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Macbeth: Act 4, Scene 1

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Macbeth
Act 4, Scene 1

Scene 1

A cavern.

  1. Thunder. Enter the three Witches.

First Witch

2
  1. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.

Second Witch

3
  1. Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whin’d.

Third Witch

4
  1. Harpier cries, “’Tis time, ’tis time.”

First Witch

5 - 10
  1. Round about the cauldron go;
  2. In the poison’d entrails throw;
  3. Toad, that under cold stone
  4. Days and nights has thirty-one
  5. Swelt’red venom sleeping got,
  6. Boil thou first i’ th’ charmed pot.

Three Witches

11 - 12
  1. Double, double, toil and trouble;
  2. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

13 - 20
  1. Fillet of a fenny snake,
  2. In the cauldron boil and bake;
  3. Eye of newt and toe of frog,
  4. Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
  5. Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
  6. Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
  7. For a charm of pow’rful trouble,
  8. Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Three Witches

21 - 22
  1. Double, double, toil and trouble;
  2. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch

23 - 35
  1. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
  2. Witch’s mummy, maw and gulf
  3. Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
  4. Root of hemlock digg’d i’ th’ dark,
  5. Liver of blaspheming Jew,
  6. Gall of goat, and slips of yew
  7. Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse,
  8. Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,
  9. Finger of birth-strangled babe
  10. Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
  11. Make the gruel thick and slab.
  12. Add thereto a tiger’s chawdron,
  13. For th’ ingredience of our cau’dron.

Three Witches

36 - 37
  1. Double, double, toil and trouble;
  2. Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

38 - 39
  1. Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
  2. Then the charm is firm and good.
  1. Enter Hecat and the other three Witches.

Hecat

41 - 45
  1. O, well done! I commend your pains,
  2. And every one shall share i’ th’ gains.
  3. And now about the cauldron sing,
  4. Like elves and fairies in a ring,
  5. Enchanting all that you put in.
  1. Music and a song: “Black spirits, etc.”
  1. Exit Hecat.

Second Witch

48 - 52
  1. By the pricking of my thumbs,
  2. Something wicked this way comes.
  3. Knocking.
  4.                                  Open, locks,
  5.              Whoever knocks!

Harpier cries, “’Tis time, ’tis time.”

Norman M. Price, 1915

  1. Enter Macbeth.

Macbeth

54 - 55
  1. How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags?
  2. What is’t you do?

All Witches

56
  1.                   A deed without a name.

Macbeth

57 - 68
  1. I conjure you, by that which you profess
  2. (How e’er you come to know it), answer me:
  3. Though you untie the winds, and let them fight
  4. Against the churches; though the yesty waves
  5. Confound and swallow navigation up;
  6. Though bladed corn be lodg’d, and trees blown down;
  7. Though castles topple on their warders’ heads;
  8. Though palaces and pyramids do slope
  9. Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
  10. Of nature’s germains tumble all together,
  11. Even till destruction sicken; answer me
  12. To what I ask you.

First Witch

69
  1.                    Speak.

Second Witch

70
  1.        Demand.

Third Witch

71
  1.         We’ll answer.

First Witch

72 - 73
  1. Say, if th’ hadst rather hear it from our mouths,
  2. Or from our masters’?

Macbeth

74
  1.                       Call ’em; let me see ’em.

First Witch

75 - 78
  1. Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten
  2. Her nine farrow; grease that’s sweaten
  3. From the murderer’s gibbet throw
  4. Into the flame.

All Witches

79 - 80
  1.                 Come high or low;
  2. Thyself and office deftly show!
  1. Thunder. First Apparition, an armed Head.

Macbeth

82
  1. Tell me, thou unknown power—

First Witch

83 - 84
  1.                              He knows thy thought:
  2. Hear his speech, but say thou nought.

First Apparition

85 - 86
  1. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff,
  2. Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
  1. He descends.

Macbeth

88 - 89
  1. What e’er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks;
  2. Thou hast harp’d my fear aright. But one word more—

First Witch

90 - 91
  1. He will not be commanded. Here’s another,
  2. More potent than the first.
  1. Thunder. Second Apparition, a bloody Child.

Second Apparition

93
  1. Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!

Macbeth

94
  1. Had I three ears, I’ld hear thee.

Second Apparition

95 - 97
  1. Be bloody, bold, and resolute: laugh to scorn
  2. The pow’r of man; for none of woman born
  3. Shall harm Macbeth.

How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags? What is’t you do?

Frederick Gilbert, 1859

  1. Descends.

Macbeth

99 - 109
  1. Then live, Macduff; what need I fear of thee?
  2. But yet I’ll make assurance double sure,
  3. And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live,
  4. That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
  5. And sleep in spite of thunder.
  6. Thunder. Third Apparition, a Child crowned, with a tree in
  7. his hand.
  8.                                What is this
  9. That rises like the issue of a king,
  10. And wears upon his baby-brow the round
  11. And top of sovereignty?

All Witches and Apparitions

110
  1.                         Listen, but speak not to’t.

Third Apparition

111 - 115
  1. Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
  2. Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
  3. Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until
  4. Great Birnan wood to high Dunsinane hill
  5. Shall come against him.
  1. Descend.

Macbeth

117 - 126
  1.                         That will never be.
  2. Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
  3. Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! Good!
  4. Rebellious dead, rise never till the wood
  5. Of Birnan rise, and our high-plac’d Macbeth
  6. Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
  7. To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
  8. Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
  9. Can tell so much, shall Banquo’s issue ever
  10. Reign in this kingdom?

All Witches and Apparitions

127
  1.                        Seek to know no more.

Macbeth

128 - 130
  1. I will be satisfied. Deny me this,
  2. And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know.
  3. Why sinks that cauldron? And what noise is this?
  1. Hoboys.

First Witch

132
  1. Show!

Second Witch

133
  1. Show!

Third Witch

134
  1. Show!

All Witches

135 - 136
  1. Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
  2. Come like shadows, so depart.
  1. A show of eight Kings, the eighth with a glass in his hand,
  2. and Banquo last.

Macbeth

139 - 153
  1. Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down!
  2. Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair,
  3. Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first.
  4. A third is like the former. Filthy hags,
  5. Why do you show me this?—A fourth? Start, eyes!
  6. What, will the line stretch out to th’ crack of doom?
  7. Another yet? A seventh? I’ll see no more.
  8. And yet the eight appears, who bears a glass
  9. Which shows me many more; and some I see
  10. That twofold balls and treble sceptres carry.
  11. Horrible sight! Now I see ’tis true,
  12. For the blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me,
  13. And points at them for his.
  14. Apparitions vanish.
  15.                             What? Is this so?
Macbeth and the witches

Macbeth and the witches

1827

First Witch

154 - 161
  1. Ay, sir, all this is so. But why
  2. Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
  3. Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,
  4. And show the best of our delights.
  5. I’ll charm the air to give a sound,
  6. While you perform your antic round;
  7. That this great king may kindly say
  8. Our duties did his welcome pay.
  1. Music.
  1. The Witches dance and vanish.

Macbeth

164 - 166
  1. Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour
  2. Stand aye accursed in the calendar!
  3. Come in, without there!
  1. Enter Lennox.

Lennox

168
  1.                         What’s your Grace’s will?

Macbeth

169
  1. Saw you the weird sisters?

Lennox

170
  1.                            No, my lord.

Macbeth

171
  1. Came they not by you?

Lennox

172
  1.                       No indeed, my lord.

Macbeth

173 - 175
  1. Infected be the air whereon they ride,
  2. And damn’d all those that trust them! I did hear
  3. The galloping of horse. Who was’t came by?

Lennox

176 - 177
  1. ’Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word
  2. Macduff is fled to England.

Macbeth

178
  1.                             Fled to England!

Lennox

179
  1. Ay, my good lord.

Macbeth

180 - 193
  1. Aside.
  2. Time, thou anticipat’st my dread exploits:
  3. The flighty purpose never is o’ertook
  4. Unless the deed go with it. From this moment
  5. The very firstlings of my heart shall be
  6. The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
  7. To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
  8. The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
  9. Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword
  10. His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
  11. That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
  12. This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool.
  13. But no more sights!—Where are these gentlemen?
  14. Come bring me where they are.
  1. Exeunt.

The Witches dance and vanish.

Frederick Gilbert, circa 1875

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