No Fear Shakespeare

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

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Act 4, Scene 1, Page 3

Original Text

Modern Text

Enter MACBETH
MACBETH enters.


MACBETH
How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags?
What is ’t you do?
MACBETH
What’s going on here, you secret, evil, midnight hags? What are you doing?

ALL
     A deed without a name.
ALL
Something there isn’t a word for.

50




55




60
MACBETH
I conjure you by that which you profess—
Howe'er you come to know it—answer me.
Though you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches, though the yeasty waves
Confound and swallow navigation up,
Though bladed corn be lodged 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 germens tumble all together,
Even till destruction sicken, answer me
To what I ask you.
MACBETH
I don’t know how you know the things you do, but I insist that you answer my questions. I command you in the name of whatever dark powers you serve. I don’t care if you unleash violent winds that tear down churches, make the foamy waves overwhelm ships and send sailors to their deaths, flatten crops and trees, make castles fall down on their inhabitants' heads, make palaces and pyramids collapse, and mix up everything in nature. Tell me what I want to know.

FIRST WITCH
Speak.
FIRST WITCH
Speak.

SECOND WITCH
     Demand.
SECOND WITCH
Demand.

THIRD WITCH
     We’ll answer.
THIRD WITCH
We’ll answer.


FIRST WITCH
Say, if th' hadst rather hear it from our mouths,
Or from our masters'.
FIRST WITCH
Would you rather hear these things from our mouths or from our master’s?

MACBETH
     Call 'em. Let me see 'em.
MACBETH
Call them. Let me see them.

65


FIRST WITCH
Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten
Her nine farrow; grease that’s sweaten
From the murderer’s gibbet throw
Into the flame.
FIRST WITCH
Pour in the blood of a sow who has eaten her nine offspring. Take the sweat of a murderer on the gallows and throw it into the flame.

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