so that this night does not see the wound it makes,

and heaven can not look through the darkness

and say ‘Stop!’

Enter MACBETH

Great Glamis! worthy Cawdor!

Greater than both, by the all-hail hereafter!

Thy letters have transported me beyond

This ignorant present, and I feel now

The future in the instant.

Great Glamis! Worthy Cawdor!

You are greater than both and will hailed

in the future as king! You letters have taken

me beyond the ignorant present into

the future that feels like it is already here.

MACBETH

My dearest love,

Duncan comes here to-night.

My dearest love,

Duncan comes here tonight.

LADY MACBETH

And when goes hence?

And when does he leave?

MACBETH

To-morrow, as he purposes.

He says he will leave tomorrow.

LADY MACBETH

O, never

Shall sun that morrow see!

Your face, my thane, is as a book where men

May read strange matters. To beguile the time,

Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,

Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower,

But be the serpent under't. He that's coming

Must be provided for: and you shall put

This night's great business into my dispatch;

Which shall to all our nights and days to come

Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.

Oh, never shall the sun see tomorrow!

Your face, my thane, is like a book where one

can read that something is wrong. You need to

look like everything is all right at this time; bear

welcome in your eye, your handshake, the words

you say: look like an innocent flower, but be the

serpent that lies under it. He is coming and he must

be given care. You should put the night’s

events in my hands. All of the nights and days

of our future will be changed by what happens tonight.

MACBETH

We will speak further.

We will speak more about this.

LADY MACBETH

Only look up clear;

To alter favour ever is to fear:

Leave all the rest to me.

You should only appear clear—

to change at all favors fear.

Leave the rest to me.

Exeunt

Before Macbeth's Castle.

Hautboys and torches. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, BANQUO, LENNOX, MACDUFF, ROSS, ANGUS, and Attendants

DUNCAN

This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air

Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself

Unto our gentle senses.

This castle has a good feeling about it.

The air is nimble and sweet, and

pleases the gentlest senses.

BANQUO

This guest of summer,

The temple-haunting martlet, does approve,

By his loved mansionry, that the heaven's breath

Smells wooingly here: no jutty, frieze,

Buttress, nor coign of vantage, but this bird

Hath made his pendent bed and procreant cradle:

Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed,

The air is delicate.

The summer season bird, the house martin,

likes it here. By staying here it proves

that the air here is as tempting as heaven’s

breath. There is no place in the castle

the bird has not nested and bred. The

house martin tends to favor, by my observation,

places where the air is delicate and nice.

Enter LADY MACBETH

DUNCAN

See, see, our honour'd hostess!

The love that follows us sometime is our trouble,

Which still we thank as love. Herein I teach you

How you shall bid God 'ild us for your pains,

And thank us for your trouble.

Look, here comes our honored hostess!

Sometimes the love that follows us

is trouble, but we still are grateful

of the love. Here, I will teach you

how to ask God to yield to your pains,

and thank us for your trouble.

LADY MACBETH

All our service

In every point twice done and then done double

Were poor and single business to contend

Against those honours deep and broad wherewith

Your majesty loads our house: for those of old,

And the late dignities heap'd up to them,

We rest your hermits.

All of our service, in every way, if it were to be done

and done again could not match the deep honor

you have brought to us by being here.  For the past

and new dignities you’ve heaped on us, we intend

to pray for you so much that your almsmen

can take a break from their praying.

DUNCAN

Where's the thane of Cawdor?

We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose

To be his purveyor: but he rides well;

And his great love, sharp as his spur, hath holp him

To his home before us. Fair and noble hostess,

We are your guest to-night.

Where is Macbeth? We rode right at his heels,

but he had purpose to get here first, and he

rides well. His great love, sharp as his spur,

helped him to get to his castle before us.

Fair and noble hostess, we are your guests tonight.

LADY MACBETH

Your servants ever

Have theirs, themselves and what is theirs, in compt,

To make their audit at your highness' pleasure,

Still to return your own.

Your servants may help themselves to whatever

they need to make you comfortable. We are glad

to be able to give back to you what is yours.

DUNCAN

Give me your hand;

Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly,

And shall continue our graces towards him.

By your leave, hostess.

Give me your hand.

Take me to my host. We love him dearly,

and shall continue to offer him good things.

After you, Lady Macbeth.

Exeunt