SCENE II. The country near Dunsinane. The Tragedy of Macbeth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Macbeth  | Act 5, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE II. The country near Dunsinane. 

 Drum and colours. Enter MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, and Soldiers  MENTEITH  The English power is near, led on by Malcolm, 

 His uncle Siward and the good Macduff: 

 Revenges burn in them; for their dear causes 

 Would to the bleeding and the grim alarm 

 Excite the mortified man. 

 ANGUS  Near Birnam wood 

 Shall we well meet them; that way are they coming. 

 CAITHNESS  Who knows if Donalbain be with his brother? 

 LENNOX  For certain, sir, he is not: I have a file 

 Of all the gentry: there is Siward's son, 

 And many unrough youths that even now 

 Protest their first of manhood. 

 MENTEITH  What does the tyrant? 

 CAITHNESS  Great Dunsinane he strongly fortifies: 

 Some say he's mad; others that lesser hate him 

 Do call it valiant fury: but, for certain, 

 He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause 

 Within the belt of rule. 

 ANGUS  Now does he feel 

 His secret murders sticking on his hands; 

 Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach; 

 Those he commands move only in command, 

 Nothing in love: now does he feel his title 

 Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe 

 Upon a dwarfish thief. 

 MENTEITH  Who then shall blame 

 His pester'd senses to recoil and start, 

 When all that is within him does condemn 

 Itself for being there? 

 CAITHNESS  Well, march we on, 

 To give obedience where 'tis truly owed: 

 Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal, 

 And with him pour we in our country's purge 

 Each drop of us. 

 LENNOX  Or so much as it needs, 

 To dew the sovereign flower and drown the weeds. 

 Make we our march towards Birnam. 



 Exeunt, marching  Shakespeare homepage  |  Macbeth  | Act 5, Scene 2 

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