|
Flourish. Enter KING DUNCAN, LENNOX, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and attendants |
A trumpet fanfare sounds. KING DUNCAN, LENNOX, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and their attendants enter. |
|
DUNCAN
Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not Those in commission yet returned? |
DUNCAN
Has the former thane of Cawdor been executed yet? Haven’t the people in charge of that come back? |
|
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 confessed 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 king, they haven’t come back yet. But I spoke with someone who saw Cawdor die, and he said that Cawdor openly confessed his treasons, begged your highness’ forgiveness, and repented deeply. He never did anything in his whole life that looked as good as the way he died. He died like someone who had practiced how to toss away his most cherished possession as if it were a worthless a piece of garbage. |
|
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 way to read a man’s mind by looking at his face. I trusted Cawdor completely. |
|
Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS |
MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS enter. |
|
(to MACBETH) 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. |
(to MACBETH) My worthiest kinsman! Just this moment I was feeling guilty for not having thanked you enough. You have done so much for me so fast that it has been impossible to reward you properly. If you deserved less, then perhaps my payment would have matched your deeds! All I can say is that I owe you more than I can ever repay. |
|
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 everything Safe toward your love and honor. |
MACBETH
The opportunity to serve you is its own reward. Your only duty, your highness, is to accept what we owe you. Our duty to you and your state is like the duty of children to their father or servants to their master. By doing everything we can to protect you, we’re only doing what we should. |
|
DUNCAN
Welcome hither. I have begun to plant thee, and will labor To make thee full of growing. (to BANQUO) Noble Banquo, That hast no less deserved, nor must be known No less to have done so, let me infold thee And hold thee to my heart. |
DUNCAN
You are welcome here. By making you thane of Cawdor, I have planted the seeds of a great career for you, and I will make sure they grow. (to BANQUO) Noble Banquo, you deserve no less than Macbeth, and everyone should know it. Let me bring you close to me and give you the benefit of my love and good will. |
|
BANQUO
There, if I grow, The harvest is your own. |
BANQUO
Then if I accomplish anything great, it will be a credit to you. |
|
DUNCAN
My plenteous joys, Wanton in fullness, 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 honor must Not unaccompanied invest him only, But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers. (to MACBETH) From hence to Inverness, And bind us further to you. |
DUNCAN
My joy is so overwhelming it brings tears to my eyes. My sons, relatives, lords, and all those closest to me, I want you to witness that I will bestow my kingdom on my eldest son, Malcolm. Today I name him the prince of Cumberland. But Malcolm isn’t going to be alone in receiving honors—titles of nobility will shine like stars on all of you who deserve them. (to MACBETH) And now, let’s go to your castle at Inverness, where I will become even more obliged to you because of your hospitality. |
|
MACBETH
The rest is labor 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
I’m not happy unless I can be working for you. I will go ahead and bring my wife the good news that you are coming. With that, I’ll be off. |
|
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) Malcolm is now the prince of Cumberland! To become king myself, I’m either going to have to step over him or give up, because he’s in my way. Stars, hide your light so no one can see the terrible desires within me. I won’t let my eye look at what my hand is doing, but in the end I’m still going to do that thing I’d be horrified to see. |
|
Exit |
MACBETH exits. |
|
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
(to BANQUO, in the middle of a conversation we haven’t heard) You’re right, Banquo. Macbeth is every bit as valiant as you say, and I am satisfied with these praises of him. Let’s follow after him, now that he has gone ahead to prepare our welcome. He is a man without equal. |
|
Flourish. Exeunt |
Trumpet fanfare. They exit. |