THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

Act 1 Scene 5

(Enter Lady Macbeth, with a letter)
l1l	Lady Macbeth	(reading)
		 “They met me in the day of success,
l2l		and I have learned by the perfect’st report they have
l3l		more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in
l4l		desire to question them further, they made themselves
l5l		air, into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt in the
l6l		wonder of it came missives from the King, who all-hailed
l7l		me ““Thane of Cawdor””, by which title before these weird
l8l		sisters saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of
l9l		time with ““Hail, King that shalt be!”” This have I thought
l10l		good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness,
l11l		that thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being
l12l		ignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay it to
l13l		thy heart, and farewell.”
l14l		Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
l15l		What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature.
l16l		It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness
l17l		To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
l18l		Art not without ambition, but without
l19l		The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly,
l20l		That wouldst thou holily# wouldst not play false,
l21l		And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou’dst have, great Glamis,
l22l		That which cries “Thus thou must do” if thou have it,
l23l		And that which rather thou dost fear to do
l24l		Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither,
l25l		That I may pour my spirits in thine ear
l26l		And chastise with the valour of my tongue
l27l		All that impedes thee from the golden round
l28l		Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
l29l		To have thee crowned withal.
		(Enter a Servant)
		 What is your tidings?
l30l	Servant	The King comes here tonight.
	Lady Macbeth	Thou’rt mad to say it.
l31l		Is not thy master with him, who, were ’t so,
l32l		Would have informed for preparation?
l33l	Servant	So please you, it is true. Our thane is coming,
l34l		One of my fellows had the speed of him,
l35l		Who, almost dead for breath, had scarcely more
l36l		Than would make up his message.
	Lady Macbeth	Give him tending#
l37l		He brings great news.
		(Exit Servant)
		 The raven himself is hoarse
l38l		That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
l39l		Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
l40l		That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
l41l		And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
l42l		Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood,
l43l		Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,
l44l		That no compunctious visitings of nature
l45l		Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
l46l		Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts,
l47l		And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers,
l48l		Wherever in your sightless substances
l49l		You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night,
l50l		And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
l51l		That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
l52l		Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
l53l		To cry “Hold, hold!”
		(Enter Macbeth)
		 Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor,
l54l		Greater than both by the all-hail hereafter,
l55l		Thy letters have transported me beyond
l56l		This ignorant present, and I feel now
l57l		The future in the instant.
	Macbeth	My dearest love,
l58l		Duncan comes here tonight.
	Lady Macbeth	And when goes hence?
l59l	Macbeth	Tomorrow, as he purposes.
	Lady Macbeth	O never
l60l		Shall sun that morrow see.
l61l		Your face, my thane, is as a book where men
l62l		May read strange matters. To beguile the time,
l63l		Look like the time# bear welcome in your eye,
l64l		Your hand, your tongue# look like the innocent flower,
l65l		But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming
l66l		Must be provided for# and you shall put
l67l		This night’s great business into my dispatch,
l68l		Which shall to all our nights and days to come
l69l		Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom.
l70l	Macbeth	We will speak further.
	Lady Macbeth	Only look up clear.
l71l		To alter favour ever is to fear.
l72l		Leave all the rest to me.
		(Exeunt)