Macbeth Act 1 Scene 4
Forres. The palace.
The Original
Plain Modern English
Flourish. Enter Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lennox, and Attendants.
Duncan
Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
Those in commission yet return'd?
Duncan
Has Cawdor been executed?
Aren't the officers back yet?
Malcolm
My liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die: who did report
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons,
Implored your highness' pardon and set forth
A deep repentance: nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it; he died
As one that had been studied in his death
To throw away the dearest thing he owed,
As 'twere a careless trifle.
Malcolm
My lord,
they're not back yet. But I spoke
with someone who watched him die, and he said
Cawdor openly confessed his treason,
begged Your Highness for forgiveness,
and showed deep regret. Nothing in his life
suited him as well as the way he left it. He died
like a man who had rehearsed his own death —
tossing away his most precious possession
like it was pocket change.
Duncan
There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face:
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
Duncan
There's no science
that can read a man's mind in his face.
He was a gentleman I trusted
absolutely. (Note: Duncan is about to do this again.)
Enter Macbeth, Banquo, Ross, and Angus.
Duncan
O worthiest cousin!
The sin of my ingratitude even now
Was heavy on me: thou art so far before
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
To overtake thee. Would thou hadst less deserved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.
Duncan
My most worthy cousin!
I was just feeling guilty
about my own ingratitude. You've raced so far ahead
that even the fastest reward
can't catch up to you. I almost wish you deserved less,
so my thanks and payment
could actually match it! All I can say is:
I owe you more than everything I have.
Macbeth
The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties; and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe toward your love and honour.
Macbeth
The service and loyalty I owe you
is its own reward. Your Highness's job
is simply to accept our duty — and our duty
to your throne is like that of children and servants:
we're only doing what we should
when we do everything to protect your love and honor.
Duncan
Welcome hither:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
And hold thee to my heart.
Duncan
Welcome!
I've planted you like a young tree,
and I'll work hard to help you grow. Noble Banquo —
you deserve no less, and everyone
should know it. Let me embrace you
and hold you to my heart.
Banquo
There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.
Banquo
If I grow there,
the harvest belongs to you.
Duncan
My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; which honour must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.
Duncan
I'm so overloaded with joy
that it's spilling over
and hiding itself in tears. Sons, relatives, thanes,
and all of you closest to me: know that
I'm officially settling the succession on
my eldest son, Malcolm, who from now on is
the Prince of Cumberland. But he won't be
the only one honored today —
titles will shine like stars
on everyone who's earned them. Now, on to Inverness,
where I'll owe you even more, Macbeth.
Macbeth
The rest is labour, which is not used for you:
I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave.
Macbeth
Any rest I take that isn't spent serving you feels like work.
I'll ride ahead personally and make my wife's day
with the news that you're coming.
So, humbly, I take my leave.
Duncan
My worthy Cawdor!
Duncan
My worthy Cawdor!
Macbeth
[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
Macbeth
(to himself) The Prince of Cumberland. That's a step
I'll either trip over or leap right past —
because it's standing in my way. Stars, put out your fires;
don't let any light see my black, deep desires.
Let my eye look away from what my hand does — but let it happen anyway,
the thing my eye will be too scared to look at once it's done.
Exit Macbeth.
Duncan
True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant,
And in his commendations I am fed;
It is a banquet to me. Let's after him,
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman.
Duncan
You're right, worthy Banquo — he really is that brave.
Compliments about Macbeth are food to me;
honestly, they're a whole banquet. Let's follow him —
he's rushed ahead just to prepare our welcome.
He's a kinsman without equal.
Flourish. Exeunt.