Act One, scene 3
(cut)
“Two truths are told…”
A heath near Forres.
Witch
#1, Witch #2, Macbeth, Banquo, Ross, Angus
MACBETH:
So
foul and fair a day I have not seen.[d1]
BANQUO: How far is't call'd to Forres?[d2] What are these
So wither'd and so wild in
their attire,
That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth,
And yet are on't? Live
you? or are you aught
That man may question? You seem to understand me,
You should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so.[d3]
MACBETH. Speak, if you
can. What are you?[d4]
FIRST WITCH (Reese). All
hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
SECOND WITCH (Myself).
All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
FIRST
WITCH. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!
BANQUO. Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear
Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth,
Are ye fantastical or that indeed
Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner
Of noble having and of royal hope,
That he seems rapt withal. To me you speak not.
If you can look into the seeds of time,
Speak then to me..[d5]
[d6]
FIRST
WITCH. Hail!
SECOND
WITCH. Hail!
FIRST WITCH. Thou shalt get kings, though
thou be none.
So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!
SECOND
WITCH. Banquo and Macbeth, all
hail!
MACBETH. Stay, you imperfect
speakers, tell me more[d7] .
I know I am Thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives,
[d8] Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence, or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.
(Witches vanish[d9] ).
BANQUO. The earth hath bubbles as the water has,
And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd?
[d10]
MACBETH. Into the air,
and what seem'd corporal melted
As breath into the wind. Would they had stay'd!
BANQUO. Were such things here as we do speak about?
Or have we eaten on the insane root
That takes the reason prisoner?[d11]
MACBETH. Your children
shall be kings.
BANQUO. You shall be King.
MACBETH. And Thane of Cawdor too.
BANQUO. To the selfsame tune and words. Who's here?[d12]
ROSSThe King hath
happily received, Macbeth,
The news of thy success; and when he
reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels'
fight,
His wonders and his praises do
contend
Which should be thine
or his. Silenced with that,
In viewing
o'er the rest o' the selfsame day,
He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks,
Nothing afeard of what thyself didst
make,
Strange images of death. As thick as
hail
Came post with post, and every one
did bear
Thy praises in his kingdom's great
defense,
And pour'd them down before him.
[d13]
ANGUS. We are sent
To give
thee, from our royal master, thanks;
Only to herald thee into his sight,
Not pay thee.
[d14]
ROSS. And for an
earnest of a greater honor,
He bade me, from him, call thee Thane
of Cawdor.
In which addition, hail, most worthy
Thane,
For it is thine[d15] .
BANQUO. What, can the devil speak true[d16] ?
MACBETH. The Thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you
dress me
In borrow'd robes?
[d17]
ANGUS. Who was the Thane lives yet,
But under heavy judgement
bears that life
Which he deserves to lose. Whether he
was combined
With those
of Norway, or did line the rebel
With hidden help and vantage, or that
with both
He labor'd
in his country's wreck, I know not;
But treasons capital, confess'd and proved,
Have overthrown him.
MACBETH. [To Ross and
Angus] Thanks for your
pains.
[Aside to Banquo] Do you not hope
your children shall be
kings,
When those
that gave the Thane of Cawdor to me[d18]
Promised no less
to them?
BANQUO. [Aside to
Macbeth.] But
'tis strange;
And oftentimes, to win us to our
harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us
truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence-
Cousins, a word, I pray you.[d19]
MACBETH. [Aside.] Two truths are told,
As happy
prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme-I thank you,
gentlemen.
[Aside.]
This
Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If
ill,
Why hath it
given me earnest of success,
I am Thane of Cawdor.
If good, why do I yield to that
suggestion
Whose horrid
image doth unfix my hair
Against the use of nature? Present fears
Are less
than horrible imaginings:
My thought, whose murther
yet is but fantastical...
[d20]
[d1]Macbeth will be onstage alongside Banquo; but at this instant, Macbeth will almost be in a trance; saying this line almost wondering curiously to himself
[d2]Answers the question; acts as voice of reason in 1st line
[d3]Changes tone completely to accusatory; disgusted and close to anger
[d4]Reverts back to man of action
[d5]Talking to witches now
[d6]Again acting as voice of reason, but now concerned for Macbeth; sign of close friendship between men
[d7]Suddenly intrigued; turns to witches
[d8]Now questions himself
[d9]Also portray Macbeth’s ego and really, his ambition to ascend to Throne
[d10]Suspicious; showing that maybe the witches’ magic won’t work on Banquo, not a willing listener
[d11]Now, confused
[d12]Shifts conversation quickly; turns away from Macbeth
[d13]Reference his veneration of Macbeth, how grateful everyone is of his deeds; also show how pro-state Ross is (patriotic)
[d14]Showing nobility; not acting as servant here
[d15]Cordial in tone; perhaps even putting his arm around Macbeth
[d16]First signs of his true jealously, or perhaps his care for Macbeth
[d17]Confusion; but also comprehension, the realization that the witches are correct
[d18]Duplicitious (2-faced character) is unleashed; happy in front of Ross/Angus, but also full of ambition to Banquo
[d19]A hint of jealously; but truthfully, it’s confusion over how to address the issue; worried about Macbeth
[d20]Rationalizing everything