THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Act 1 Scene 4

(Flourish. Enter King Duncan, Lennox, Malcolm, Donalbain, and attendants)
l1l	King Duncan	 Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
l2l		Those in commission yet returned?
	Malcolm	My liege,
l3l		They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
l4l		With one that saw him die, who did report
l5l		That very frankly he confessed his treasons,
l6l		Implored your highness’ pardon, and set forth
l7l		A deep repentance. Nothing in his life
l8l		Became him like the leaving it. He died
l9l		As one that had been studied in his death
l10l		To throw away the dearest thing he owed
l11l		As ’twere a careless trifle.
	King Duncan	There’s no art
l12l		To find the mind’s construction in the face.
l13l		He was a gentleman on whom I built
l14l		An absolute trust.
		(Enter Macbeth, Banquo, Ross, and Angus)
		
		(To Macbeth)
		 O worthiest cousin,
l15l		The sin of my ingratitude even now
l16l		Was heavy on me! Thou art so far before
l17l		That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
l18l		To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved,
l19l		That the proportion both of thanks and payment
l20l		Might have been mine. Only I have left to say,
l21l		“More is thy due than more than all can pay”.
l22l	Macbeth	The service and the loyalty I owe,
l23l		In doing it, pays itself. Your highness’ part
l24l		Is to receive our duties, and our duties
l25l		Are to your throne and state children and servants
l26l		Which do but what they should by doing everything
l27l		Safe toward your love and honour.
	King Duncan	Welcome hither.
l28l		I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
l29l		To make thee full of growing.—Noble Banquo,
l30l		That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
l31l		No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
l32l		And hold thee to my heart.
	Banquo	There if I grow
l33l		The harvest is your own.
	King Duncan	My plenteous joys,
l34l		Wanton in fullness, seek to hide themselves
l35l		In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
l36l		And you whose places are the nearest, know
l37l		We will establish our estate upon
l38l		Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
l39l		The Prince of Cumberland# which honour must
l40l		Not unaccompanied invest him only,
l41l		But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
l42l		On all deservers.
		(To Macbeth)
		 From hence to Inverness,
l43l		And bind us further to you.
l44l	Macbeth	The rest is labour which is not used for you.
l45l		I’ll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful
l46l		The hearing of my wife with your approach#
l47l		So humbly take my leave.
	King Duncan	My worthy Cawdor.
l48l	Macbeth	(aside)
		 The Prince of Cumberland—that is a step
l49l		On which I must fall down or else o’erleap,
l50l		For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires,
l51l		Let not light see my black and deep desires#
l52l		The eye wink at the hand# yet let that be
l53l		Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
		(Exit)
l54l	King Duncan	 True, worthy Banquo, he is full so valiant,
l55l		And in his commendations I am fed.
l56l		It is a banquet to me. Let’s after him,
l57l		Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome.
l58l		It is a peerless kinsman.
		(Flourish. Exeunt)