The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (958 page)

Stand not upon the order of your going,

But go at once.

I beg you, don’t speak to him. He’s just getting worse,

and questions will make him angry. Now, good night.

Do not take the trouble to exit properly,

just leave.

LENNOX

Good night; and better health

Attend his majesty!

Good night. I hope his majesty is better soon!

LADY MACBETH

A kind good night to all!

A kind good night to all!

Exeunt all but MACBETH and LADY MACBETH

MACBETH

It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood:

Stones have been known to move and trees to speak;

Augurs and understood relations have

By magot-pies and choughs and rooks brought forth

The secret'st man of blood. What is the night?

It will have blood. They say blood will have blood.

Stones have been known to move and trees to speak.

Priests and those that understand how to do so

can bring forth a man’s guilt using birds that talk.

What time of night is it?

LADY MACBETH

Almost at odds with morning, which is which.

It’s the middle of the night.

MACBETH

How say'st thou, that Macduff denies his person

At our great bidding?

What do you think about Macduff refusing

to come when requested?

LADY MACBETH

Did you send to him, sir?

Did you ask for him, sir?

MACBETH

I hear it by the way; but I will send:

There's not a one of them but in his house

I keep a servant fee'd. I will to-morrow,

And betimes I will, to the weird sisters:

More shall they speak; for now I am bent to know,

By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good,

All causes shall give way: I am in blood

Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,

Returning were as tedious as go o'er:

Strange things I have in head, that will to hand;

Which must be acted ere they may be scann'd.

I hear it through the grapevine, but I will send for him.

All of them have a servant in their house who is paid by me.

I will go tomorrow, early in the morning, to talk to the witches.

I will ask them to tell me more, for now I am determined to know

what the worst will be in the worst way. I have stepped in blood

so deep that even if I were to kill no more, not to do so

would be just as difficult. I have strange things in my head

that I want to make happen. I must act on them before I

think about them too much.

LADY MACBETH

You lack the season of all natures, sleep.

You should get some sleep.

MACBETH

Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse

Is the initiate fear that wants hard use:

We are yet but young in deed.

Come, let’s get some sleep.

My strange hallucinations are due to my fear.

We are new to committing such crimes.

Exeunt

A Heath

Thunder. Enter the three Witches meeting HECATE

First Witch

Why, how now, Hecate! you look angerly.

How are you, Hecate! You look angry.

HECATE

Have I not reason, beldams as you are,

Saucy and overbold? How did you dare

To trade and traffic with Macbeth

In riddles and affairs of death;

And I, the mistress of your charms,

The close contriver of all harms,

Was never call'd to bear my part,

Or show the glory of our art?

And, which is worse, all you have done

Hath been but for a wayward son,

Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do,

Loves for his own ends, not for you.

But make amends now: get you gone,

And at the pit of Acheron

Meet me i' the morning: thither he

Will come to know his destiny:

Your vessels and your spells provide,

Your charms and every thing beside.

I am for the air; this night I'll spend

Unto a dismal and a fatal end:

Great business must be wrought ere noon:

Upon the corner of the moon

There hangs a vaporous drop profound;

I'll catch it ere it come to ground:

And that distill'd by magic sleights

Shall raise such artificial sprites

As by the strength of their illusion

Shall draw him on to his confusion:

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear

He hopes 'bove wisdom, grace and fear:

And you all know, security

Is mortals' chiefest enemy.

I have reason to be angry, you old hags!

You were disobedient and bold.

How dare you deal Macbeth

riddles and matters about death.

And you never consulted me,

the mistress of your charms and

contriver of all harms. You never

even asked my advice. And, even

worse, all you have done

was for a man who is full of spite

and anger and greed. But you can make

it better now. Go away now, and meet

me in the morning at the pit in the river

Acheron. Macbeth will come there

to learn his destiny. Bring your vessels

and your spells and your charms and

everything else. I’m going to fly.

I’ll spend the night figuring out a dismal

and fatal end. Many things need to be done

before noon. On the corner of the moon hangs

a profound drop of vapor. I will catch it

before it can hit the ground and distill it

with magic deceptions. It will raise such unreal

ghosts that the mere power of their illusion

will draw Macbeth on toward confusion.

He will scorn fate and death and believe

he is above wisdom, grace and fear.

And, as you know, too much confidence

is the enemy of man.

Music and a song within: 'Come away, come away,' & c

Hark! I am call'd; my little spirit, see,

Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.

Listen! I am being called. I see my little spirit

sitting in a foggy cloud, waiting for me.

Exit

First Witch

Come, let's make haste; she'll soon be back again.

C’mon, let’s hurry. She’ll be back again soon.

Exeunt

Forres. The Palace.

Enter LENNOX and another Lord

LENNOX

My former speeches have but hit your thoughts,

Which can interpret further: only, I say,

Things have been strangely borne. The

gracious Duncan

Was pitied of Macbeth: marry, he was dead:

And the right-valiant Banquo walk'd too late;

Whom, you may say, if't please you, Fleance kill'd,

For Fleance fled: men must not walk too late.

Who cannot want the thought how monstrous

It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain

To kill their gracious father? damned fact!

How it did grieve Macbeth! did he not straight

In pious rage the two delinquents tear,

That were the slaves of drink and thralls of sleep?

Was not that nobly done? Ay, and wisely too;

For 'twould have anger'd any heart alive

To hear the men deny't. So that, I say,

He has borne all things well: and I do think

That had he Duncan's sons under his key--

As, an't please heaven, he shall not--they

should find

What 'twere to kill a father; so should Fleance.

But, peace! for from broad words and 'cause he fail'd

His presence at the tyrant's feast, I hear

Macduff lives in disgrace: sir, can you tell

Where he bestows himself?

The things I’ve said have been similar to what you’ve

been thinking, and you can figure out what it means.

I’m just saying things have played out strangely.

The gracious Duncan was pitied by Macbeth,

but—keep in mind—it was after he was dead.

The highly noble Banquo was out walking too late.

If you’d like, you could say Fleance killed him,

since Fleance fled: men must not walk too late!

Who cannot wonder at how shockingly wrong

it was for Malcolm and Donalbain to kill

their gracious father? Such a damned act!

It caused Macbeth so much grief! So much

that he had to fly into an exaggerated rage and kill

the drunken and sleepy guards. Wasn’t that good

of him? Yes, and wise of him, too. It would

have angered anyone to hear the men deny it.

It looks like he has handled things well.

I think that if he had Duncan’s sons locked up—

and it’s a good thing he does not—they

would find out what was the punishment

for killing a father, and so would Fleance.

But, enough about that! I hear Macduff lives in disgrace

because he speaks his mind and failed to show up

at Macbeth’s dinner. Sir, can you tell me

where he is keeping himself?

Lord

The son of Duncan,

From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth

Lives in the English court, and is received