The Lover

VOLUME IV BOOK VI

MACBETH

By William Shakespeare

Dramatis Personae

DUNCAN king of Scotland. MALCOLM DONALBAIN his sons.

A Soldier. (SOLDIER) A Porter. (PORTER) An Old Man. (OLD MAN) LADY MACBETH. LADY MACDUFF.

MACBETH BANQUO

generals of the king’s army.

Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth. (GENTLEWOMAN) HECATE.

MACDUFF LENNOX ROSS MENTEITH ANGUS CAITHNESS FLEANCE sonto Banquo. SIWARD Earl of Northumberland, general of the English forces. YOUNG SIWARD his son. SEYTON an officer attending on Macbeth. Boy, son to Macduff. (SON) An English Doctor. (DOCTOR) A Scotch Doctor. (DOCTOR) noblemen of Scotland.

FIRST WITCH SECOND WITCH THIRD WITCH Three Witches.

FIRST APPARITION SECOND APPARITION THIRD APPARITION Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers,Attendants, and Messengers. (LORD), (SERGEANT), (SERVANT) (FIRST MURDERER) (SECOND MURDERER) (THIRD MURDERER) (MESSENGER) Apparitions.

SCENE

Scotland England.

MACBETH

ACT I
SCENE I A desert place. [Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches]
When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
FIRST WITCH SECOND WITCH When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lostand won. THIRD WITCH FIRST WITCH

This is the sergeant Who like a good and hardy soldier fought ’Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil As thou didst leave it.
MALCOLM

That will be ere the set of sun. Where the place? Upon the heath.

SECOND WITCH THIRD WITCH FIRST WITCH

There to meet with Macbeth. I come, Graymalkin! Paddock calls.

SECONDWITCH THIRD WITCH ALL

Anon.

Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Doubtful it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald— Worthy to be a rebel, for to that The multiplying villanies of nature Do swarm upon him—from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; And fortune, on his damnedquarrel smiling, Show’d like a rebel’s whore: but all’s too weak: For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps, And fix’d his head upon our battlements.SERGEANT DUNCAN

O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!

[Exeunt] SCENE II A camp near Forres. [Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant]
What bloody man is that? He can report, As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state.
DUNCAN

As whence the sun ’gins his reflection Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,So from that spring whence comfort seem’d to come Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark: No sooner justice had with valour arm’d Compell’d these skipping kerns to trust their heels, But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage, With furbish’d arms and new supplies of men Began a fresh assault.
SERGEANT

Dismay’d not this Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
DUNCAN

Volume III Book VI

5Macbeth: ACT I
SERGEANT

Yes; As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were 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.
DUNCAN

DUNCAN

What he hath lost noble Macbeth hathwon.

[Exeunt] SCENE III A heath near Forres. [Thunder. Enter the three Witches]
FIRST WITCH

Where hast thou been, sister? Killing swine.

So well thy words become thee as thy wounds; They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.

SECOND WITCH THIRD WITCH FIRST WITCH

Sister, where thou?

[Exit Sergeant, attended]
Who comes here?

[Enter ROSS]
MALCOLM

The worthy thane of...