SCENE I. Forres. The palace. The Tragedy of Macbeth  Shakespeare homepage  |  Macbeth  | Act 3, Scene 1 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  SCENE I. Forres. The palace. 

 Enter BANQUO  BANQUO  Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, 

 As the weird women promised, and, I fear, 

 Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was said 

 It should not stand in thy posterity, 

 But that myself should be the root and father 

 Of many kings. If there come truth from them-- 

 As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine-- 

 Why, by the verities on thee made good, 

 May they not be my oracles as well, 

 And set me up in hope? But hush! no more. 



 Sennet sounded. Enter MACBETH, as king, LADY  MACBETH, as queen, LENNOX, ROSS, Lords, Ladies, and Attendants  MACBETH  Here's our chief guest. 

 LADY MACBETH  If he had been forgotten, 

 It had been as a gap in our great feast, 

 And all-thing unbecoming. 

 MACBETH  To-night we hold a solemn supper sir, 

 And I'll request your presence. 

 BANQUO  Let your highness 

 Command upon me; to the which my duties 

 Are with a most indissoluble tie 

 For ever knit. 

 MACBETH  Ride you this afternoon? 

 BANQUO  Ay, my good lord. 

 MACBETH  We should have else desired your good advice, 

 Which still hath been both grave and prosperous, 

 In this day's council; but we'll take to-morrow. 

 Is't far you ride? 

 BANQUO  As far, my lord, as will fill up the time 

 'Twixt this and supper: go not my horse the better, 

 I must become a borrower of the night 

 For a dark hour or twain. 

 MACBETH  Fail not our feast. 

 BANQUO  My lord, I will not. 

 MACBETH  We hear, our bloody cousins are bestow'd 

 In England and in Ireland, not confessing 

 Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers 

 With strange invention: but of that to-morrow, 

 When therewithal we shall have cause of state 

 Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse: adieu, 

 Till you return at night. Goes Fleance with you? 

 BANQUO  Ay, my good lord: our time does call upon 's. 

 MACBETH  I wish your horses swift and sure of foot; 

 And so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell. 



 Exit BANQUO  Let every man be master of his time 

 Till seven at night: to make society 

 The sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself 

 Till supper-time alone: while then, God be with you! 



 Exeunt all but MACBETH, and an attendant  Sirrah, a word with you: attend those men 

 Our pleasure? 

 ATTENDANT  They are, my lord, without the palace gate. 

 MACBETH  Bring them before us. 



 Exit Attendant  To be thus is nothing; 

 But to be safely thus.--Our fears in Banquo 

 Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature 

 Reigns that which would be fear'd: 'tis much he dares; 

 And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, 

 He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour 

 To act in safety. There is none but he 

 Whose being I do fear: and, under him, 

 My Genius is rebuked; as, it is said, 

 Mark Antony's was by Caesar. He chid the sisters 

 When first they put the name of king upon me, 

 And bade them speak to him: then prophet-like 

 They hail'd him father to a line of kings: 

 Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, 

 And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, 

 Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand, 

 No son of mine succeeding. If 't be so, 

 For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind; 

 For them the gracious Duncan have I murder'd; 

 Put rancours in the vessel of my peace 

 Only for them; and mine eternal jewel 

 Given to the common enemy of man, 

 To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! 

 Rather than so, come fate into the list. 

 And champion me to the utterance! Who's there! 



 Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers  Now go to the door, and stay there till we call. 



 Exit Attendant  Was it not yesterday we spoke together? 

 First Murderer  It was, so please your highness. 

 MACBETH  Well then, now 

 Have you consider'd of my speeches? Know 

 That it was he in the times past which held you 

 So under fortune, which you thought had been 

 Our innocent self: this I made good to you 

 In our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, 

 How you were borne in hand, how cross'd, 

 the instruments, 

 Who wrought with them, and all things else that might 

 To half a soul and to a notion crazed 

 Say 'Thus did Banquo.' 

 First Murderer  You made it known to us. 

 MACBETH  I did so, and went further, which is now 

 Our point of second meeting. Do you find 

 Your patience so predominant in your nature 

 That you can let this go? Are you so gospell'd 

 To pray for this good man and for his issue, 

 Whose heavy hand hath bow'd you to the grave 

 And beggar'd yours for ever? 

 First Murderer  We are men, my liege. 

 MACBETH  Ay, in the catalogue ye go for men; 

 As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs, 

 Shoughs, water-rugs and demi-wolves, are clept 

 All by the name of dogs: the valued file 

 Distinguishes the swift, the slow, the subtle, 

 The housekeeper, the hunter, every one 

 According to the gift which bounteous nature 

 Hath in him closed; whereby he does receive 

 Particular addition. from the bill 

 That writes them all alike: and so of men. 

 Now, if you have a station in the file, 

 Not i' the worst rank of manhood, say 't; 

 And I will put that business in your bosoms, 

 Whose execution takes your enemy off, 

 Grapples you to the heart and love of us, 

 Who wear our health but sickly in his life, 

 Which in his death were perfect. 

 Second Murderer  I am one, my liege, 

 Whom the vile blows and buffets of the world 

 Have so incensed that I am reckless what 

 I do to spite the world. 

 First Murderer  And I another 

 So weary with disasters, tugg'd with fortune, 

 That I would set my lie on any chance, 

 To mend it, or be rid on't. 

 MACBETH  Both of you 

 Know Banquo was your enemy. 

 Both Murderers  True, my lord. 

 MACBETH  So is he mine; and in such bloody distance, 

 That every minute of his being thrusts 

 Against my near'st of life: and though I could 

 With barefaced power sweep him from my sight 

 And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not, 

 For certain friends that are both his and mine, 

 Whose loves I may not drop, but wail his fall 

 Who I myself struck down; and thence it is, 

 That I to your assistance do make love, 

 Masking the business from the common eye 

 For sundry weighty reasons. 

 Second Murderer  We shall, my lord, 

 Perform what you command us. 

 First Murderer  Though our lives-- 

 MACBETH  Your spirits shine through you. Within this hour at most 

 I will advise you where to plant yourselves; 

 Acquaint you with the perfect spy o' the time, 

 The moment on't; for't must be done to-night, 

 And something from the palace; always thought 

 That I require a clearness: and with him-- 

 To leave no rubs nor botches in the work-- 

 Fleance his son, that keeps him company, 

 Whose absence is no less material to me 

 Than is his father's, must embrace the fate 

 Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart: 

 I'll come to you anon. 

 Both Murderers  We are resolved, my lord. 

 MACBETH  I'll call upon you straight: abide within. 



 Exeunt Murderers  It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul's flight, 

 If it find heaven, must find it out to-night. 



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