ACT 3 SCENE 1

BANQUO
You have it now: you’re King, the Thane of Cawdor, and the Thane of Glamis, just as the witches promised. And I
fear that you used foul play to get it. But the witches also promised that your descendants would not be kings, and
that my descendants would form a line of kings instead. If the witches do tell the truth—and what they told you,
Macbeth, was brilliantly true—then maybe their prophecies about me are true as well. But now I must be quiet.
A trumpet sounds. MACBETH enters dressed as king, and LADY MACBETH enters dressed as queen, together with
LENNOX, ROSS, LORDS, LADIES, and attendants.
MACBETH
Here’s our most important guest, Banquo.
LADY MACBETH
If we had forgotten to invite him it would have been entirely inappropriate, and our celebratory feast would be
incomplete.
MACBETH
[To BANQUO] Tonight we’re having a ceremonial feast, and I formally request that you attend.
BANQUO
I am always bound by duty to obey whatever your Highness commands me to do.
MACBETH
Do you plant to go riding this afternoon?
BANQUO
Yes, my good lord.
MACBETH
If you had you been here, we would have wanted your advice—which is always wise and profitable—at the council
meeting earlier today. But we’ll settle for tomorrow. Will you be riding far?
BANQUO
Far enough that the trip will take me from now until dinner, my lord. Unless my horse goes faster than I expect, I’ll be
riding in the dark for an hour or two after sunset.
MACBETH
Do not miss our feast.
BANQUO
I won’t, my lord.
MACBETH
We hear that the murderous princes have gone to England and Ireland. They haven’t confessed to cruelly murdering
their father, and they’ve been telling strange lies to anyone who will listen. But we’ll discuss that tomorrow, as well as
other matters of state that are important to us both. Go hurry to your horse. I’ll see you when you return tonight. Is
Fleance going with you?
BANQUO
Yes, my good lord. It’s time we got going.
MACBETH.
May your horses be fast and surefooted. With that wish, I send you to your horseback riding. Farewell.
BANQUO exits.
MACBETH
All of you can do what you want until seven o’clock tonight. To make the evening all the more enjoyable, I’m going to
spend the time until dinner alone. Until then, God be with you!
Everyone exits except MACBETH and a SERVANT.
MACBETH
[To the SERVANT] Sir, a word with you. Are those men waiting for my instructions?
SERVANT
They are, my lord. They’re outside the palace gate.
MACBETH
Bring them in to see me.
The SERVANT exits.
MACBETH
If my position isn’t safe, then being king is worthless. I’m deeply afraid of Banquo—he has a natural nobility about him
that makes him a threat to me. He’s a risk-taker, and yet in addition to his unbreakable courage, he also has the
wisdom to act with care and forethought. He’s the only one I fear. In his presence, my guardian spirit is intimidated,
just as they say Mark Antony’s spirit was intimidated by Octavius Caesar. When the witches first said I would be
king, Banquo scolded them, and told them to speak with him. Then, like prophets, they said his descendants would
form a line of kings. The witches put a crown on my head and a scepter in my hand, but then said that I would never
pass them on. My crown and scepter will be taken from me by someone from outside my family. No son of mine will
succeed me as king. If what the witches say is true, then everything I’ve done has been for the benefit of Banquo’s
children—dishonoring myself, murdering gracious Duncan, destroying my peace of mind, all for them. I’ve given my
eternal soul to the devil so that they could become kings. Banquo’s sons, kings! Rather than let that happen, I’ll invite
fate to come into the battleground and fight it to the death. Who’s there?
The SERVANT enters along with two MURDERERS.
MACBETH
[To the SERVANT] Now go to the door and stay there until I call you.
The SERVANT exits.
MACBETH
Wasn’t it yesterday that we last spoke?
FIRST MURDERER
It was, your Highness.
MACBETH
So then, have you thought about what I said? You must know that it was Banquo who made your lives so miserable
for so long. You thought I did it, but I was innocent. I told you all about it when we last met and showed you proof—
how you were tricked and deceived by the agents who did the dirty work, and who they were working with, and
enough other details that even a half-wit would say “Banquo did it!”
FIRST MURDERER
You made it known to us.
MACBETH
I did that and more. Which leads me to the point of this second meeting. Is your nature so forgiving that you don’t feel
the need for revenge? Are you so religious that you’d pray for this “good” man and his children, when he’s forced you
into an early grave and made your entire family beggars?
FIRST MURDERER
We are men, my lord.
MACBETH
Yes, you’re part of the species called men. Just as hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, mutts, shaggy
lapdogs, shaggy water-dogs, and half-wolves are all dogs. But you can distinguish which of these dogs are fast, slow,
or clever; which are watchdogs, and which ones hunters. You can describe each dog based on the natural gifts that
separate and make it different from the general qualities that define a dog. It’s the same with men. Now, if you stand
in the list of men in some position that isn’t down at the very bottom rank, say so. Because then I will tell you a secret
plan that will get rid of your enemy and bring you closer to me. As long as a certain man lives, I am sick. His death
would cure me.
SECOND MURDERER
My lord, I'm a man who has gotten so angry from the beatings that the world has given me, that I don’t care what I do.
FIRST MURDERER
I’m also so sick of bad luck and being at the mercy of fate that I’d risk everything for a chance to either fix my life or
end it.
MACBETH
Both of you know Banquo was your enemy.
BOTH MURDERERS
Yes, my lord.
MACBETH
He’s also mine, and to such a degree that every minute he’s alive threatens my own well-being. Though, as King, I
could just use my raw power to destroy him, I can’t do that because we have mutual friends whom I need. I have to
be able to grieve and cry over his death, even though I am the one who will have him killed. So that’s why I have
come to you asking for your help. I have to hide my real plans from the public eye for a variety of important reasons.
SECOND MURDERER
We’ll do what you command, my lord.
FIRST MURDERER
Though our lives—
MACBETH
Your resolve shines in your eyes. Within the hour, I’ll tell you where to go, and advise you about exactly when to
strike. Because it must be done tonight, some distance from the palace. Always keep in mind that I must be free from
suspicion. For the job to be done right, you must kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance, who is with him. Fleance—
whose absence is as important to me as his father’s—must also die during that dark hour. Each of you should decide
for himself whether you will do this. I’ll come to you soon.
BOTH MURDERERS
We will do it, my lord.
MACBETH
I’ll call for you soon. Wait for me in the other room.
The MURDERERS exit.
MACBETH
It’s settled, then. Banquo, tonight is when your soul will learn whether it’s going to heaven or to hell.
He exits.

ACT 3 SCENE 2
LADY MACBETH
Has Banquo left the castle?
SERVANT
Yes, madam, but he’ll return tonight.
LADY MACBETH
Tell the king that I’d like to speak with him when he has a moment.
SERVANT
I will, madam.
The SERVANT exits.
The SERVANT exits.
LADY MACBETH
When you get what you want but have no peace of mind, then you’ve gotten nothing, and
spent everything. It’s better to be the person who was murdered than to be the murderer
and have to live with doubt and anxiety.
MACBETH enters.
LADY MACBETH
How are you, my lord? Why do you keep to yourself, with only your sad thoughts for
company? Those sad thoughts should have died along with the men you're thinking
about. You should not think about things you can’t change. What’s done is done.
MACBETH
We have merely slashed the snake, not killed it. The snake will heal and we’ll once more be
threatened by its fangs. But let the universe fall apart, and heaven and earth collapse,
before I eat my meals in fear or spend my nights troubled by the nightmares I've been
having. It's better to be dead—like the one whom we sent to eternal peace in order to gain
our own peace of mind—than be tortured by nightmares and anxiety. Duncan is in his
grave, no longer troubled by life, and sleeping well. Our treason has put him beyond reach
of any other pain or hurt, whether from steel, poison, rebellion, invasion, or anything else.
LADY MACBETH
Come on, my noble lord. Hide your troubled thoughts behind a happy face. Be friendly and
cheerful with your guests tonight.

MACBETH
I will, my love. And I hope you’ll do the same. Pay particular attention to Banquo. Speak to
him and look at him so that he feels proud and important. We’re unsafe as long as we have
to flatter him, hiding our true feelings behind a friendly face.
LADY MACBETH
You must stop thinking like this.
MACBETH
Oh! My mind is full of scorpions, dear wife! You know that Banquo and his son Fleance are
still alive.
LADY MACBETH
But they won’t live forever.
MACBETH
That’s a comfort. They can be killed. So be joyful. Before the bat flies in the darkness, and
before the beetle obeys the summons of Hecate—and with his droning hum announces the
arrival of night—a dreadful deed will be done.
LADY MACBETH
What will be done?
MACBETH
My dearest one, you’re better off not knowing about it until you can celebrate the finished
deed. Come, night, and blindfold the kindhearted day. Then with your bloody and invisible
hand, destroy Banquo’s hold on life—which keeps me fearful. The sky darkens, and the
crow flies home to roost in the forest. The gentle creatures of the day fall asleep, while
night’s predators wake to hunt for prey.

[To LADY MACBETH] You are shocked by my words, but you shouldn’t be. Things
accomplished through bad deeds can only grow stronger through more bad deeds. So,
please, come with me.

ACT3 SCENE 3
Three MURDERERS enter.
FIRST MURDERER
But who told you to come here and join us?
THIRD MURDERER
Macbeth.
SECOND MURDERER
We can trust him, since he’s stated his instructions and they are identical to the ones that
we were given.
FIRST MURDERER
.
Then stay with us. The western sky is still lit with streaks of daylight. Now all the late
travelers are hurrying to reach their inns, and the one we were sent to watch for should be
coming near.
THIRD MURDERER
Listen! I hear horses.
BANQUO
[within] Give us a light there, ho!

[Offstage] Hey, give us some light!

SECOND MURDERER
That is him. All of the other expected guests are already inside the castle.
FIRST MURDERER

You can hear his horses being taken to the stables.

THIRD MURDERER
It’s almost a mile to the castle gate. But Banquo, like everybody else, usually walks from
here.
BANQUO and FLEANCE enter with a torch.
SECOND MURDERER
Here comes a light! A light!
THIRD MURDERER
It’s him.
FIRST MURDERER
Get ready.
BANQUO
It will rain tonight.
FIRST MURDERER
Then let it rain.
The MURDERERS attack BANQUO.
BANQUO
Oh, treachery! Run, good Fleance, run, run, run! Maybe one day you can get revenge.

[To one of the MURDERERS] Oh, you villain!

BANQUO dies. FLEANCE escapes.
THIRD MURDERER
Who put out the light?
FIRSTMURDERER
Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do?
THIRD MURDERER
But there’s only one body here. The son escaped.
SECOND MURDERER
We failed half of our mission.
FIRST MURDERER
Well, let’s get out of here and tell Macbeth what we managed to do.
They exit.
ACT 3 SCENE 4
MACBETH
You know your own ranks, so you know where to sit according to your order of importance.
To both the highest and lowest of you, I bid you a hearty welcome.
The LORDS sit.
LORDS
Thank you, your Majesty.
MACBETH
I will mingle with all of you, playing the humble host. My wife, the hostess, will stay on her
royal throne, but in good time I will ask her to welcome you all.
LADY MACBETH
Sir, deliver my welcome to all of our friends for me, since they are all welcome in my heart.
The lords cheer. The FIRST MURDERER appears and catches Macbeth’s attention.

MACBETH
See, they respond to you with their hearts as well. The table is full on both sides. I’ll sit here
in the middle. Be happy. Soon we’ll have a toast to the full table.

[To the FIRST MURDERER so that only he can hear] There’s blood on your face.
FIRST MURDERER
It’s Banquo’s blood then.
MACBETH
It’s better that you have his blood on your face than Banquo having his lifeblood still
coursing in his veins. Is he dead?
FIRST MURDERER
My lord, his throat is cut. I did that for him.
MACBETH
You are the best of the cutthroats. But whoever did the same to Fleance is just as good. If
you cut Fleance’s throat, then you are a cutthroat without compare.
FIRST MURDERER
Most royal sir, Fleance has escaped.
MACBETH
Now my torment returns. Otherwise, I would have been perfect: solid as a piece of marble,
as firm as a rock, as free as the air which surrounds everything. But now I’m all confined
and bound in doubts and fears. But Banquo’s been killed?
FIRST MURDERER
Yes, my good lord. He’s lying in a ditch, with twenty deep gashes in his head—the least of
which would have been enough to kill him.
MACBETH
Thanks for that. The adult serpent lies in the ditch. The young worm that escaped will in
time become poisonous. But right now he has no fangs. Be gone now. I’ll talk to you again
tomorrow.
The FIRST MURDERER exits.
LADY MACBETH
My royal lord, you’re not entertaining the guests. If you do not regularly make clear that your
guests are welcome, they’ll start to feel as if they’re paying for their meal. If you simply want
to eat, it’s best to do that at home. When you’re eating out, you need some ceremony to act
as an extra sauce for the meat. Without it, the party will be dull.
MACBETH
Thank you for reminding me! [Raising a glass] Good digestion requires a good appetite, and
good health requires both those things. To good appetite, good digestion, and good health!
LENNOX
Please sit, your Highness.
The GHOST OF BANQUO enters and sits in MACBETH’s place.
MACBETH
All the nobility of Scotland would be gathered under one roof, if only the noble Banquo were
also here. I hope I can scold him for rudeness, and not have to grieve because something
has happened to him.
ROSS
His absence means only that he’s broken his promise to attend. If it pleases you, your
Highness, won’t you sit and grace us with your royal company?
MACBETH
The table’s full.
LENNOX
Here’s a place saved for you, sir.
MACBETH
Where?
LENNOX
[Pointing to where the GHOST sits] Here, my good lord. What’s bothering you, your
highness?
MACBETH
[Seeing the GHOST] Which one of you did this?
LORDS
What, my good lord?

Did what, my good lord?

MACBETH
[To the GHOST] You can’t say I did it. Don’t shake your bloody head at me.
ROSS
Gentlemen, stand up. His Highness is not well.
LADY MACBETH
Sit, noble friends. My husband is often like this, and has been since childhood. Please, stay
seated. This is a momentary fit. He’ll be well again in just a second. If you pay too much
attention to him you’ll offend him, which will prolong the fit. Eat, and pay no attention to him.

[To MACBETH] Are you a man?

MACBETH
Yes, and a brave one, who dares look at something that would frighten the devil.
LADY MACBETH
Oh, utter nonsense! This is a hallucination brought on by fear. This is like the floating
dagger that you said led you to Duncan. This panic attack can’t even be compared to real
fear. It's more like a performance put on by a woman telling a scary story by the fireside in
front of her grandmother. Shame on you! Why are you making such faces? When the
hallucination passes, you’ll see that you’re looking at nothing but a stool.
MACBETH
Please, look there. See? Look!

[To the GHOST] Hey! What do you have to say? And what do I care? If you can nod, then
speak. If the dead are going to return from their graves, then we might as well not bury
anyone and let the birds eat them.
The GHOST vanishes.
LADY MACBETH
What, has your foolishness destroyed your manhood?
MACBETH
As sure as I’m standing here, I saw him.
LADY MACBETH
Nonsense! Shame on you!
MACBETH.
In ancient times—before humane laws cleansed the commonwealth and made it noble—
much blood was shed. Yes, and since then too, murders have been committed that are too
terrible to mention. It used to be that when you knocked a man’s brains out he would die,
and that was the end of it. But now they rise again with twenty fatal wounds on their head
and push us from our stools. This returning from the dead is more strange than the original
murder.
LADY MACBETH
My dear lord, your noble friends miss your company.
MACBETH
I forgot.

[To the lords] Don’t be shocked at my behavior, my most noble friends. I have a strange
condition, which no longer bothers those who know me well. [Raising his glass
again] Come: love and health to you all. Now I’ll sit down. Give me some wine. Fill my cup.
The GHOST OF BANQUO enters.
MACBETH
I drink to the joy of all of you at the table, and to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss. I
wish he were here! To everyone here and to Banquo. Everyone drink to everyone else's
health.
LORDS
We drink to our allegiance to you, and to your toast.
They drink.
MACBETH
[Seeing the GHOST] Go! Get out of my sight! Hide in your grave. Your bones have no
marrow, and your blood is cold. The eyes with which you’re glaring at me have no power of
sight!
LADY MACBETH
Think of this, good friends, as just a strange habit. It’s nothing else. Too bad it’s spoiling our
evening!
MACBETH
I dare as much as any man. Approach me in the form of a rugged Russian bear, an armor-
plated rhinoceros, or a Hyrcan tiger. Take any shape but the one you have, and I won’t
tremble. Or return to life and challenge me to a duel in some deserted place. If I tremble
then, mock me as a little girl's doll. Be gone, horrible ghost! You hallucination, be gone!
The GHOST vanishes.
MACBETH
See, now that it's gone, I’m a man again. Please, remain seated.
LADY MACBETH
You have disrupted our dinner and destroyed everyone’s good cheer with your astonishing
behavior.
MACBETH
[To the guests] Can such things exist—and overcome a person as suddenly as a summer
storm—without making everyone astonished? You make me feel like I don’t know my own
character and courage, when I see you looking at these terrible things without going pale
with fear, while my own face has gone white.
ROSS
What sights, my lord?
LADY MACBETH
[To the guests] Please, don’t speak with him. He’s growing worse and worse. Talking only
exacerbates it. Right now, good night. Don’t worry about leaving in a certain order according
to your rank. Just leave right away.
LENNOX
Good night. I hope better health returns to his Majesty!
LADY MACBETH
A kind good night to all of you!
Everyone leaves except MACBETH and LADY MACBETH.
MACBETH
Blood will lead to blood, as the saying goes. Gravestones have been known to move, trees
to speak, and the jackdaws, crows, and rooks to cackle out the names of even the most
secret murderers.

[To LADY MACBETH] How late is it?

LADY MACBETH
It's almost morning. You can’t tell whether it’s one or the other.
MACBETH
What do you think about the fact that Macduff does refuses to come even should I
command him to?
LADY MACBETH
Did you officially send for him, sir?
MACBETH
I heard about it indirectly, but I will send for him. I have a servant paid to spy for me in every
one of my lords’ households. I will go see the witches tomorrow, early. They will tell me
more, because I’m now determined to know the worst of what is to come. My own interests
are more important than anything else. I have waded so far into this river of blood that even
if I stopped now, it would be as unpleasant to go back as to continue forward. I have some
plans in my head that I must act upon before I have a chance to think carefully about them.
LADY MACBETH
You lack the rest and ease that sleep provides.
MACBETH
Yes, let’s go to sleep. My strange self-delusions just come from inexperience. We’re still
beginners when it comes to bad deeds.
They exit.
ACT 3 SCENE 5
FIRST WITCH
Why, how are you, Hecate? You look angry.
HECATE
Don’t I have a reason to be angry, you hags? How dare you trick Macbeth with riddles and
prophecies without including me—the source of your powers; the creator of all evil things;
and the greatest practitioner of our magic? And, even worse, you’ve done all this for an
unreliable, angry, and spiteful brat. Like all brats, he cares only about what he wants and
not about you. But you can make this better. Get out of here and meet me at the pit
of Acheron, where Macbeth will go to learn his destiny. Bring your cauldrons, your spells,
your charms, and everything else. Now I must fly. I’ll spend the night working to make a
terrible and deadly outcome for him. I have a lot to accomplish before noon. On the corner
of the moon there hangs a droplet, ready to fall. I’ll catch it before it hits the ground. When I
charm the droplet with magic spells, it will raise up fantastic spirits that will trick Macbeth
with illusions, and he'll walk right into his own destruction. He’ll think himself immune to fate;
will mock death; and will think he has no need for wisdom, grace, or fear. As you all know,
overconfidence is mortal man’s worst enemy.
A song play offstage with the lyrics: “Come away, come away.”
HECATE
Listen! I’m being called. Look, there’s my little spirit sitting in a foggy cloud, waiting for me.
HECATE exits.
FIRST WITCH
Come on, let’s hurry. She’ll come back again soon.
They all exit.
ACT 3 SCENE 6
LENNOX
What I said before shows the similarity of our thoughts, and we can draw a few further conclusions. I’m
just saying that strange things have been happening. Macbeth pitied the gracious Duncan—though only
after Duncan was dead. And heroic Banquo went out walking too late at night. I guess, if you like, we can
say that Fleance must have killed him, because Fleance ran from the crime scene. Obviously, men
should not go out walking too late at night. And who can disagree that it was monstrous of Malcolm and
Donalbain to kill their gracious father? A damned act! How it upset Macbeth! Why, in a righteous rage,
didn't he then immediately kill those two servants while they were still drunk and sleeping? Wasn’t that the
noble thing for Macbeth to do? Yes, and wise too, because it would have angered anyone alive to hear
those two servants deny their guilt. So, given all of this, I think Macbeth has handled things well. I do
believe that if Macbeth had Duncan’s sons in custody—which I pray won’t happen—they would learn the
awful the punishment for killing a father. Fleance would learn it too. But enough of that. For I hear that
Macduff, who spoke too plainly and failed to appear when summoned by Macbeth, now lives is now out of
favor with the king. Can you tell me where he’s staying?

LORD
Duncan’s son Malcolm, whose birthright was stolen by Macbeth, lives in England, where the saintly King
Edward treats Malcolm with all due respect—despite all of Malcolm’s misfortunes. Macduff went there to
beg holy King Edward to call Northumberland and the great warrior lord Siward to arms. Macduff hopes
that with their help—and the support of God above—we may once again be able put food on our tables;
escape our sleepless nights; enjoy our feasts and banquets without any violent murders; pay sincere
homage to our king; and receive the honors we are due. We pine for all of that now. Macbeth knows of
Macduff’s mission, and is so angry that he’s preparing for war.
LENNOX
Did Macbeth order Macduff to return?
LORD
He did, but Macduff responded, “Sir, I won’t.” The messenger bearing the command turned his back on
Macduff and hummed, as if to say, “You’ll regret the day you gave me this answer.”
LENNOX
That should be warning enough for Macduff to be cautious and stay away from Scotland and
Macbeth. Some holy angel should fly to the English court and tell Macduff to quickly return to help our
country, which is suffering under a cursed tyrant!
LORD
I’ll send my prayers with him.
They exit.

Act 4, Scene 1
A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron. Thunder. The three WITCHES enter.
FIRST WITCH
The striped cat has meowed three times.
SECOND WITCH
Three times. And the hedgehog has whined once.
THIRD WITCH
My familiar spirit Harpier cries out: “It’s time, it’s time!”
FIRST WITCH
Dance around the cauldron, and throw in the poisoned entrails. This toad—which has slept under a cold
rock, sweating venom for thirty-one days—will be the first to boil in this magic cauldron.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH
A fillet of swamp snake to boil and bake in the cauldron. And a newt’s eye; a frog’s toe; a bat's fur; a dog's
tongue; an adder's forked tongue; a blindworm's venomous tongue; a lizard's leg; and an owl's wing. For
a charm of powerful trouble, boil and bubble like a broth of hell.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
THIRD WITCH
A dragon's scale; a wolf's tooth; a mummified witch; a ravenous shark's gullet and stomach; a root of
hemlock dug up in the dark; a blaspheming Jew's liver; a goat’s gallbladder; twigs of yew taken during a
lunar eclipse; a Turk’s nose; a Tartar’s lips; and the finger of a baby strangled just after a prostitute gave
birth to it in a ditch. Make this potion sticky and thick. And now let’s add a tiger's entrails to the ingredients
in our cauldron.
ALL
Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
SECOND WITCH
We’ll cool the mixture with a baboon’s blood. Then the charm will be done.
HECATE enters with three other WITCHES.
HECATE
Well done! I praise your work, and every one of you will share the rewards. Now, come sing around the
cauldron in a ring like elves and fairies, enchanting everything you put in.
Music plays. The six WITCHES sing a song called “Black Spirits.” HECATE exits.
SECOND WITCH
I can tell by the tingling in my thumbs: something wicked is coming. Open the doors for whoever is
knocking.
MACBETH enters.
MACBETH
What’s going on here, you secret, dark, midnight hags? What is it that you’re doing here?
ALL
Something that has no name.
MACBETH
I command you by the demonic powers you serve to answer my questions, no matter how you come to
know those answers. I don’t care if you unleash violent winds that tear down churches; cause the foaming
waves to rise up and destroy all ships and sailors; flatten crops and trees with storms; make castles fall
down on the heads of their inhabitants; cause palaces and pyramids to topple; or create so much chaos
in nature that destruction gets tired of itself. Just give me answers.
FIRST WITCH
Speak.
SECOND WITCH
Demand.
THIRD WITCH
We’ll answer.
FIRST WITCH’.
Tell us: would you rather hear the answers from our mouths or from our masters’?
MACBETH
Call them. Let me see them.
FIRST WITCH
Pour in the blood of a sow that has eaten her nine offspring. Take the liquefied fat from the corpse of a
murderer hanged on the gallows, and throw it into the flame.
ALL
Come, spirit, high or low. Show yourself and your function.
Thunder. The FIRST APPARITION appears, in the form of a head wearing a helmet.
MACBETH
Tell me, you unknown power—
FIRST WITCH
He knows your thoughts. Listen to what he says, but don’t say a thing.
FIRST APPARITION
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the Thane of Fife. Release me. Enough.
The FIRST APPARITION descends.
MACBETH
Whatever you are, thanks for your good advice. You have described exactly what I feared. But one more
thing—
FIRST WITCH
You can not command him. Here’s another, stronger than the first.
Thunder. The SECOND APPARITION appears, in the form of a bloody child.
SECOND APPARITION
Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
MACBETH
If I had three ears, I’d use all three to listen.
SECOND APPARITION
Be violent, bold, and determined. Mock the strength of other men, because no man born from a woman
will ever harm Macbeth.
The SECOND APPARITION descends.
MACBETH
Then live, Macduff. Why should I fear you? Yet, I’ll make doubly sure and guarantee my fate. You will die,
Macduff, and by killing you I will defeat my fear and always sleep easily.
Thunder. The THIRD APPARITION appears, in the form of a child wearing a crown and holding a tree in
his hand.
MACBETH
What is this spirit that appears like the child of a king, wearing a royal crown on his young head?
ALL
Listen, but do not speak to it.
THIRD APPARITION
Be as courageous and proud as a lion. Don’t worry about who dislikes you, who resents you, and who
conspires against you. Macbeth will never be beaten until Great Birnam Wood comes to fight you at
Dunsinane Hill.
The THIRD APPARITION descends.
MACBETH
That will never happen. Who can command the forest so that the trees lift their roots from the
earth? Sweet prophecies! Good! My murders will never rise until the forest of Birnam rises, and I will live a
full life and die only of old age, as is customary. But my heart still throbs to know one thing. Tell me, if
your dark powers can see it: will Banquo’s sons ever reign in this kingdom?
ALL
Do not try to learn more.
MACBETH
I demand to be satisfied. If you deny me, may an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know. Why is that
cauldron sinking? And what is that sound?
Oboes play music for a ceremonial procession.
FIRST WITCH
Show.
SECOND WITCH
Show.
THIRD WITCH
Show.
ALL
Show him so his heart grieves. Come like shadows and depart as shadows too!
Eight kings parade across the stage, the last one holds a mirror in his hand, followed by BANQUO.
MACBETH
.

[To BANQUO] You look too much like Banquo's ghost. Be gone!

[To the first king] Your crown hurts my eyes.

[To the second king] Your golden hair, which looks itself like a crown, resembles the hair on the first king.
And this third king looks just like the second one.

[To himself] Filthy hags! Why do you show me this? A fourth! My eyes bulge from their sockets! Will this
line of kings stretch on to infinity? Yet another one? And a seventh? I want to see no more. And yet an
eighth appears, holding a mirror in which I see many more kings. And some of those kings carry double
orbs and triple scepters! Horrible sight! Now I see it’s true: blood-splattered Banquo smiles at me and
points at them, identifying them as his descendants.
The spirits of the kings and BANQUO vanish.
MACBETH
What? Is this true?
FIRST WITCH
Yes, it’s all true. But why do you stand there so amazed? Come, sisters, let’s conjure up some spirits and
show him what we can do. I’ll charm the air to make music while you perform your wild dance. Then this
noble king will say that our ceremonies repaid his friendly welcome.
Music plays. The WITCHES dance and then vanish.
MACBETH
Where are they? Gone? Let this evil hour be marked as cursed in the calendar.

[Calling to someone offstage] You outside, come in!

LENNOX enters.
LENNOX
What does your Grace command?
MACBETH
Did you see the weird sisters?
LENNOX
No, my lord.
MACBETH
They didn’t pass by you?
LENNOX
No, indeed, my lord.
MACBETH
The air they ride on is infected. Damn all those who trust them! I heard the galloping of horses. Who was
it that came this way?
LENNOX
My lord, two or three men came, bringing word that Macduff has fled to England.
MACBETH
Fled to England?
LENNOX
Yes, my good lord.
MACBETH
[To himself] Time, you stand in the way of my terrifying plans. Unless you immediately do what you
planned, you never get the chance to do it. From this moment on, I will act as soon as I want to do
something. I will begin right now to follow my thoughts immediately with action. I’ll launch a surprise attack
against Macduff’s castle; seize the town of Fife; and kill his wife, his children, and anyone else
unfortunate enough to bear even a trace of his blood. No more boasting like a fool. I will do this deed
before my sense of purpose dulls. And no more hallucinations!

[To LENNOX] Where are these messengers? Come, lead me to them.

They exit.

Act 4, Scene 2
LADY MACDUFF
What did he do that made him flee Scotland?
ROSS
You must have patience, madam.
LADY MACDUFF.
He had no patience. To run away was insane. Even if we're not actually traitors, our fears of
being accused of treason can make us seem like traitors.
ROSS
You don’t know whether it was wisdom or fear that made him flee.
LADY MACDUFF.
Wisdom? Was it wise to leave his wife, his children, his house, and his titles in a place from
which he himself flees? He doesn’t love us. He lacks the natural feelings of a husband and
father. Even the fragile wren—the smallest of birds—will fight an owl to protect her young
ones in the nest. Macduff’s running away has everything to do with fear and nothing to do
with love. And since running away is contrary to all reason, it also must have nothing to do
with wisdom.
ROSS
My dearest cousin, I beg you, control yourself. Your husband is noble, wise, and judicious,
and understands the current political unrest. I don’t dare say anything more than this, but it
is a bad time when people are denounced as traitors and have no idea why; when we
believe rumors out of fear, but aren’t even sure what we’re afraid of. It’s like floating in a wild
ocean storm, being tossed all around and getting nowhere. I must leave now, but it won’t be
long before I return. When things are at their worst they must eventually end, or else
improve to be like how they were before. My good cousin, I give my blessing to you.
LADY MACDUFF.
My son has a father, and yet he’s fatherless.
ROSS
If I stay longer, I’ll disgrace myself and embarrass you by crying. I must leave now.
ROSS exits.
LADY MACDUFF
Little sir, your father’s dead. What will you do now? How will you live?
SON
I’ll live as birds do, Mother.
LADY MACDUFF
What? You’ll eat worms and flies?
SON
I’ll live on whatever I get, like birds do.
LADY MACDUFF
Oh, you pitiful bird! You wouldn’t know to fear any traps or snares set out by hunters.
SON
Why should I fear them, Mother? Hunters do not try to catch pitiful birds. No matter what
you say, my father is not dead.
LADY MACDUFF
Yes, he’s dead. What will you do for a father?

SON
No, what will you do for a husband?
LADY MACDUFF
Well, I can buy myself twenty husbands at any market.
SON
If so, you’d be buying them to sell again.
LADY MACDUFF
You talk with all of your wit; and yet your wit is still that of a child.
SON
Was my father a traitor, Mother?
LADY MACDUFF
Yes, he was.
SON
What is a traitor?
LADY MACDUFF
Someone who makes a promise and breaks it.
SON
And is everyone who does that a traitor?
LADY MACDUFF
Everyone who does so is a traitor and should be hanged.
SON
And should everyone be hanged who makes and breaks promises?
LADY MACDUFF
Everyone.
SON
Who should hang them?
LADY MACDUFF
The honest men.
SON
Then the liars are fools, for there are enough liars in the world to defeat and hang the
honest men.
LADY MACDUFF
[Laughing] Heaven help you, my poor little monkey! [Sad again] But what will you do for a
father?
SON
If he were dead, you’d be weeping for him. If you aren’t weeping, it’s a good sign that I’ll
soon have a new father.
LADY MACDUFF
My poor little chatterer, how you talk!
A MESSENGER enters.
MESSENGER
Bless you, fair lady! You don’t know me, but I know very well about your high social rank. I
suspect something dangerous approaches you. If you’ll take a simple man’s advice, get out
of here. Go away with your children. I think I am being too blunt to frighten you this way, but
the cruelty that is already close to you will do much worse! Heaven help you! I don't dare to
stay any longer.
The MESSENGER exits.
LADY MACDUFF
Where should I run? I haven’t done anything wrong. But I remember now that I’m here on
earth, where doing evil is often praised, and doing good is sometimes a foolish mistake. So
why do I make this womanish defense that I’ve done no harm?
The MURDERERS enter.
LADY MACDUFF
Why do you make such angry faces?
FIRST MURDERER
Where is your husband?
LADY MACDUFF
I hope he’s not anywhere so disgraceful that men like you could find him.
FIRST MURDERER
He’s a traitor.
SON
You lie, you long-eared villain!
FIRST MURDERER
[Stabbing him] What’s that, pipsqueak? Young son of a traitor!
SON
He has killed me, Mother. Run away, I beg you!
The SON dies. LADY MACDUFF exits, crying “Murder!” The MURDERERS exit, following
her.
Act 4, Scene 3
MALCOLM and MACDUFF enter.
MALCOLM
Let’s find some private shady place where we can go and cry our hearts out.

MACDUFF
Instead, let’s hold tight to our swords, and defend our fallen country like honorable
men. Each morning new widows howl and new orphans cry. New sorrows fly up to heaven
so that heaven itself echoes with the screams, and seems to feel Scotland’s pain.
MALCOLM
I will avenge whatever I believe is wrong. I’ll believe whatever I know is true. And when the
time is right, I’ll fix whatever I can. What you’ve told me may in fact be true. This tyrant—
whose mere name is so awful that saying it puts blisters on our tongues—was once thought
to be honest. You and he were great friends. He’s done nothing yet to harm you. I’m
inexperienced, but you could win Macbeth’s favor by betraying me and then offer me up to
him like a sacrificial lamb to an angry god.
MACDUFF
I am not treacherous.
MALCOLM
But Macbeth is. Even someone with a good and virtuous nature might give in to the
command of this king. Still, I beg your pardon. My fears don’t change what you truly
are. Angels are still bright even though Lucifer, the brightest angel, fell from
heaven. Though everything evil tries to disguise itself as good, good must continue to look
good as well.
MACDUFF
My hopes are lost.
MALCOLM
Perhaps you lost your hope in the same place I found my suspicions of you. Why did you
leave behind your wife and child—the most precious things in your life that the strong bonds
of love should motivate you to protect—in that dangerous place, without even saying
goodbye? I beg you, don’t take my suspicion as an insult. I just have to protect myself. You
may truly be honest, no matter what I think.
MACDUFF
Bleed, bleed, my poor country! Terrible tyrant, be comfortable in your position, because
good people fear to confront you. Enjoy what you stole, because your title is safe!

[To MALCOLM] Goodbye, my lord. I wouldn’t be the villain that you think I am, even if I were
offered all of Macbeth’s kingdom and the wealth of the East as well.
MALCOLM
Don’t be offended. It’s not that I totally mistrust you. I agree that Scotland is sinking under
Macbeth’s tyranny. Scotland weeps, it bleeds, and each day a new injury is added to her
wounds. I think, too, that many men would fight for me if I returned to claim the throne. And
England has promised to give me thousands of troops. But, for all this, when I have my foot
on Macbeth’s head, or have his head on my sword, then my poor country will be in even
worse shape than before. It will suffer more, and in more ways, under the king who
succeeds Macbeth.
MACDUFF
And who would that be?
MALCOLM
I mean myself. I know I have so many evil qualities that—when they are exposed—will
make evil Macbeth seem pure as snow, and poor Scotland will think of him as a sweet lamb
in comparison to me and my infinite wickedness.
MACDUFF
There is not a devil as cursed as Macbeth in all of hell.
MALCOLM
I admit he’s violent, lecherous, greedy, deceitful, hot-tempered, malicious, and guilty of
every sin that has a name. But there is no end—absolutely none—to my sexual
sinfulness. Your wives, your daughters, your old women, and your young women could not
satisfy the depths of my lust. My desire would overwhelm anything and everyone who
opposed me. It’s better that Macbeth rule rather than someone like me.
MACDUFF
Extreme lust can overwhelm a man. It has caused the downfall of many kings in previously
happy kingdoms. But don’t be afraid to take the crown that is yours. You can satisfy your
desires in secret, while still appearing virtuous in public. You can hide the truth from
everyone. Scotland has more than enough willing women. It’s not possible that your lust
could be so great that you’d go through all the women willing to sleep with the king once
they find out his interest in them.
MALCOLM
In addition to my lust, I’m also insatiably greedy. If I were king, I’d take the nobles’ lands,
steal the jewels of one, and take the house of another. And everything I took would make
me hungrier to steal even more, until I’d create unjustified arguments with my good and
loyal subjects so that I could take their wealth.
MACDUFF
This greed you describe is even worse than lust because it will not pass as you leave your
youth, and it has led to the death of numerous kings. But don’t be afraid. Scotland has
enough wealth that you will be satisfied, even by your own income alone. These bad
qualities are bearable when weighed against your good qualities.
MALCOLM
.

But I have no good qualities. I have none of the qualities necessary for a king—such as
justice, truthfulness, moderation, consistency, generosity, perseverance, mercy, humility,
devotion, patience, courage, and bravery. Instead, I’m full of every type of sin, and each of
those in a variety of ways. No, if I had power, I would take the sweet milk of peace and pour
it into hell. I would destroy all peace, end all unity on earth.
MACDUFF
Oh, Scotland, Scotland!
MALCOLM
If someone like me is fit to rule, tell me. I am exactly as I have described myself.
MACDUFF
Fit to rule? No, not even fit to live. Oh, miserable country, ruled by a murderous tyrant with
no right to rule—when will you possibly see peaceful days if your legal heir to the throne
indicts himself as a cursed man and a disgrace to the royal family? Your royal father
Duncan was a virtuous king. The queen your mother was more often kneeling in prayer than
standing up, and lived a pious life. Goodbye. The evils of which you accuse yourself have
driven me from Scotland forever. Oh, my heart, your hope ends here!
MALCOLM
Macduff, this noble outburst can only be a product of integrity, and has removed from my
soul the doubts I had about you, proving your honor and truthfulness to me. The devilish
Macbeth has tried many plots to lure me into his power, so I must be cautious and not too
quick to trust anyone. But may God show my truthfulness now to you! I will let myself be
guided by you, and I take back all of the terrible things I said about myself. All the flaws I
described myself as having are in fact alien to my character. I haven't slept with a woman
yet, and I’ve never broken a vow. I barely even care about my own possessions, much less
what anyone else owns. I’ve never broken a promise and wouldn’t even betray the devil. I
love truth as much as I love life. Those lies I told about myself are the first false words I’ve
ever said. The true me is ready to serve you and our poor country. In fact, before you got
here, old Siward—with ten thousand battle-ready soldiers—was just setting out for
Scotland. Now we’ll fight Macbeth together, and our chance of our success is as good as
the reasons motivating us to act! Why are you silent?
MACDUFF
It’s hard to understand such a sudden change in your story.
A DOCTOR enters.
MALCOLM
Well, we’ll speak more about this soon. [To the DOCTOR] Can you tell me, is King Edward
coming?
DOCTOR
Yes, sir. A wretched group of the sick wait for him to heal them. Their illness doesn’t
respond to the efforts of medicine, but when Edward touches them—because of the sacred
power given to him by heaven—they are healed.
MALCOLM
Thank you, doctor.
The DOCTOR exits.
MACDUFF
What disease does he mean?
MALCOLM
It’s called the evil. Many times during my stay in England, I have seen the good king
Edward perform an incredible miracle. Only he can say how he prays to heaven for these
gifts. He cures people afflicted with this strange disease—all swollen and ulcerous, pitiful to
look at, and beyond the help of surgery—by placing a gold coin around their necks and
saying holy prayers over them. And it’s said that he will pass on this blessed healing power
to his royal descendants. In addition to this strange power, he has the gift of prophecy, as
well as various other abilities that mark him as a man full of God’s grace.
ROSS enters.
MACDUFF
Look there, who’s coming?
MALCOLM
He’s dressed like a Scotsman, but I don’t know him.
MACDUFF
My always noble kinsman, welcome.
MALCOLM
I recognize him now. Dear God, may you quickly change the circumstances that keep us
apart!
ROSS
Amen to that, sir.
MACDUFF
Is Scotland as it has been?
ROSS
Alas, poor country! It's almost too scared to even recognize itself. Scotland is no longer our
motherland. It is our grave, where the only people who smile are those who know
nothing. Where sighs, groans, and shrieks split the air, but no one pays attention. Where
violent sorrow is a common emotion. When the funeral bells ring, people no longer ask who
died. Good men’s lives are shorter than the time it takes the flowers in their caps to wilt.
They die before they even fall sick.
MACDUFF
Oh, your report is too precise and too true!
MALCOLM
What is the latest bad news?
ROSS
Every hour brings new bad news. Every minute gives birth to some new bad thing.
MACDUFF
How is my wife?
ROSS
She’s well.
MACDUFF
And all my children?
ROSS
They’re well too.
MACDUFF
The tyrant Macbeth hasn’t come after them?
ROSS
No, they were at peace when I left them.
MACDUFF
Don’t be coy with what you’re saying. What’s happened?
ROSS
As I was coming here to tell you the news that has weighed me down, I heard rumors that
many good men are armed and moving to fight Macbeth. I knew the rumors were true when
I saw Macbeth’s army on the move. Now is the time when we need your help. Your
presence in Scotland would inspire more men—and women—to fight against Macbeth’s
tyranny.
MALCOLM
Let them be comforted—we’re returning to Scotland. Gracious King Edward has lent us
noble Lord Siward and ten thousand soldiers. No soldier is more experienced or successful
than Siward in all of the Christian countries.
ROSS
I wish I could respond to this good news with good news of my own. But I do have news
that should be howled out into the sky of a barren desert, where nobody could hear it.
MACDUFF
What is the news about? Does it concern everyone, or is it a grief belonging to just one
person?
ROSS
No honest man could stop himself from sharing in the sorrow, but my news relates to you
alone.
MACDUFF
If it’s for me, don’t keep it from me. Quickly, tell me.
ROSS
I hope your ears won’t hate my tongue forever for saying these things, the saddest news
they’ve ever heard.
MACDUFF
Oh no! I can guess what you’re going to say.
ROSS
Your castle was ambushed. Your wife and children were savagely slaughtered. If I
described their murders, it would kill you too, and add your body to the pile.
MALCOLM
Merciful heaven! [To MACDUFF] Come, man, don’t hide your grief. Put your sorrow into
words. A grief that hides in silence will whisper in your heart and break it.
MACDUFF
My children too?
ROSS
Your wife, your children, your servants—everyone they could find.
MACDUFF
And I was away! My wife was killed too?
ROSS
As I have said.
MALCOLM
Take comfort. Let’s make a medicine out of revenge to ease your dreadful grief.
MACDUFF
He doesn't have any children. All my little children? Did you say all? Oh, hawk from hell! All
of them? What, all my children and their mother killed in one deadly swoop?
MALCOLM
Fight it like a man.
MACDUFF
I’ll do that. But I must also feel it like a man. I can’t help remembering those things that were
most precious to me. Did heaven just watch my family die, and refuse to help them? Sinful
Macduff, they were killed because of you! As wicked as I am, they were slaughtered not
because of their own flaws, but because of mine. May they rest in heaven now.
MALCOLM
Let all this sharpen your sword. Let grief become anger. Don’t hold back your heart. Let it
rage.
MACDUFF
Oh, I could weep like a woman while bragging about taking revenge! But, gentle heavens,
cut short any delay. Bring me face to face with the devil of Scotland, so that he’s within
reach of my sword. If he escapes, may heaven forgive him as well!
MALCOLM
Now you sound like a man. Come, we'll go see King Edward. Our army is ready, and we
can leave once we get King Edward's permission. Macbeth is ripe for the taking, with the
powers above are armed and on our side. Take heart, as much as you can. A new day will
dawn.
ALL exit.
Act 5, Scene 1
A DOCTOR and a waiting GENTLEWOMAN enter.
DOCTOR
For two nights I’ve watched her with you, but I haven’t seen any evidence of what you’ve
described. When did you last see her walk?
GENTLEWOMAN
Since the king went to war, I have seen her rise from her bed; put on her nightgown; unlock
her closet; take out some paper, fold it, write on it, read it, seal it; and then return to bed
again—all while remaining fast asleep.
DOCTOR
It’s deeply unnatural to be asleep and, and the same time, perform the actions of those who
are awake. When she is in this state—besides walking and doing other things—have you
heard her say anything?
GENTLEWOMAN
Yes, sir, but I will not repeat it.
DOCTOR
You can tell me. That would be the proper thing to do.
GENTLEWOMAN
I won’t tell you or anyone else without having another witness to confirm what I heard.
LADY MACBETH enters, holding a candle.
GENTLEWOMAN
Look, here she comes! This is what she always wears, and—I swear on my life—she’s fast
asleep. Watch her. Stay out of sight.
DOCTOR
How did she get that candle?
GENTLEWOMAN
It stands by her bedside. She keeps a light by her at all times. That’s her command.
DOCTOR
You see, her eyes are open.
GENTLEWOMAN
Yes, but they don't see anything.
DOCTOR
What is she doing now? Look how she rubs her hands.
GENTLEWOMAN
She does that a lot, as if she’s washing her hands. I’ve seen her keep doing that for fifteen
minutes.
LADY MACBETH
Yet there’s still a spot here.
DOCTOR
Listen! She’s talking. I’ll write down what she says, so that I’ll remember it.
LADY MACBETH
[Rubbing her hands] Come out, damned spot! Out, I order you! One, two. Now, it’s time to
do it. Hell is murky! Shame on you, my lord, shame! You’re a soldier, and yet you’re
afraid? Why should we fear anyone who might know what happened, when no one can
match our power? But who would have thought the old man would have had so much blood
in him?
DOCTOR
Did you hear that?
LADY MACBETH
The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will my hands never be clean? No
more of that, my lord, no more of that. You’ll ruin everything by acting in this startled way.
DOCTOR
Oh no. Oh no! You’ve learned something you shouldn’t have.
GENTLEWOMAN
She said something she shouldn’t have said, I’m sure of that. Heaven knows what other
secrets she has.
LADY MACBETH
My hands still smell of blood. All the perfumes of Arabia won't sweeten the smell of my little
hand. Oh, oh, oh!
DOCTOR
What a sigh! Her heart is painfully weighed down.
GENTLEWOMAN
I wouldn’t want a heart like hers in my chest even if I could be queen.
DOCTOR
Well, well, well.
GENTLEWOMAN
I pray to God that all will be well, sir!
DOCTOR
It is beyond my skill level to cure this disease. Yet I have known people who walked in their
sleep and died without sin.
LADY MACBETH
Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Don’t look so pale. I tell you again, Banquo is
buried. He cannot come out of his grave.
DOCTOR
Is it true?
LADY MACBETH
To bed, to bed. There’s a knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come. Give me your
hand. What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!
LADY MACBETH exits.
DOCTOR
Now will she go to bed?
GENTLEWOMAN
Right to bed.
DOCTOR
Evil rumors are circulating. Unnatural actions lead to unnatural troubles. Those with guilty
consciences will confess their secrets to their pillows while they are asleep. Lady Macbeth
needs a holy priest, not a doctor. God forgive us all!

[To the GENTLEWOMAN] Look after her. Remove anything she could use to hurt herself,
and even then keep watch over her. Now, good night. She has shocked my mind and
amazed my eyes. I have thoughts about all this, but don’t dare to say them out loud.
GENTLEWOMAN
Good night, good doctor.
 They exit.
Act 5, Scene 2
MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, and soldiers enter along with a drummer and
flag.
MENTEITH
The English army is near, led by Malcolm, his uncle Siward, and the good Macduff. The
desire for revenge burns in them. Their reasons for wanting revenge would cause even
dead men to rise and rush to battle.
ANGUS
We’ll meet them near Birnam Wood. That’s the way they’re coming.
CAITHNESS
Does anyone know if Donalbain is with his brother?
LENNOX
Sir, it’s certain that he is not. I have a list of all the important men. Siward’s son is there, as
well as many boys too young to even have beards who are ready to proclaim their manhood
in battle.
MENTEITH
What is the tyrant Macbeth doing?
CAITHNESS
He is fortifying his castle at Dunsinane with strong defenses. Some say he’s insane. Those
who hate him less call it noble fury. One thing is certain: he can’t control himself or his
anger.
ANGUS.
Now Macbeth feels the blood from his secret murders sticking to his hands. Now, each
minute, rebel armies punish his treachery. The soldiers he commands are just following
orders. They don’t fight for him out of love. Now his kingship seems to hang loosely on him,
as if he’s a dwarf trying to wearing the robes of a giant.
MENTEITH
Who can blame him for acting twitchy and jumpy, when everything inside him condemns
itself for what it’s done?
CAITHNESS
Well, we march on to give our loyalty to the man to whom it is truly owed. We go to meet
Malcolm, who is the medicine that will cure our sick country. And with him we will pour out
all of our own blood to heal our nation.
LENNOX
Or as much as we need to water the royal flower of Malcolm, and to drown the weed that is
Macbeth. Let’s march to Birnam.
They exit, marching.
Act 5, Scene 3
MACBETH, a DOCTOR, and attendants enter.
MACBETH
Don’t bring me any more reports. Let all the thanes run from me. Until Birnam Wood moves
to Dunsinane, I’ll be unaffected by fear. What’s the boy Malcolm? Wasn’t he born from a
woman? The spirits that know the future have told me this: “Do not fear, Macbeth. No man
born from a woman will ever overpower you.” So run, disloyal thanes, and join the soft and
self-indulgent English! My mind and heart will never waver with doubt or shake with fear.
A SERVANT enters.
MACBETH
May the devil turn you black, you pale-faced fool! Why do you look as frightened as a
goose?
SERVANT
There are ten thousand—
MACBETH
Geese, fool?
SERVANT
Soldiers, sir.
MACBETH
Go prick your cheeks so blood will hide their whiteness, you cowardly boy. What soldiers,
fool? Damn you! That pale face of yours will influence the others to be afraid as well. What
soldiers, milk-face?
SERVANT
The English army, sir.
MACBETH
Get your face out of here.
The SERVANT exits.
MACBETH
Seyton! I’m sick at heart when I see—Seyton, come here!—This battle will either secure my
place forever or knock me from my throne. I have lived long enough. The path of my life
now leads me toward withering and death, like a yellowing leaf. And I cannot hope to have
those things that should be a part of old age, like honor, love, obedience, and loyal
friends. Instead, men curse me, quietly but with profound hate; people honor me with words
but not in their hearts. My heart would happily end my life, and yet does not dare to do it.
Seyton!
SEYTON enters.
SEYTON
What do you desire, your Grace?
MACBETH
Is there more news?
SEYTON
All the rumors have been confirmed, my lord.
MACBETH
I’ll fight until they hack the flesh off my bones. Give me my armor.
SEYTON
It’s not needed yet.
MACBETH
I’ll put it on anyway. Send out more cavalry. Search the entire country. Hang anyone talking
of fear. Give me my armor.

[To the DOCTOR] How is your patient, doctor?

DOCTOR
She is not physically sick, my lord. But she is troubled with constant visions that keep her
from sleeping.
MACBETH
Cure her of that. Can’t you heal a diseased mind? Remove from her mind the memory of
sorrow? Eliminate the troubling thoughts from her brain, and use some sweet medicine to
clean her chest of that awful stuff that weighs upon her heart?
DOCTOR
For that kind of relief, the patient must heal herself.
MACBETH
Medicine is for the dogs. I will have nothing to do with it. [To SEYTON] Come, put on my
armor. Give me my lance. Seyton, send out the soldiers. [To the DOCTOR] Doctor, the
thanes run from me. [To SEYTON] Come on, sir, hurry up. [To the DOCTOR] Doctor, if you
could please examine my country's urine, diagnose what ails it, and bring my country back
to health, I will applaud you so loudly that you will hear it echo back from the end of the
world.[To SEYTON] Pull it off, I tell you. [To the DOCTOR] What drug would purge the
English from this country? Have you heard of any?
DOCTOR
Yes, my good lord. Your war preparations sounds like such a drug.
MACBETH
[To SEYTON] Follow me with the armor. I will not be afraid of death and destruction until
Birnam Forest comes to Dunsinane.
DOCTOR
[To himself] If I were only far away and free from Dunsinane, no amount of money could
bring me back.
They exit.
Act 5, Scene 4
MALCOLM, Old SIWARD, YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS,
ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and SOLDIERS enter marching, with a drummer and flag.
MALCOLM
Kinsmen, I hope the time is near when people will be safe in their own bedrooms.
MENTEITH
We don’t doubt it.
SIWARD
What forest is this ahead of us?
MENTEITH
Birnam Wood.
MALCOLM
Every soldier should hack off a branch and hold it in front of him. By doing so, we will make
it difficult for Macbeth's spies to get an accurate count of the number of soldiers in our army
to report back to him.
SOLDIERS
It will be done.
SIWARD
We’ve heard nothing other than that the overconfident Macbeth remains in Dunsinane and
will let us lay siege to the castle.
MALCOLM
‘

That’s exactly what he wants. Whenever they have the chance, his thanes and common
soldiers all desert him. No one serves in his army except men who are forced to, whose
hearts aren’t in it.
MACDUFF
Let’s not judge the situation until we see how it turns out. For now, let’s just act like hard-
working soldiers.
SIWARD
The time is quickly coming when we’ll know just what we’ve accomplished and what we still
have to do. Speculations only express our uncertain hopes. But we’ll only get certainty by
actually going out and fighting, so let’s start this war.
They exit, marching.

Act 5, Scene 5
MACBETH, SEYTON, and SOLDIERS enter, with a drummer and flag.
MACBETH
Hang our flags on the outer walls. You all keep shouting, “They’re coming!” Our castle’s
strength is enough to laugh off their siege. Let them sit out there until they’re killed off by
hunger and disease. If so many of our own soldiers hadn't revolted and joined them, we
would have met them in front of the castle, man to man, and beat them back to England.
Women crying offstage.
MACBETH
What’s that noise?
SEYTON
It’s the sound of women crying, my good lord.
SEYTON exits.
MACBETH
I’ve almost forgotten what fear feels like. There was a time when a shriek in the night would
have filled me with dread, and a ghost story would have made the hairs on my skin rise up
as if they were alive. But now I’ve feasted on true horrors, and horror is so familiar to my
bloody thoughts that it can’t startle me.
SEYTON comes back in.
MACBETH
What was the cause of that cry?
SEYTON
The queen is dead, my lord.
MACBETH
She would have died eventually anyway. That news was bound to come at some
point. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow—creeping at this slow pace, day after day,
until the very end of time. And the days that have gone by are just another step for fools on
the way to their deaths. Go out, go out, brief candle. Life is an illusion, a pitiful actor who
struts and worries for his hour on the stage and then disappears forever. Life is a story told
by an idiot, full of noise and emotion, without any meaning.
A MESSENGER enters.
MACBETH
You’ve come to tell me something. Speak quickly.
MESSENGER
My gracious lord, I want to tell you what I saw, but I don’t know how to say it.
MACBETH
Well, just say it, sir.
MESSENGER
As I stood on guard duty on the hill, I looked toward Birnam—and then I thought I saw the
forest begin to move.
MACBETH
You liar and villain!
MESSENGER
I accept your punishment if it’s not true. You can see it coming about three miles away—it's
a moving forest, I say.
MACBETH
If you’re lying, you’ll hang on the nearest tree until you die of hunger. If you’re speaking the
truth, I wouldn’t care if you were to do the same to me. [To himself] My resolve is failing,
and now I begin to doubt that the lies the witches told me only sounded like the truth. “Don’t
worry until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.” And now a wood is coming to
Dunsinane. [To SOLDIERS] Arm yourselves, arm yourselves, and go fight! [To himself] If
what the messenger swears to me is actually true, then I can neither run away nor stay
here. I’m beginning to grow weary of life. I wish the established order of the world would fall
to chaos. [To SOLDIERS] Ring the alarms! Blow, wind! Come, ruin! At least we’ll die with
our armor on our backs.
They exit.
Act 5, Scene 6
MALCOLM, Old SIWARD, MACDUFF, and their army enter with a drummer and flag and
carrying branches.
MALCOLM
.

We’re close enough. Throw down these branches and let everyone see who you really
are. [To SIWARD] Noble uncle, you and your honorable son will lead the first battle. Brave
Macduff and I will do the rest, as we worked out in our plan of attack.
SIWARD
Farewell. If we meet Macbeth’s army tonight, let us be defeated if we cannot fight.
MACDUFF
With all your breath, blow the trumpets, those deafening heralds of blood and death.
They exit.

Act 5, Scene 7
Trumpets. MACBETH enters.
MACBETH
They have tied me to a stake. I can’t run. Instead, I must stand and fight, like
a bear. Where’s the man who wasn’t born from a woman? I fear him, and no one else.
YOUNG SIWARD enters.
YOUNG SIWARD
What’s your name?
MACBETH
You’ll be afraid to hear it.
YOUNG SIWARD
No, not even if you called yourself a name more evil than any demon that's in hell.
MACBETH
My name’s Macbeth.
YOUNG SIWARD
The devil himself couldn’t say a name I hate more.
MACBETH
No, nor could the devil’s name be more frightening.
YOUNG SIWARD
You lie, hated tyrant. My sword will prove that you speak lies.
They fight and YOUNG SIWARD is killed.
MACBETH
You were born from a woman. I smile at swords, and laugh at any weapon held by a man
born from a woman.
MACBETH exits.
Trumpets. MACDUFF enters.
MACDUFF
The noise is coming from over there. Tyrant, show your face! If you are killed without a
strike from my own sword, the ghosts of my wife and children will haunt me forever. I won’t
fight these wretched soldiers. Macbeth, I’ll dull the edge of my sword fighting you, or else I’ll
sheathe my sword, unused. You must be over there based on that great noise, which
sounds like the announcement of some notable man. Oh Fortune, let me find him! That's all
I ask.
MACDUFF exits. Trumpets.
MALCOLM and Old SIWARD enter.
SIWARD
Come this way, my lord. The castle has surrendered without a fight. Macbeth’s soldiers are
fighting on both sides, while our thanes fight bravely. The victory is almost yours, and there
is little left to do.
MALCOLM
Our enemies seem to be trying to miss when they strike at us.
SIWARD
Sir, enter the castle.
They exit. Trumpets.
Act 5, Scene 8 & Scene 9
MACBETH enters.
MACBETH.
Why should I act like some ancient Roman fool and commit suicide by stabbing myself? As
long as I see living enemies, I’d rather wound them than be wounded myself.
MACDUFF enters.
MACDUFF
Turn and face me, you dog from hell, turn!
MACBETH
You are the only man I have avoided. Go away. My soul is already stained too much by the
blood of your murdered family.

MACDUFF
I have nothing to say to you. My sword will be my voice. You are too vicious for words to
describe!
They fight.
MACBETH
You’re wasting your effort. You might as well try to stab the air with your sword rather than
try to use it to make me bleed. Use your sword to fight someone who can be harmed. I lead
a charmed life, and can’t be defeated by anyone born from a woman.
MACDUFF
Then you should despair. The evil spirit you serve can tell you that I was not born. I was cut
out of my mother’s womb before she could deliver me naturally.
MACBETH
Curse your tongue for telling me this, for now my courage has deserted me! I no longer
believe those tricky witches. They tricked me with their double meanings, raising my hopes
only to destroy them. I won’t fight you.
MACDUFF
Then surrender, coward, and live on as an amusement we all mock and stare at. As with a
rare beast, we’ll put a picture of you on a sign, right above the words, “Here is the tyrant!”
MACBETH
I won’t surrender and kiss the ground in front of young Malcolm’s feet, or be taunted by
commoners. Though Birnam Wood really did come to Dunsinane, and I’m facing a man not
born of a woman, I’ll fight to the end. I’ll raise my shield in front of my body. Now come and
fight, Macduff, and damn the first of us who cries, "Stop! Enough!"
They exit fighting. Trumpets. They reenter, still fighting, and MACBETH is killed. A trumpet
sounds a call to retreat. Another trumpet sounds a call of victory. MALCOLM, Old SIWARD,
ROSS, the other THANES, and SOLDIERS enter, with a drummer and flag.
MALCOLM
I wish all of our friends had survived to be here.
SIWARD
Some people will be killed in every battle. And yet, from what I can see, our great victory
didn’t cost us very much.
MALCOLM
Macduff is missing, as is your noble son.
ROSS
My lord, your son, Young Siward, has paid the soldier’s price. He lived just long enough to
be a man, and he had no sooner proved his manhood through courage in battle than he
died.
SIWARD
Then he is dead?
ROSS
Yes, and carried off the battlefield. If your grief were to equal his worth, then it would never
end.
SIWARD
Were his wounds on his front side?
ROSS
Yes, on his front.
SIWARD.
Well then, he’s God’s soldier now! If I had as many sons as I have hairs on my head, I
couldn’t hope for any of them to die with more honor. And so, his time has come to die.
MALCOLM
He’s worth more grief than that, and I’ll mourn for him.
SIWARDHe is worth no more than that. They say he died well, and did his duty. And so,
may God be with him! Here comes better news.
MACDUFF enters, carrying MACBETH’s head.
MACDUFF
Hail, King Malcolm! Because that’s what you are. Look, here is Macbeth’s cursed head. We
are free of the tyrant. I see that you are surrounded by the kingdom’s noblemen, and they’re
thinking what I’m saying. I ask them to cheer aloud with me: Hail, King of Scotland!
ALL
Hail, King of Scotland!
Trumpets sound.
MALCOLM
It will not take long for me to repay my debt to you all by rewarding each of you as your
loyalty and service deserves. My thanes and kinsmen, I name you all earls—the first ever to
be named earls in Scotland. We have much else to do as well, which should be started
soon, as the beginning of a new era. We must call home our exiled friends who fled from
the trap of Macbeth’s tyranny, and we must find all those cruel attendants who helped this
dead butcher and his demon-like queen, who is thought to have killed herself. This, and
whatever else we must do, by the grace of God, we will do in the right amount, at the right
time, and in the right place. So I thank you all together and individually, and I invite you to
come see me be crowned King of Scotland at Scone.
Trumpets sound. All exit.