David Gauthier
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbethscenes.html
Act 1 Scene 5
Lady Macbeth
Original
The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman's breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature's mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry 'Hold, hold!'
Personal Translation
That death himself is speechless with the unfortunate coming of Duncan
Under my roof. Come demons and evil spirits, take the weakness of a woman away from me,
And fill my entire body full
Of the fiercest evil! Make my blood thick;
Stop the ability to feel guilt and remorse,
That no guilty part of my nature
Disturbs my goal, nor keep the peace between
My purpose and its fulfilment! Come to my breasts,
And turn my milk in to bile, you murdering sprits,
Wherever in your blind mixes
You wait on unnatural horrors! Come, thick night,
And wrap me in the darkest smoke from hell,
That my sharp knife does not see the wound it makes,
Nor my good nature to break through the darkness,
To cry ‘Stop, stop!’
Act 1 Scene 7(1-29)
Original
MACBETH: If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'ld jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here;
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor:
this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredience of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on th'other.
Personal Translation
MACBETH: If the deed were done with the moment it is committed,
Then it would be well to do it quickly.
If the act of murder could hold in check
Any unpleasant consequences and secure success with Duncan’s death,
So that this one blow might be all that is necessary
And the end of the whole matter here,
But now, upon this collection of time,
We’d evade the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgement here, in that we teach
Bloody teachings, which being taught recoil
on the head of the mastermind of the crime. This fair justice
Presents the ingredients of our corrupted goblet
To our own lips. He’s here in complete trust:
First, I am a relative and his subject,
Both are strongly against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Anyways, this Duncan
Has exercised his powers so gently, has been
So blameless as King, that his virtues
Will advocate like angels, advertise against
The deadly sin of his death.
And so sad, like a helpless newborn baby,
Walking the gust of air, or heaven’s order of angels, riding
Upon the invisible messengers of the wind,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every one,
That shall lessen the grief of death with the anger of the crime. I have no incentive
To urge on my purpose, but only
Over ambition, which over does itself,
And falls on the other–
Act 2 Scene 1(33-61)
Original
MACBETH: Is this a dagger which I see before me,
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,
And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,
Which was not so before. There's no such thing:
It is the bloody business which informs
Thus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one halfworld
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebrates
Pale Hecate's offerings, and wither'd murder,
Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,
Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.
With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,
Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear
Thy very stones prate of my whereabout,
And take the present horror from the time,
Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:
Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.
A bell rings.
I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.
Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.
Personal Translation
MACBETH: Is this a dagger that I am seeing,
Withe the handle towards my hands? Come let me hold you.
I have not got you, and yet I still see you.
Are you not, ominous vision, capable
of being grasped by the senses other than sight? Or are you but
A dagger of the mind, an unreal creation,
Proceeding from the fever?
I see you yet, in form as believable
As the dagger I now draw.
You direct me to the place where I was going,
And such a weapon I was to use.
My own eyes are the fools of the other senses,
Or else they are more reliable than the rest. I still see you;
And on your blade and wrath drops of blood,
Which was not there before. There’s no such thing.
It is the bloody business which creates
this shape before my eyes. Now over the one half-world
All natural things seem dead, and unnatural things abuse
My sleeping eyelids; witchcraft parties
Pale Hecate’s sacrifices; and withered murder,
Summoned by his sentinel the wolf,
Whose howl’s his watch, this with his silent pace,
With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design
Moves like a ghost. You sure and solid ground,
Don’t hear my footsteps, where they go, for fear
Your very stones tell of my whereabouts,
And take the present fear from the time,
Which now suits with it. While I threat, he lives:
Words to blow the flames of action.
[A bell rings]
I go, and it is done. The bell calls me.
Do not hear it Duncan, for it is a warning
That summons you to heaven or to hell.
Act 3 Scene 1(47-71)
Original
MACBETH: But to be safely thus.--Our fears in Banquo
And, to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour
To act in safety. There is none but he
Whose being I do fear: and, under him,
My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said,
Mark Antony's was by Caesar. He chid the sisters
When first they put the name of king upon me,
And bade them speak to him: then prophet-like
They hail'd him father to a line of kings:
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding. If 't be so,
For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind;
For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd;
Put rancours in the vessel of my peace
Only for them; and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!
Rather than so, come fate into the list.
And champion me to the utterance! Who's there!
Personal Translation
MACBETH: To be king as I am is worth nothing,
but to be secure on my throne is everything. Our fears in Banquo
Stick like daggers, and in his natural,
King-like dignity inspires awe. This much he dares,
And to that heroic quality of his mind,
He has a wisdom that does guide his resolution
To act safely. There is no one but him
Who I do fear; and under him
My intelligence is scolded, as it is said
Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He called on the sisters,
When they laid the title of king on me,
And asked them to speak to him. Then, like a prophet,
The hailed him a father to a line of kings.
They placed a meaningless crown on my head,
And an empty scepter in my hand,
So to be torn away by those not of my descendants,
No son of mine will be king. If it be so,
For Banquo’s issue has filled my mind,
For them the gracious Duncan I murdered,
Put bitterness in the vessel of my serenity
Only for them, and my eternal charm
Given to the common enemy of man,
To make them kings, Banquo’s children to be kings.
Rather than that, come fate, into the list,
And ally me to the revelation. Who’s there?
Act 5 Scene 5 (17-28)
Original
MACBETH: Wherefore was that cry?
SEYTON :The queen, my lord, is dead.
MACBETH: She should have died hereafter;
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
Told by an idiot, full of sounds and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Personal Translation
MACBETH: What was that cry?
SEYTON: The queen died my lord.
MACBETH: She should have died after the battle,
There would have been time to talk to her.
The next day, and the day after that, and the day after that,
Creeps in the trivial pace from day to day
To the last word of the book of life,
And from the meaningless future he turned to
The insanity of the past. Out, out, brief candle!
Life is but a shadow, a horrid actor
That walks and yells during his time on stage.
And then is silenced: It is a story
Told by an idiot, full of noise,
Proving nothing.The certainty of death is so great