The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (955 page)

We are men, my liege.

We are, my lord.

MACBETH

Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men;

As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,

Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves, are clept

All by the name of dogs: the valued file

Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle,

The housekeeper, the hunter, every one

According to the gift which bounteous nature

Hath in him closed; whereby he does receive

Particular addition. from the bill

That writes them all alike: and so of men.

Now, if you have a station in the file,

Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say 't;

And I will put that business in your bosoms,

Whose execution takes your enemy off,

Grapples you to the heart and love of us,

Who wear our health but sickly in his life,

Which in his death were perfect.

Yes, you are part of the species known as man,

just like hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, mutts,

shaggy dogs, English rough water dogs and wolf-dog hybrids

are all known as dogs. But a list of dogs will distinguish

which ones are fast, or slow, or clever, or watchdogs,

which are hunters—every dog is classified according

to the gift nature has given him, and he receives

particular distinction from the rest of the list that only

describes the ways they are alike. It’s the same with men.

So, if you have a place among men that isn’t

in the worst rank, tell me. I will assign you the business

that, carried out, will rid you of your enemy.

It will bring you closer to me, and to special attention from me.

If Banquo were dead, my health would be perfect.

Second Murderer

I am one, my liege,

Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world

Have so incensed that I am reckless what

I do to spite the world.

My lord, I’m so angry at the way the world has

beaten me that I would do anything to get back.

First Murderer

And I another

So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune,

That I would set my lie on any chance,

To mend it, or be rid on't.

Me, too. I’m so tired of the bad luck and disasters,

that I would jump on any chance to be rid of it, or die.

MACBETH

Both of you

Know Banquo was your enemy.

Both of you know that Banquo was your enemy.

Both Murderers

True, my lord.

Yes, my lord.

MACBETH

So is he mine; and in such bloody distance,

That every minute of his being thrusts

Against my near'st of life: and though I could

With barefaced power sweep him from my sight

And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not,

For certain friends that are both his and mine,

Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall

Who I myself struck down; and thence it is,

That I to your assistance do make love,

Masking the business from the common eye

For sundry weighty reasons.

He is my enemy, too, and I hate him so much

that every minute he lives thrusts against my heart.

Even though I have the power to sweep him away

and my word can kill him, I must not do that

because we have some friends in common who

I don’t want to lose, and I would need to grieve

his death, even though it was me who had him killed.

So, because of that, I need your help and am asking

you to do this so that no one knows who killed Banquo.

Second Murderer

We shall, my lord,

Perform what you command us.

We will do what you command us, my lord.

First Murderer

Though our lives—

Although our lives—

MACBETH

Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most

I will advise you where to plant yourselves;

Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' the time,

The moment on't; for't must be done to-night,

And something from the palace; always thought

That I require a clearness: and with him--

To leave no rubs nor botches in the work--

Fleance his son, that keeps him company,

Whose absence is no less material to me

Than is his father's, must embrace the fate

Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart:

I'll come to you anon.

Your determination shines through you. I will tell you

within an hour where you should go and when.

It must be done tonight, and away from the palace.

Keep in mind that no one must suspect me.

You must not mess this up or leave any evidence.

His son, Fleance, will be with him, and he

must be killed, too. I need him gone, as well.

Make up your minds about this. I’ll come to you soon.

Both Murderers

We are resolved, my lord.

We have made up our minds, my lord.

MACBETH

I'll call upon you straight: abide within.

I’ll call for you soon. Wait inside.

Exeunt Murderers

It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight,

If it find heaven, must find it out to-night.

It is done. Banquo, if your soul is going to heaven,

it will be tonight.

Exit

The Palace

Enter LADY MACBETH and a Servant

LADY MACBETH

Is Banquo gone from court?

Has Banquo left the court?

Servant

Ay, madam, but returns again to-night.

Yes, madam, but he returns tonight.

LADY MACBETH

Say to the king, I would attend his leisure

For a few words.

Tell the king I would like to talk to him

for a moment.

Servant

Madam, I will.

I will do that, madam.

Exit

LADY MACBETH

Nought's had, all's spent,

Where our desire is got without content:

'Tis safer to be that which we destroy

Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.

When you’ve spent everything,

but have nothing, when you’ve gotten

what you wanted but are not happy,

It is better to be the one who died

than to live with uneasiness.

Enter MACBETH

How now, my lord! why do you keep alone,

Of sorriest fancies your companions making,

Using those thoughts which should indeed have died

With them they think on? Things without all remedy

Should be without regard: what's done is done.

How are you, my lord! Why are you keeping

to yourself and making company with sad thoughts?

Those thoughts should have died with those

you think about. You shouldn’t dwell on what

you cannot change: what’s done is done.

MACBETH

We have scotch'd the snake, not kill'd it:

She'll close and be herself, whilst our poor malice

Remains in danger of her former tooth.

But let the frame of things disjoint, both the

worlds suffer,

Ere we will eat our meal in fear and sleep

In the affliction of these terrible dreams

That shake us nightly: better be with the dead,

Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,

Than on the torture of the mind to lie

In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave;

After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;

Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison,

Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing,

Can touch him further.

We have injured the snake but not killed it.

She will heal and be herself again and we

remain in danger of her fangs. The universe

may fall apart and heaven and earth will suffer,

and I will eat my meals in fear and sleep

with nightmares shaking me nightly.

We’d be better off with the dead we killed

in order to gain our peace rather than suffering

this torture of the mind. Duncan is in his grave.

after life’s unrest he sleeps well;

The worst that happened to him was treason:

no steel or poison, violence in his country, foreign war—

nothing can touch him now.

LADY MACBETH

Come on;

Gentle my lord, sleek o'er your rugged looks;

Be bright and jovial among your guests to-night.

Come on, relax, my lord. Change your expression.

Be bright and jovial with your guests tonight.

MACBETH

So shall I, love; and so, I pray, be you:

Let your remembrance apply to Banquo;

Present him eminence, both with eye and tongue:

Unsafe the while, that we

Must lave our honours in these flattering streams,

And make our faces vizards to our hearts,

Disguising what they are.

I will, my love, and so should you.

Pay special attention to Banquo.

Make him feel superior and important,

with the way you look at him and what you say.

We are in danger and must give him honor

and flatter him, and not allow our faces

to reveal what is in our hearts.

LADY MACBETH

You must leave this.

You must stop talking like this.

MACBETH

O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!

Thou know'st that Banquo, and his Fleance, lives.

Oh, my mind is full of scorpions, my dear wife!

You know that Banquo and his son live.

LADY MACBETH

But in them nature's copy's not eterne.

But only as long as they live—

they are not eternal.

MACBETH

There's comfort yet; they are assailable;