Macbeth
Act 4, Scene 1

A cavern.
- Thunder. Enter the three Witches.
First Witch
2- Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.
Second Witch
3- Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whin’d.
Third Witch
4- Harpier cries, “’Tis time, ’tis time.”
First Witch
5 - 10- Round about the cauldron go;
- In the poison’d entrails throw;
- Toad, that under cold stone
- Days and nights has thirty-one
- Swelt’red venom sleeping got,
- Boil thou first i’ th’ charmed pot.
Three Witches
11 - 12- Double, double, toil and trouble;
- Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Second Witch
13 - 20- Fillet of a fenny snake,
- In the cauldron boil and bake;
- Eye of newt and toe of frog,
- Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
- Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,
- Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing,
- For a charm of pow’rful trouble,
- Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Three Witches
21 - 22- Double, double, toil and trouble;
- Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Third Witch
23 - 35- Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
- Witch’s mummy, maw and gulf
- Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,
- Root of hemlock digg’d i’ th’ dark,
- Liver of blaspheming Jew,
- Gall of goat, and slips of yew
- Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse,
- Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,
- Finger of birth-strangled babe
- Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,
- Make the gruel thick and slab.
- Add thereto a tiger’s chawdron,
- For th’ ingredience of our cau’dron.
Three Witches
36 - 37- Double, double, toil and trouble;
- Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.
Second Witch
38 - 39- Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
- Then the charm is firm and good.
- Enter Hecat and the other three Witches.
Hecat
41 - 45- O, well done! I commend your pains,
- And every one shall share i’ th’ gains.
- And now about the cauldron sing,
- Like elves and fairies in a ring,
- Enchanting all that you put in.
- Music and a song: “Black spirits, etc.”
- Exit Hecat.
Second Witch
48 - 52- By the pricking of my thumbs,
- Something wicked this way comes.
- Knocking.
- Open, locks,
- Whoever knocks!
- Enter Macbeth.
Macbeth
54 - 55- How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags?
- What is’t you do?
All Witches
56- A deed without a name.
Macbeth
57 - 68- I conjure you, by that which you profess
- (How e’er you come to know it), answer me:
- Though you untie the winds, and let them fight
- Against the churches; though the yesty waves
- Confound and swallow navigation up;
- Though bladed corn be lodg’d, and trees blown down;
- Though castles topple on their warders’ heads;
- Though palaces and pyramids do slope
- Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure
- Of nature’s germains tumble all together,
- Even till destruction sicken; answer me
- To what I ask you.
First Witch
69- Speak.
Second Witch
70- Demand.
Third Witch
71- We’ll answer.
First Witch
72 - 73- Say, if th’ hadst rather hear it from our mouths,
- Or from our masters’?
Macbeth
74- Call ’em; let me see ’em.
First Witch
75 - 78- Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten
- Her nine farrow; grease that’s sweaten
- From the murderer’s gibbet throw
- Into the flame.
All Witches
79 - 80- Come high or low;
- Thyself and office deftly show!
- Thunder. First Apparition, an armed Head.
Macbeth
82- Tell me, thou unknown power—
First Witch
83 - 84- He knows thy thought:
- Hear his speech, but say thou nought.
First Apparition
85 - 86- Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff,
- Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.
- He descends.
Macbeth
88 - 89- What e’er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks;
- Thou hast harp’d my fear aright. But one word more—
First Witch
90 - 91- He will not be commanded. Here’s another,
- More potent than the first.
- Thunder. Second Apparition, a bloody Child.
Second Apparition
93- Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!
Macbeth
94- Had I three ears, I’ld hear thee.
Second Apparition
95 - 97- Be bloody, bold, and resolute: laugh to scorn
- The pow’r of man; for none of woman born
- Shall harm Macbeth.
- Descends.
Macbeth
99 - 109- Then live, Macduff; what need I fear of thee?
- But yet I’ll make assurance double sure,
- And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live,
- That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies,
- And sleep in spite of thunder.
- Thunder. Third Apparition, a Child crowned, with a tree in
- his hand.
- What is this
- That rises like the issue of a king,
- And wears upon his baby-brow the round
- And top of sovereignty?
All Witches and Apparitions
110- Listen, but speak not to’t.
Third Apparition
111 - 115- Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care
- Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:
- Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until
- Great Birnan wood to high Dunsinane hill
- Shall come against him.
- Descend.
Macbeth
117 - 126- That will never be.
- Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
- Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! Good!
- Rebellious dead, rise never till the wood
- Of Birnan rise, and our high-plac’d Macbeth
- Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath
- To time and mortal custom. Yet my heart
- Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
- Can tell so much, shall Banquo’s issue ever
- Reign in this kingdom?
All Witches and Apparitions
127- Seek to know no more.
Macbeth
128 - 130- I will be satisfied. Deny me this,
- And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know.
- Why sinks that cauldron? And what noise is this?
- Hoboys.
First Witch
132- Show!
Second Witch
133- Show!
Third Witch
134- Show!
All Witches
135 - 136- Show his eyes, and grieve his heart;
- Come like shadows, so depart.
- A show of eight Kings, the eighth with a glass in his hand,
- and Banquo last.
Macbeth
139 - 153- Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo; down!
- Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair,
- Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first.
- A third is like the former. Filthy hags,
- Why do you show me this?—A fourth? Start, eyes!
- What, will the line stretch out to th’ crack of doom?
- Another yet? A seventh? I’ll see no more.
- And yet the eight appears, who bears a glass
- Which shows me many more; and some I see
- That twofold balls and treble sceptres carry.
- Horrible sight! Now I see ’tis true,
- For the blood-bolter’d Banquo smiles upon me,
- And points at them for his.
- Apparitions vanish.
- What? Is this so?
First Witch
154 - 161- Ay, sir, all this is so. But why
- Stands Macbeth thus amazedly?
- Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites,
- And show the best of our delights.
- I’ll charm the air to give a sound,
- While you perform your antic round;
- That this great king may kindly say
- Our duties did his welcome pay.
- Music.
- The Witches dance and vanish.
Macbeth
164 - 166- Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour
- Stand aye accursed in the calendar!
- Come in, without there!
- Enter Lennox.
Lennox
168- What’s your Grace’s will?
Macbeth
169- Saw you the weird sisters?
Lennox
170- No, my lord.
Macbeth
171- Came they not by you?
Lennox
172- No indeed, my lord.
Macbeth
173 - 175- Infected be the air whereon they ride,
- And damn’d all those that trust them! I did hear
- The galloping of horse. Who was’t came by?
Lennox
176 - 177- ’Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word
- Macduff is fled to England.
Macbeth
178- Fled to England!
Lennox
179- Ay, my good lord.
Macbeth
180 - 193- Aside.
- Time, thou anticipat’st my dread exploits:
- The flighty purpose never is o’ertook
- Unless the deed go with it. From this moment
- The very firstlings of my heart shall be
- The firstlings of my hand. And even now,
- To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done:
- The castle of Macduff I will surprise,
- Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword
- His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls
- That trace him in his line. No boasting like a fool;
- This deed I’ll do before this purpose cool.
- But no more sights!—Where are these gentlemen?
- Come bring me where they are.
- Exeunt.