The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (953 page)

Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers

Unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could refrain,

That had a heart to love, and in that heart

Courage to make 's love kno wn?

Who can be wise, shocked, fair and furious,

loyal and neutral, all at the same time? No man can:

my violent reaction was born out of love and it outran

my reason. There lay Duncan, his white skin covered

with his royal blood, and the gashes stabbed in him

looked like a sin against nature, allowing for death

to make such a wasteful entry. There were the murderers,

steeped in the guilt of their act, with their discourteous

daggers covered with blood. Who that loved Duncan

could keep himself from doing what I did?

LADY MACBETH

Help me hence, ho!

Help me out of here now!

MACDUFF

Look to the lady.

Take care of the lady.

MALCOLM

[Aside to DONALBAIN] Why do we hold our tongues,

That most may claim this argument for ours?

[Aside to DONALBAIN] Why are we not saying anything

when we could say so much, being his sons?

DONALBAIN

[Aside to MALCOLM] What should be spoken here,

where our fate,

Hid in an auger-hole, may rush, and seize us?

Let 's away;

Our tears are not yet brew'd.

[Aside to MALCOLM] What could we say here,

where our fate, hidden in a drilled hole,

could rush out at any moment and seize us?

Let’s get out of here.

We are not ready to cry yet.

MALCOLM

[Aside to DONALBAIN] Nor our strong sorrow

Upon the foot of motion.

[Aside to DONALBAIN] And we are not ready

to put our strong sorrow into action yet.

BANQUO

Look to the lady:

Take care of the lady.

LADY MACBETH is carried out

And when we have our naked frailties hid,

That suffer in exposure, let us meet,

And question this most bloody piece of work,

To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:

In the great hand of God I stand; and thence

Against the undivulged pretence I fight

Of treasonous malice.

When we have dressed for the day let’s meet

and try to figure out this murderous act so that

we may understand what happened. We are shaken

by fear and doubt. By God’s hand I plan to fight

against this secret plot of treason and malice.

MACDUFF

And so do I.

I do, too.

ALL

So all.

We all do.

MACBETH

Let's briefly put on manly readiness,

And meet i' the hall together.

Let’s get properly dressed

and meet in the hall together.

ALL

Well contented.

That sounds good.

Exeunt all but Malcolm and Donalbain.

MALCOLM

What will you do? Let's not consort with them:

To show an unfelt sorrow is an office

Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.

What are you going to do? Let’s not meet with them.

It’s easy to show sorrow you don’t really feel

if you are a liar. I’ll go to England.

DONALBAIN

To Ireland, I; our separated fortune

Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,

There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,

The nearer bloody.

I’ll go to Ireland. We will have better luck

of staying safe if we separate. There are daggers

in men’s smiles here. Our relatives are the most

likely to kill us.

MALCOLM

This murderous shaft that's shot

Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way

Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;

And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,

But shift away: there's warrant in that theft

Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left.

We may be in harm’s way, but it has not found us

yet. The safest thing to do it to avoid it. So, let’s

get on our horses and leave without goodbyes.

There’s no mercy here, and that is good reason to leave.

Exeunt

Outside Macbeth's Castle

Enter ROSS and an old Man

Old Man

Threescore and ten I can remember well:

Within the volume of which time I have seen

Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night

Hath trifled former knowings.

I can remember the past seventy years.

In that time, I’ve seen dreadful times and strange things,

but this awful night has made that all seem like nothing.

ROSS

Ah, good father,

Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act,

Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock, 'tis day,

And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp:

Is't night's predominance, or the day's shame,

That darkness does the face of earth entomb,

When living light should kiss it?

Oh, good father, you can see that the skies are troubled

and threaten the bloody earth. It is day, but darkness,

like the night, strangles the sun. Is it because night is stronger,

or because the day is so full of shame that darkness

overtakes the earth when the light of day should bless it?

Old Man

'Tis unnatural,

Even like the deed that's done. On Tuesday last,

A falcon, towering in her pride of place,

Was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd.

It’s unnatural, just like the murder that has taken place.

Last Tuesday a falcon, circling in the sky with pride,

was killed by a hawk that usually only goes after mice.

ROSS

And Duncan's horses--a thing most strange and certain--

Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,

Turn'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,

Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make

War with mankind.

Did you hear that Duncan’s horses, beautiful and swift—the best

of their kind—broke out of their stalls and went wild, refusing

to obey anyone, as if they were are war with mankind.

Isn’t that strange?

Old Man

'Tis said they eat each other.

People say they ate each other.

ROSS

They did so, to the amazement of mine eyes

That look'd upon't. Here comes the good Macduff.

They did. I saw it and it amazed me.

Here comes the good Macduff.

Enter MACDUFF

How goes the world, sir, now?

How are things going, sir?

MACDUFF

Why, see you not?

Can’t you see for yourself?

ROSS

Is't known who did this more than bloody deed?

Do they know who committed the murder?

MACDUFF

Those that Macbeth hath slain.

The men who Macbeth killed did it.

ROSS

Alas, the day!

What good could they pretend?

It’s sad he killed them. Why would they have done it?

MACDUFF

They were suborn'd:

Malcolm and Donalbain, the king's two sons,

Are stol'n away and fled; which puts upon them

Suspicion of the deed.

They were paid to do it.

Malcolm and Donalbain, the king’s sons, have snuck away

and fled. That puts the suspicion on them.

ROSS

'Gainst nature still!

Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up

Thine own life's means! Then 'tis most like

The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.

That’s so against nature!

What sort of extravagant ambition would cause them

to do away with the one who provides for them.

So, it looks like Macbeth will become king.

MACDUFF

He is already named, and gone to Scone

To be invested.

He has already been named, and has gone to Scone

to be crowned.

ROSS

Where is Duncan's body?

Where is Duncan’s body?

MACDUFF

Carried to Colmekill,

The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,

And guardian of their bones.

It’s been taken to Colmekill to the tomb

of his predecessors. Their bones are safe there.

ROSS

Will you to Scone?

Will you go to Scone?

MACDUFF

No, cousin, I'll to Fife.

No, cousin, I’m going to Fife.

ROSS

Well, I will thither.

Well, I’ll go to Scone.

MACDUFF

Well, may you see things well done there: adieu!

Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!

Well, I hope you will see that things are well done there.

Goodbye! I fear that the old ways are easier than the new!

ROSS

Farewell, father.

Goodbye, father.

Old Man

God's benison go with you; and with those

That would make good of bad, and friends of foes!

May God’s blessings go with you, and also with those

who would make good of bad, and friends of enemies!

Exeunt