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No Fear Shakespheare

Macbeth

William Shakespeare

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Act 5, Scene 1, Page 2

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GENTLEWOMAN
Why, it stood by her. She has light by her continually. 'Tis her command.
 GENTLEWOMAN
It stands by her bedside. She always has to have a light next to her. Those are her orders.

DOCTOR
You see her eyes are open.
 DOCTOR
You see, her eyes are open.

GENTLEWOMAN
Ay, but their sense is shut.
 GENTLEWOMAN
Yes, but they don’t see anything.

DOCTOR
What is it she does now? Look, how she rubs her hands.
 DOCTOR
What’s she doing now? Look how she rubs her hands.

20
 GENTLEWOMAN
It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have
known her continue in this a quarter of an hour.
 GENTLEWOMAN
She often does that. She looks like she’s washing her hands. I’ve seen her do that before for as long as fifteen minutes.

LADY MACBETH
Yet here’s a spot.
 LADY MACBETH
There’s still a spot here.


DOCTOR
Hark! She speaks. I will set down what comes from her, to satisfy my
remembrance the more strongly.
 DOCTOR
Listen! She’s talking. I’ll write down what she says, so I’ll remember it better.

25


 LADY MACBETH
Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is
murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows
it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the
old man to have had so much blood in him.
 LADY MACBETH
(rubbing her hands) Come out, damned spot! Out, I command you! One, two. OK, it’s time to do it now.—Hell is murky!—Nonsense, my lord, nonsense! You are a soldier, and yet you are afraid? Why should we be scared, when no one can lay the guilt upon us?—But who would have thought the old man would have had so much blood in him?

DOCTOR
Do you mark that?
 DOCTOR
Did you hear that?

30		 LADY MACBETH
The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting.
 LADY MACBETH
The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will my hands never be clean?—No more of that, my lord, no more of that. You’ll ruin everything by acting startled like this.

DOCTOR
Go to, go to. You have known what you should not.
 DOCTOR
Now look what you’ve done. You’ve heard something you shouldn’t have.
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