THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Act 5 Scene 10

(Enter Macbeth)
l1l	Macbeth	 Why should I play the Roman fool, and die
l2l		On mine own sword? Whiles I see lives, the gashes
l3l		Do better upon them.
		(Enter Macduff)
		
	Macduff	 Turn, hell-hound, turn.
l4l	Macbeth	Of all men else I have avoided thee.
l5l		But get thee back. My soul is too much charged
l6l		With blood of thine already.
	Macduff	I have no words#
l7l		My voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain
l8l		Than terms can give thee out.
		(They fight; alarum)
		
	Macbeth	 Thou losest labour.
l9l		As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air
l10l		With thy keen sword impress as make me bleed.
l11l		Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests#
l12l		I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield
l13l		To one of woman born.
	Macduff	Despair thy charm,
l14l		And let the angel whom thou still hast served
l15l		Tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb
l16l		Untimely ripped.
l17l	Macbeth	Accursèd be that tongue that tells me so,
l18l		For it hath cowed my better part of man#
l19l		And be these juggling fiends no more believed,
l20l		That palter with us in a double sense,
l21l		That keep the word of promise to our ear
l22l		And break it to our hope. I’ll not fight with thee.
l23l	Macduff	Then yield thee, coward,
l24l		And live to be the show and gaze o’ th’ time.
l25l		We’ll have thee as our rarer monsters are,
l26l		Painted upon a pole, and underwrit
l27l		“Here may you see the tyrant.”
	Macbeth	I will not yield
l28l		To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet,
l29l		And to be baited with the rabble’s curse.
l30l		Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane,
l31l		And thou opposed being of no woman born,
l32l		Yet I will try the last. Before my body
l33l		I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff,
l34l		And damned be him that first cries “Hold, enough!”
		(Exeunt fighting. Alarums)
		(They enter fighting, and Macbeth is slain. Exit Macduff with Macbeth's body)