No Fear Shakespeare
Macbeth
Get this No Fear to go!
Act 2, Scene 3
Original Text |
Modern Text |
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Enter a PORTER. Knocking within |
A sound of knocking from offstage. A
PORTER
, who is obviously drunk,
enters. |
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PORTER
Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of
hell-gate,
he should have old turning the key.
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PORTER
This is a lot of knocking! Come to think of it, if a man were in
charge of opening the gates of hell to let people in, he would have
to turn the key a lot.
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Knock within |
A sound of knocking from offstage. |
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Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i'
th' name of Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer that hanged
himself on the expectation of plenty. Come in time, have napkins
enough about you, here you’ll sweat for ’t.
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Knock, knock, knock! (pretending
he’s the gatekeeper in hell) Who’s
there, in the devil’s name? Maybe it’s a farmer
who killed himself because grain was cheap. (talking to the imaginary farmer) You’re here
just in time! I hope you brought some handkerchiefs; you’re
going to sweat a lot here.
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Knock within |
A sound of knocking from offstage. |
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Knock, knock! Who’s there, in th' other
devil’s name? Faith, here’s an equivocator that
could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed
treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to
heaven. O, come in, equivocator.
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Knock, knock! Who’s there, in the other devil’s
name? Maybe it’s some slick, two-faced con man who lied
under oath. But he found out that you can’t lie to God, and
now he’s going to hell for perjury. Come on in, con
man.
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Knock within |
A sound of knocking from offstage. |
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| 5 |
Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there? Faith, here’s
an English tailor come hither for stealing out of a French hose.
Come in, tailor. Here you may roast your goose.
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Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there? Maybe it’s an
English tailor who liked to skimp on the fabric for
people’s clothes. But now that tight pants are in fashion
he can’t get away with it. Come on in, tailor. You can heat
your iron up in here.
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Knock within |
A sound of knocking from offstage. |
