Learn English through story Macbeth by William Shakespeare
[Music]
Macbeth when a person is asked to tell
the story of Macbeth he can tell two
stories one is of a man called Macbeth
who came to the throne of Scotland by a
crime in the year of our Lord
10:39 and reigned justly and well on the
whole for 15 years or more this story is
part of Scottish history the other story
issues from a place called imagination
it is gloomy and wonderful and you shall
hear it a year or two before Edward the
Confessor began to rule England a battle
was won in Scotland against a Norwegian
King by two generals named Macbeth and
Banquo after the battle the generals
walked together towards forests in Elgin
sure where Duncan King of Scotland was
awaiting them while they were crossing a
lonely Heath they saw three bearded
women sisters
hand in hand wither Dan appearance and
wild in their attire speak who are you
demanded Macbeth hail Macbeth chieftain
of Glamis said the first woman hail
Macbeth chieftain of Cawdor said the
second woman hail Macbeth King that is
to be said the third woman then Banquo
asked what of me and the third woman
replied thou shalt be the father of
kings
tell me more said Macbeth by my father’s
death
I am chieftain of Glamis but the
chieftain of Kadir lives and the King
lives and his children live speak I
charge you the woman replied only by
vanishing as though suddenly mixed with
the air
Banquo and Macbeth knew then that they
had been addressed by witches and were
discussing their prophecies when two
Nobles approached one of them thanked
Macbeth in the King’s name for his
military services and the other said he
bade me call you chieftain of Cawdor
Macbeth then learned that the man who
had yesterday borne that title was to
die for treason and he could not help
thinking the third which called me King
that is to be Banquo he said you see
that the witches spoke truth concerning
me do you not believe therefore that
your child and grandchild will be Kings
Banquo frowned Duncan had two sons
Malcolm and Donalbain and he deemed it
disloyal to hope that his son Fleance
should rule Scotland he told Macbeth
that the witches might have intended to
tempt them both into villainy by their
prophecies concerning the throne
Macbeth however thought the prophecy
that he should be king too Pleasant to
keep to himself and he mentioned it to
his wife in a letter lady Macbeth was
the granddaughter of a king of Scotland
who had died in defending his crown
against the king who preceded Duncan and
by whose order her only brother was
slain to her Duncan was a reminder of
bitter wrongs her husband had royal
blood in his veins and when she read his
letter she was determined that he should
be king when a messenger arrived to
inform her that Duncan would pass a
night in Macbeth’s castle she nerved
herself for a very base action
she told Macbeth almost as soon as she
saw him that Duncan must spend the
sunless morrow she meant that Duncan
must die
and that the dead are blind we will
speak further said Macbeth uneasily and
at night with his memory full of
Duncan’s kind words he would fain have
spared his guests would you live a
coward demanded Lady Macbeth who seems
to have thought that morality and
cowardice were the same I dare do all
that may become a man replied Macbeth
who dared do more is none why did you
write that letter to me she inquired
fiercely and with bitter words egged him
on to murder and with cunning words she
showed him how to do it after supper
Duncan went to bed and two grooms were
placed on guard at his bedroom door Lady
Macbeth caused them to drink wine till
they were stupefied she then took their
daggers and would have killed the king
herself if his sleeping face had not
looked like her father’s Macbeth came
later and found the daggers lying by the
groom’s and soon with red hands he
appeared before his wife saying we
thought I heard a voice cry Sleep No
More Macbeth destroys the sleeping wash
her hands said she why did you not lead
the daggers by the grooms take them back
and smear the grooms with blood I dare
not
said Macbeth his wife dared and she
returned to him with hands red as his
own but a heart less white she proudly
told him for she scorned his fear the
murderers heard a knocking and Macbeth
wished it was a knocking which could
wake the dead it was the knocking of
Macduff the chieftain of Fife who had
been told by Duncan to visit him early
Macbeth went to him and showed him the
door of the King’s room Macduff entered
and came out again cry
Oh horror horror horror Macbeth appeared
as horror-stricken as Macduff and
pretending that he could not bear to see
life in Duncan’s murderers he slew the
two grooms with their own daggers before
they could proclaim their innocence
these murders did not shriek out and
Macbeth was crowned at Scone one of
Duncan’s sons went to Ireland the other
to England Macbeth was king but he was
discontented the prophecy concerning
Banquo oppressed his mind if Leonce were
to rule a son of Macbeth would not rule
Macbeth determined therefore to murder
both Banquo and his son he hired two
ruffians who slew Banquo one night when
he was on his way with flans to a
banquet which Macbeth was giving to his
Nobles Fleance escaped meanwhile Macbeth
and his queen received their guests very
graciously and he expressed a wish for
them which has been uttered thousands of
times since his day now good digestion
wait on appetite and health on both we
pray Your Majesty to sit with us said
Lennox a scotch noble but err Macbeth
could reply the ghost of Banquo entered
the banqueting-hall and sat in Macbeth’s
place not noticing the ghost Macbeth
observed that if Banquo were present he
could say that he had collected under
his roof the choicest chivalry of
Scotland
Macduff however and curtly declined his
invitation
the king was again pressed to take a
seat and Lennox to whom Banquo’s ghost
was invisible showed him the chair where
it’s at but Macbeth with his eyes of
genius
saw the ghost he saw it like a form of
mist and blood and he demanded
passionately which of you have done this
still none saw the ghost but he and to
the ghost Macbeth said thou canst not
say I did it
the ghost glided out and Macbeth was
impudent enough to raise a glass of wine
to the general joy of the whole table
and to our dear friend Banquo whom we
miss the toast was drunk as the ghost of
Banquo entered for the second time began
cried Macbeth you are senseless mindless
hide in the earth thou horrible shadow
again none saw the ghost but he what is
it your Majesty sees asked one of the
nobles the Queen dared not permit an
answer to be given to this question she
hurriedly begged her guests to quit a
sick man who was likely to grow worse if
he was obliged to talk Macbeth however
was well enough next day to converse
with the witches whose prophecies had so
depraved him he found them in a cavern
on a thunderous day they were revolving
round a cauldron in which were boiling
particles of many strange and horrible
creatures and they knew he was coming
before he arrived answer me what I asked
you said the king would you rather hear
it from us or our masters as the first
witch call them replied Macbeth
thereupon the witches poured blood into
the cauldron and grease into the flame
that licked it and a helmeted head
appeared with the visor on so that
Macbeth could only see its eyes he was
speaking to the head when the first
witch said gravely
he knows they thought
and a voice in the head said Macbeth
beware Macduff the chieftain of life
they had then descended into the
cauldron till it disappeared one word
more pleaded Macbeth
he will not be commanded said the first
witch and then a crowned child ascended
from the cauldron bearing a tree in his
hand the child said Macbeth shall be
unconquered ball till the wood of Birnam
climbs Dunsinane Hill that never will be
said Macbeth and he asked to be told if
Banquo’s descendants would ever rule
Scotland the cauldron sank into the
earth music was heard in a procession of
phantom Kings filed past Macbeth behind
them was Banquo’s ghost in each King
Macbeth saw a lightness to Banquo and he
counted eight Kings then he was suddenly
left alone
his next proceeding was to send
murderers to McDuff’s Castle they did
not find Macduff and asked Lady Macduff
where he was she gave a stinging answer
and her questioner called Macduff a
traitor
thou liest shouted Macduff’s little son
who was immediately stabbed and with his
last breath entreated his mother to fly
their murderers did not leave the castle
while one of its inmates remained alive
Macduff was in England listening with
Malcolm to a doctor’s tale of cures
wrought by Edward the Confessor when his
friend Ross came to tell him that his
wife and children were no more at first
Ross dared not speak the truth and
turned Macduff’s
right sympathy with sufferers relieved
by royal virtue into sorrow and hatred
but when Malcolm said that England was
sending an army into Scotland against
Macbeth Rus blurted out his news and
Macduff cried all dead did you say all
my pretty ones and their mother did you
say all his sorry hope was in revenge
but if he could have looked into
Macbeth’s castle on Dunsinane Hill he
would have seen at work a force more
solemn than revenge retribution was
working for Lady Macbeth was mad she
walked in her sleep amid ghastly dreams
she was want to wash her hands for a
quarter of an hour at a time but after
all her washing would still see a red
spot of blood upon her skin it was
pitiful to hear her cry that all the
perfumes of Arabia could not sweeten her
little and canst thou not minister to a
mind diseased inquired Macbeth of the
doctor but the doctor replied that his
patient must minister to her own mind
this reply gave Macbeth a scorn of
medicine throw physic to the dogs
he said I’ll none of it one day he heard
a sound of women crying an officer
approached him and said the Queen Your
Majesty is dead out brief candle
muttered Macbeth meaning that life was
like a candle at the mercy of a puff of
air he did not weep he was too familiar
with death presently a messenger told
him that he saw a Birnam wood on the
March Macbeth called him a liar and a
slave and threatened to hang him if he
had made a mistake
if you are right you can hang me he said
from the turret windows of Dunsinane
castle Birnam wood did indeed appear to
be marching every soldier of the English
army held aloft a bow which he had cut
from a tree in that wood and like human
trees they climbed Dunsinane Hill
Macbeth had still his courage he went to
battle to conquer or die and the first
thing he did was to kill the generals
son in single combat Macbeth then felt
that no man could fight him and live and
when Macduff came to him
blazing for revenge Macbeth said to him
go back I have spilt too much of your
blood already my voice is in my sword
replied Macduff and hacked at him and
bade him yield I will not yield said
Macbeth but his last hour had struck he
fell Macbeth’s men were in retreat when
Macduff came before Malcolm holding a
king’s head by the hair hail king he
said and the new king looked at the old
so malcolm reigned after macbeth but in
years that came afterwards the
descendants of Banquo were kings
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