It never slackens. Each event, each episode of the plot falls on the heels of its predecessor. There are no pauses, such, for example, as the gravedigger scene in hamlet. No comic relief, with the possible exception of the drunken porter in that almost unbearably tense scene of the knocking at the gate. Shakespeare is all business here, a fact that is further intensified in our shortened television version. In great part, this accelerated tempo is the result of shakespeares use of what we call dramatic foreshortening, that is, his device of telescoping, crowding together into a short space of time events that have actually taken place over a considerable period of time. One point where the device seems to give trouble to viewers is in the swiftness with which macbeth acts on the witches prophecy. They see him encounter the witches late in the afternoon, notify his wife, entertain the king that evening in his castle, and that night, murder him. Would a man really do that . Would macbeth do that . A man whom shakespeare is at pains to paint as brave, noble, of enviable reputation . No, he wouldnt, not on such sudden and questionable prompting. However, what needs to be understood here is that the thought of being king, of deserving the crown has been in macbeths mind for quite a while. Cousin, welcome hither. Consider the situation, duncan, an aged and saintly king has ruled his realm in peace. And to some individuals, those of a warlike or ambitious disposition, this combination of peace and age spells weakness. To such, the kingdom seems ripe for someone younger and stronger to seize it. Indeed, the very day the play opens, two aspirants to the throne have struck. The thane of cawdor attacking from within and the king of norway from without. Macbeth crushes both attempts, saving the kingdom and demonstrating what he feels should be evident to everyone that he has the strength to hold the realm together. This thought has taken passionate root in his brain. Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. When he meets the witches, he hears only what he has already told himself. Small wonder then that he starts in such guilty fashion with their pronouncements. They have discovered his secret, a secret only lady macbeth knows. This last fact must be clearly understood for it is the reason why a little later, lady macbeth upbraids him scornfully for his cowardice in hesitating to murder. She has known his thoughts all along has nourished his hopes and now is indignant that he seems to lack the guts to make them reality. Macbeth does act, not because the witches compel him, but because after long maturing, he is ready to act. He merely uses the witches. You might say, psychologists would say macbeth invents them. Now, another thing about the play to get clear beforehand is the matter of macbeths guilty feelings, supposed or real. Here and there, a critic tells us macbeth has no such feelelings. He does not regret what he has done or move to make amends. No, they say, all his turmoil is the result of his fears because things have not turned out as expected, because he finds himself compelled to commit one bloody deed after another in a futile search for security, and where will it end . All this is quite true. But to put macbeth down as a coldblooded butcher ruled solely by ambition is to grossly misread his character. To miss the tragic truth in his cry, glamis hath murdered sleep. Macbeth shall sleep no more. A coldblooded murderer does not lose sleep over his crime. A guilty man does. Neither macbeth nor his wife ever knows honest sleep after the murder, only nightmares. Joseph stalin once made the monstrous confession that no moment in his life was so sweet to him as the moment when having perfected plans for the elimination of a former comrade, he could lie down to sleep with the certainty that all would be accomplished by morning. That is coldbloodedness. And men like that never murder sleep. Actually, it is macbeths guilt combined with his fears that drive him headlong to destruction. But not just fear of human enemies, hes too brave for that; rather, fear of what he doesnt know and feels is already known by supernatural powers represented in the witches. Against these supernatural fears, he asks for supernatural assurances and gets them, or thinks he does. Nothing he has told can touch him till birnam wood moves to dunsinane, or he meets an enemy not born of woman. Ha, that can never happen, or can it . Can one trust a witch . Finally, comes the moment when birnam wood is seen to move. And when macduff reveals he was torn untimely from his mothers womb, now, knowing the worst, macbeth recovers some of his former virtue and manfully fights his last fight. One word more in listening to the voice of macbeth, one should be aware that one is listening to a poet, not simply to poetic lines put into the mouth of a character by the playwright but to words and metaphors of beauty that spring from an imagination naturally endowed with poetic vision. Think of macbeth, if you will, not only as a noble nature fallen into evil, but as a poet lost as well. To see him thus is to see him in a dimension one might otherwise only dimly sense. Such insight can make this swiftpaced drama a dazzling interplay of poetic beauty and moral ugliness, most of which have their Single Source in a corrupted but essentially noble heart. Well, after that briefing, you should be all set for what is to follow. Shall we then look at the play . When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain . When the hurlyburlys done, when the battles lost and won. That will be ere the set of sun. Where the place . Upon the heath. There to meet with macbeth. Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air. [music] so foul and fair a day i have not seen. How far ist calld to forres . What are these . So withered and so wild in their attire that look not like the inhabitants of the earth and yet are on it . Live you . Or are you aught that man may question . Speak if you can. All hail, macbeth. Hail to thee, thane of glamis. All hail, macbeth. Hail to thee, thane of cawdor. All hail, macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter. Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that do sound so fair . My noble partner you greet with present grace. To me you speak not. Hail. Lesser than macbeth and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, macbeth and banquo. Banquo and macbeth, all hail. Stay, you imperfect speakers. Tell me more. The thane of cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief. Speak if you can. The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, and these are of them. Whither are they vanished . Into the air. And what seemed corporal melted as breath into the wind. Would they had stayed. Your children shall be kings. You shall be king. And thane of cawdor too went it not so . To the selfsame tune and words. It is i, my lord. Whos here . My lord, macbeth. The king hath happily received, macbeth, the news of thy success as thick as hail came post with post and everyone did bear thy praises in his kingdoms great defence. We are sent to give thee from our royal master thanks. And in an earnest of a greater honor, he bade from him, call thee thane of cawdor. What . Can the devil speak true . The thane of cawdor lives. Why do you dress me in borrowed robes . Who was the thane lives yet. But treasons capital confessed and proved have overthrown him. Glamis and thane of cawdor. The greatest is behind. Thanks for your pains. Do you not hope your children shall be kings when those that gave the thane of cawdor to me promised no less to them . That trusted home might yet enkindle you unto the crown besides the thane of cawdor. Cousins, a word, i pray you. Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme. My lord. I thank you, gentlemen. This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success commencing with a truth . I am thane of cawdor. If good, why do i yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature . Look, how our partners rapt. If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir . Worthy macbeth, we stay upon your leisure. Give me your favor, sir. Let us toward the king. O, worthiest cousin. Welcome hither. I have begun to plant thee and will labor to make thee full of growing. Noble banquo, thou has no less deserved. Sons, kingsmen, thanes, we will establish our estate upon our eldest, malcolm, whom we name hereafter the prince of cumberland. Now, we shall to inverness and bind us further to you. Ill be myself the harbinger and make joyful hearing of my wife with your approach. So humbly take my leave. My worthy cawdor. The prince of cumberland. That is a step on which i must fall down or else oerleap for in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires. It is a peerless kinsman. When i burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves air into which they vanished. Whiles i stood rapt in the wonder of it, came missives from the king who all hailed me thane of cawdor by which title before these weird sisters saluted me with, hail king that shalt be. this have i thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness. Let thy heart and farewell. Glamis thou art and cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised. Yet, do i fear thy nature. It is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great. Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly that wouldst thou holily. Wouldst not play false and yet, wouldst wrongly win. What is your tiding . The king comes here tonight. Thourt mad to say it. Is not thy master with him . Who weret so, would have informed for preparation. So please you, it is true. Our thane is coming. One of my fellows had the speed of him. Give him tending. He brings great news. The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of duncan under my battlements. Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between the effect and it. Come to my womans breasts and take my milk for gall. You murdering ministers, wherever in your sightless substances, you wait on natures mischief. Come, thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell that my keen knife see not the wound it makes. Great glamis, worthy cawdor, greater than both by the all hail hereafter. My dearest love, duncan comes here tonight . And when goes hence . Tomorrow as he purposes. O, never shall sun that morrow see. He thats coming must be provided for. And you shall put this nights great business into my dispatch. We will speak further. Only look up clear to alter favor ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me. [music] this castle hath a pleasant seat, the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses. Ah, see, see, our honourd hostess. All our service in every point twice done and then done double were poor and single business to contend against those honors deep and broad wherewith your majesty loads our house. Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host. We love him highly, and shall continue our graces towards him. By your leave, hostess. [music] if it were done when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly. If the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch with his surcease success, that but this blow might be the beall and the endall here, but here, upon this bank and shoal of time, weld jump the life to come. But in these cases, we still have judgment here, that we but teach bloody instruction, which, being taught, returns to plague the inventor. This evenhanded justice thus commend the ingredients of our poisond chalice to our own lips. Hes here in double trust. First, as i am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed. Well then as his host, who should against the murderer shut the door, not bear the knife myself. Besides, this duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpettongued, against the deep damnation of his takingoff. And pity, like a naked newborn babe, striding the blast, or heavens cherubim, horsed on the sightless couriers of the air, shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, that tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself and falls on the other. How now what news . He has almost suppd. Why have you left the chamber . Hath he askd for me . Know you not he has . We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honourd me of late, and i have bought golden opinions of all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon. From this time, such i account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire . Wouldst thou have that which thou esteemst the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem. Prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none. What beast wast then that made you break this enterprise to me . When you durst do it, then you were a man. And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and yet you would make both. They have made themselves, and that their fitness now does unmake you. I have given suck, and know how tender tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluckd my nipple from his boneless gums and dashd the brains out, had i so sworn as you have done to this. If we should fail . We fail but screw your courage to the stickingplace, and well not fail. When duncan is asleep whereto the rather shall his days hard journey soundly invite him his two chamberlains will i with wine and wassail so convince that memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only. When in swinish sleep, their drenched natures lie as in a death. What cannot you and i perform upon the unguarded duncan . What not put upont his spongy officers who shall bear the guilt of our great quell . Bring forth menchildren only, for thy undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males. I am settled, and bend up ea corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know. Whos there . A friend. What, sir, not yet at rest . The kings abed. This diamond he greets your wife withal, by the name of most kind hostess. I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters. To you, they have showd some truth. I think not of them. Good repose the while. Thanks, sir, the like to you. Go bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready, she strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. [music] is this a dagger which i see before me, the handle towards my hand . Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, yet i see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight . Or art thou but a dagger of mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heatoppressed brain . I see thee yet, in form as palpable as this which now i draw. I see thee still, and on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, which was not so before. Theres no such thing. It is the bloody business which informs thus to mine eyes. It whiles i threat, he lives. Words to the heat of the deeds too cold breath gives. I go, it is done, the bell invites me. Hear it not, duncan, for it is a knell which summons thee to heaven or to hell. That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold. What hath quenchd them hath give me fire. Hark peace. It was the owl that shriekd, the fatal bellman, which gives the sternst goodnight. He is about it. The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms do mock their charge with snores. Ive druggd their possets, that death and nature do contend about them, whether they live or die. Whos there . What, ho alack, im afraid they have awaked, and tis not done. The attempt and not the deed confounds us. Hark i laid their daggers ready, he could not miss em. Had he not resembled my father as he slept, i had donet. My husband ive done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise . I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak . When . Now. As i descended . Ay. Hark who lies i the Second Chamber . Donalbain. This is a sorry sight. A foolish thought to say sorry sight. Theres one did laugh ins sleep, and one cried, murder that they did wake each other. I stood and heard them, but they did say their prayers, and addressd them again to sleep. There are two lodged together. One cried god bless us and amen the other. As they had seen me with these hangmans hands. Listening their fear, i could not say amen when they did say god bless us. Consider it not so deeply. But wherefore could not i pronounce amen . I had most need of blessing and amen stuck in my throat. These deeds must not be thought after these ways so it will make us mad. Me thought i heard a voice cry, sleep no more to all the house. Macbeth does murder sleep, the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, the death of each days life. Sore labors bath, balm of hurt minds, great natures second course, chief nourisher in lifes feast. What do you mean . Still it cried sleep no more to all the house. Glamis hath murdered sleep. And therefore cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more. Who was it that thus cried . Why, worthy thane, you do unbend your noble strength to think so brainsickly of things. Go get some water and wash this filthy witness from your hands. Why did you bring these daggers from the place . They must lie there. Go carry them and smear the sleepy grooms with blood. Ill go no more. I am afraid to think what i have done. Look ont again i dare not. Infirm of purpose. Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures. tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, ill gild the faces of the grooms withal for it must seem their guilt. Whence is that knocking . How ist with me when every noise appalls me . What hands are here . They pluck out mine eyes. Will all great Neptunes Ocean wash this blood clean from my hands . No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine making the green one red. My hands are of your color, but i shame to wear a heart so white