1 Witch. He will not be commanded: Here's | Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first:- More potent than the first. Thunder. An Apparition of a bloody Child rises. thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure, That rises like the issue of a king; All. Macb. [Descends. Rebellious head, rise never, till the wood 1 All. Seek to know no more. Macb. I will be satisfied: deny me this, And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know:-Why sinks that cauldron ? and what noise" is this? [Hautboys. 1 Witch. Show! 2 Witch. Show! 3 Witch. Show! All. Show his eyes, and grieve his heart; Come like shadows, so depart. Eight Kings appear, and pass over the Stage in order; the last with a Glass in his Hand; BANQuo following. Mach. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs :-And thy hair, 1 'Had I three ears, I'd hear thee.' This singular expression probably means no more than I will listen to thee with all attention." 2 For none of woman born shall harm Macbeth." So Holinshed: And surely hereupon he had put Macduff to death, but that a certeine witch, whom he had in great trust, had told him, that he should never be slaine with man borne of anie woman, nor vanquished till the wood of Bernane came to the castle of Dunsinane. This prophecy put all fear out of his heart. 3 The round is that part of a crown which encircles the head: the top is the ornament which rises above it. 4 The present accent of Dunsinane is right. In every subsequent instance the accent is misplaced. 5. e. command it to serve him like a soldier impressed. 6 Rebellious head. The old copy reads dead; the emendation is Theobald's. eyes! What! will the line stretch out to the crack of doom ?? 10 Another yet?-A seventh ?--I'll see no more:- Music. The Witches dance, and vanish. Macb. Where are they? Gone ?---Let this per nicious hour Stand aye accursed in the calendar!- No, indeed, my lord. Macb. Infected be the air whereon they ride; And damn'd all those that trust them!---I did hear The galloping of horse: Who was't came by? Len. 'Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word, Macduff is fled to England. Macb. Fled to England? Len. Ay, my good lord. The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done: The castle of Macduff I will surprise; Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword This deed I'll do, before this purpose cool: said they do answer either by voice, or else set before their eyes in glasses, chrystal stones, &c. the pictures or images of the persons or things sought for.: 11 That twofold balls and treble sceptres carry.' This was intended as a compliment to James the First: he first united the two islands and the three kingdoms under one head, whose house too was said to be descended from Banquo, who is therefore represented not only as innocent, but as a noble character; whereas, according to history, he was confederate with Macbeth in the murder of Duncan. 12 In Warwickshire, when a horse, sheep, or other animal, perspires much, and any of the hair or wool, in consequence of such perspiration, or any redundant humour, becomes matted into tufts with grime and sweat, he is said to be boltered; and whenever the blood issues out and coagulates, forming the locks into hard clotted bunches, the beast is said to be blood-boltered. When a 7 Noise in our old poets is often literally synony-boy has a broken head, so that his hair is matted togemous for music. 8 Show his eyes, and grieve his heart. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart-1 Samuel, ii. 33. 9 i. e. the dissolution of nature. were formerly synonymous. Crack and crash 10 This method of juggling prophecy is referred to in Measure for Measure, Act ii. Sc. 9: and like a prophet Looks in a glass, and shows me future evils. In an extract from the Penal Laws against witches, it is ther with blood, his head is said to be boltered [pronounced baltered.] The word baltereth is used in this sense by Philemon Holland in his Translation of Pliny's Natural History, 1601, b. xii. c. xvii. p. 370. It is there. fore applicable to Banquo, who had twenty trenched gashes on his head.' 13 i. e. spirits. It should seem that spirits was almost always pronounced sprights or sprites by Shakspeare's contemporaries. 14 Antique was the old spelling for antic. 15 i.e. preventest them, by taking away the opportunity 16 i. e. follow, succeed in it. But no more sights!---Where are these gentlemen? | Come, bring me where they are. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Fife. A Room in Macduff's Castle. Enter LADY MACDUFF, her Son, and Rosse. L. Macd. What had he done, to make him fly the land? Rosse. You must have patience, madam. L. Macd. He had none; His flight was madness: When our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors.1 Rosse. You know not, Whether it was his wisdom, or his fear. L. Mach. Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his babes, His mansion, and his titles, in a place Her young ones in her nest, against the owl. My dearest coz', I pray you, school yourself: But, for your husband, But cruel are the times, when we are traitors, Each way, and move.---I take my leave of you: L. Macd. Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherless. The pit-fall, nor the gin. Son. Why should I, mother? Poor birds they are not set for. My father is not dead, for all your saying. Son. And must they all be hanged, that swear and lie? Son. Who must hang them? L. Macd. Why, the honest men. Son. Then the liars and swearers are fools: for there are liars and swearers enough to beat the honest men, and hang up them. L. Macd. Now, God help thee, poor monkey! But how wilt thou do for a father? Son. If he were dead, you'd weep for him: f you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father. L. Macd. Poor prattler! how thou talk'st. Mess. Bless you, fair dame! I am not to you Though in your state of honour I am perfect. I dare abide no longer. L. Macd. [Exit Messerger Whither should I fly But I remember now I have done no harm. Run away, I pray you. He has killed me, mother; [Exit LADY MACDUFF, crying murde, and pursued by the Murderers. SCENE III. England: A Room in the King's Palace. Enter MALCOLM and MACDUFF. Mal. Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there L. Macd. Yes, he is dead; how wilt thou do for Weep our sad bosoms empty. a father? Son. Nay, how will you do for a husband? L. Macd. Why, I can buy me twenty at any market. Son. Then you'll buy 'em to sell again. Let us rather Macd. L. Macd. Thou speak'st with all thy wit; and As if it felt with Scotland, and yell'd out yet i' faith, With wit enough for thee. Son. Was my father a traitor, mother? L. Macd. Ay, that he was. Son. What is a traitor? L. Macd. Why, one that swears and lies. L. Macd. Every one that does so, is a traitor, and must be hanged. Like syllable of dolour. 5 Sirrah was not in our author's time a term of reproach, but sometimes used by masters to servants, pa 1Our fears do make us traitors. Our flight is con- rents to children, &c. sidered as evidence of our treason. 2 Natural touch, natural affection. 3 The fits o' the season should appear to be the violent disorders of the season, its convulsions: as we still say figuratively the temper of the times. 6 i. e. I am perfectly acquainted with your rank. 7 Shag-ear'd villain." It has been suggested th we should read shag-hair'd, an abusive epithet freque in our old plays. Hair being formerly spelt heart, thô corruption would easily arise. 4 The best I can make of this passage is,' says Stee- 8 This scene is almost literally taken from H vens: The times are cruel when our fears induce us shed's Chronicle, which is in this part an abr to believe, or take for granted, what we hear rumoured of the chronicle of Hector Boece, as translated by t or reported abroad; and yet at the same time, as we Bellenden. From the recent reprints of both the Sc live under a tyrannical government, where will is sub-tish and English chroniclers, quotations from them be stituted for law, we know not what we have to fear, become the less necessary; they are now accessible e cause we know not when we offend. Or, when we reader curious in tracing the poet to his sources of are led by our fears to believe every rumour of danger formation. we hear, yet are not conscious to ourselves of any crime for which we should be disturbed with fears.' 9 Birthdom, for the place of our birth, our native land. 10 i. e. befriend. He hath not touch'd you yet. I am young; but | The cistern of my lust; and my desire something You may deserve of him through me; and wisdom Macd. I am not treacherous. But Macbeth is. A good and virtuous nature may recoil, In an imperial charge. But I shall crave your pardon; That which you are, my thoughts cannot transpose: Yet grace must still look so." Why in that rawness left you wife and child, Macd. Bleed, bleed, poor country! Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, For goodness dares not check thee!-wear thou thy wrongs; I speak not as in absolute fear of you. What should he be? Macd. state Not in the legions Of horrid hell, can come a devil more damn'd Mal. 1 You may deserve of him through ine.' The old copy reads discerne. The emendation was made by Theobald. In the subsequent part of the line something is wanted to complete the sense. There is no verb to which wisdom can refer. Steevens conjectured that the line might originally have run thus :but something 2 You may deserve through me; and wisdom is it A good and virtuous nature may recoil A good mind may recede from goodness in the execution of a royal commission. 3 This is not very clear. Johnson has thus attempted to explain it: 'My suspicions cannot injure you, if you be virtuous, by supposing that a traitor may put on your virtuous appearance.. I do not say that your virtuous appearance proves you a traitor; for virtue must wear its proper form, though that form be counterfeited by villainy. 4 To affeer is a law term, signifying to assess or reduce to certainty. The meaning therefore may be :'The title is confirmed to the usurper. My interpretation of the passage is this: Bleed, bleed, All continent impediments would o'erbear, Macd. Boundless intemperance In nature is a tyranny; it hath been Mal. With this, there grows, In my most ill-compos'd affection, such Of Macd. your mere own: All these are portable,10 With other graces weigh'd. Mal. But I have none: The king-becoming graces, As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, Acting in many ways. Nay, had I power, I should No, not to live.-O nation miserable, With an untitled' tyrant bloody-sceptred, Mal. Macduff, this noble passion, Child of integrity, hath from my soul Wip'd the black scruples, reconcil'd my thoughts poor country! Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, for goodness dares not check thee! Then addressing Malcolm, Macduff says, Wear thou thy wrongs,--the title to thy crown is now confirmed-' to the usurper, he would probably have added, but that he interrupts himself with angry impatience, at being suspected of traitorous double-dealing. 6 Luxurious, lascivious. 7 Sudden, passionate. 8 Sir W. Blackstone proposed to read summer-seeding, which was adopted by Steevens: but there appears no reason for change. The meaning of the epithet may be, 'Just as hot as summer. In Donue's Poems, Malone has pointed out its opposite-winter-seeming. 9 Foysons, plenty. 10 Portable answers exactly to a phrase now in use. 'Right so betwix a titleles tiraunt 12 Died every day she lived.' The expression is derived from the Sacred Writings:-I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus, I die daily. To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth No less in truth, than life: my first false speaking [Exit. M. What's the disease he means? 'Tis call'd the evil: The healing benediction. With this strange virtue, Enter ROSSE. Macd. move Sir, Amen. The means that make us strangers! 1 Credulous haste, overhasty credulity. 2 i. c. overcomes it. We have before seen this word used in the same Latin sense, Act i. Sc. 7, of this play. To convince or convicte, to vanquish and overcome. Erinco.'-Baret. 3 A golden stamp, the coin called an angel; the va lue of which was ten shillings. 4 To rent is an ancient verb, which has been long disused,' say the editors: in other words it is the old orthography of the verb to rend, 5 It has been before observed that Shakspeare uses ecstasy for every species of alienation of mind, whether proceeding from sorrow, joy, wonder, or any other exciting cause. Modern is generally used by him in the sense of common. A modern ecstasy is therefore a common grief. 6 Thus in Antony and Cleopatra :- 7 To doff is to do off, to put off. 8 To latch (in the North) signifies the same as to Macd. The tyrant has not batter'd at their peace? Rosse. No; they were well at peace, when I ad leave them. Macd. Be not a niggard of your speech; How goes it? Rosse. When I came hither to transport the tid ings, Which I have heavily borne, there ran a rumour Be it their comfort, Rosse. 'Would, I could answer This comfort with the like! But I have words, That would be howl'd out in the desert air, Where hearing should not latch them. Macd. What concern they? The general cause? or is it a fee-grief," Rosse. No mind, that's honest, Macd. Keep it not from me, quickly let me have it. teeth hir latch. 9 Or is it a fee-grief,' a peculiar sorrow, a grief that hath but a single owner. 10 Quarry, the game after it is killed: it is a term used both in hunting and falconry. The old Engleh term querre is used for the square spot wherein the dead game was deposited. Quarry is also used for the game pursued. 11 Cura leves loquuntur, ingentes stupent, 'Light sorrows often speake, Greene's Tragical History of Faire Bellora SCENE I. Dunsinane. A Room in the Castle. Enter a Doctor of Physic, and a Waiting Gentlewoman. Doct. I have two nights watched with you, but can perceive no truth in your report. When was it she last walked? Gent. Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon it, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep. Doct. A great perturbation in nature! to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching. In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actual performances, what, at any time, have you heard her say? Gent. That, sir, which I will not report after her. Doct. You may, to me; and 'tis most meet you should. Gent. Neither to you, nor any one; having no witness to confirm my speech. 1 At one fell swoop. Swoop, from the verb to swoop or sweep, is the descent of a bird of prey on his quarry 2 i. e. contend with your present sorrow like a man. 3 All intermission, all pause, all intervening time. 4 The old copy reads time. The emendation is Rowe's 5 i. e encourage, thrust us their instruments forward against the tyrant. 6Ay, but their sense is shut. The old copy reads Ay, but their sense are shut. Malone has quoted other instances of the same inaccurate grammar, according to modern notions, from Julius Cæsar : Doct. How came sne by that light? Gent. Why, it stood by her: she has light by her continually; 'tis her command. Doct. You see her eyes are open. Gent. Ay, but their sense is shut. Doct. What is it she does now? Look, how she rubs her hands. Gent. It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands; I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour. Lady M. Yet here's a spot. Doct. Hark, she speaks: I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my remembrance the more strongly. Lady M. Out, damned spot! out, I say!-One: Two: Why, then 'tis time to do't:-Hell is murky !-Fye, my lord, fye! a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account ?-Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? Doct. Do you mark that? Lady M. The thane of Fife had a wife: Where is she now ?- -What, will these hands ne'er be clean ?-No more o' that, my lord, no more o'that: you mar all with this starting," Doct. Go to, go to: you have known what you should not. Gent. She has spoke what she should not, I am sure of that: Heaven knows what she has known. Lady M. Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh! oh! Doct. What a sigh is there! The heart is sorely charged. Gent. I would not nave such a heart in my bosoin, for all the dignity of the whole body. Doct. Well, well, well, Gent. 'Pray God, it be, sir. Doct. This disease is beyond my practice: Yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep, who have died holily in their beds. Lady M. Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale:-I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out of his grave.. Doct. Even so? Lady M. To bed, to bed; there's knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand; What's done, cannot be undone: To bed, to bed, to bed. [Exit LADY MACBETH. Doct. Will she go now to bed? Gent. Directly. Doct. Foul whisperings are abroad; Unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles: Infected minds 9 In so profound abysm I throw all care 7 Lady Macbeth, in her dream, imagines herself talk. ing to her husband, who (she supposes) had just said Hell is murky (i. e. hell is a disinal place to go to ia consequence of such a dead,) and repeats his words in contempt of his cowardice. Hellis marky!-Fye, my lord, fye! a soldier, and afeard? This explanation 13 by Steevens, and appears to me very judicions. 8 You mar all with this starting? She is here again alluding to the terrors of Macbeth when the Ghort broke in on the festivity of the banquet. The posture of his blows are yet unknown.' 9 My mind she has mated. Mated, or amated, And from the hundred and twelfth Sonnet of Shak-from matte, old French, signified to overcome, conspeare: found, dismay, or make afraid. |