Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4

You know your own degrees, sit down. At first And last the hearty welcome.

You know your own ranks, so sit down. From the first to the last, a warm welcome to you.

Thanks to your Majesty.

Thanks to your Majesty.

Ourself will mingle with society, And play the humble host. Our hostess keeps her state; but, in best time, We will require her welcome.

I myself will move among the company and play the humble host. Our hostess stays in her chair of state, but at the right moment we will ask her for her welcome.

Pronounce it for me, sir, to all our friends; For my heart speaks they are welcome.

Give it for me, sir, to all our friends, because my heart says they are welcome.

See, they encounter thee with their hearts’ thanks. Both sides are even: here I’ll sit i’ th’ midst.

See, they answer you with the thanks of their hearts. The two sides are equal in number: I'll sit here in the middle.

Be large in mirth; anon we’ll drink a measure The table round. There’s blood upon thy face.

Be generous with your good cheer; soon we'll drink a round right around the table. There's blood on your face.

’Tis Banquo’s then.

Then it's Banquo's.

’Tis better thee without than he within. Is he dispatch’d?

It's better on the outside of you than on the inside of him. Is he finished off?

My lord, his throat is cut. That I did for him.

My lord, his throat is cut. I did that for him.

Thou art the best o’ th’ cut-throats; Yet he’s good that did the like for Fleance: If thou didst it, thou art the nonpareil.

You are the best of the cut-throats. Yet whoever did the same for Fleance is good too: if you did it, you have no equal.

Most royal sir, Fleance is ’scap’d.

Most royal sir, Fleance has escaped.

Then comes my fit again: I had else been perfect; Whole as the marble, founded as the rock, As broad and general as the casing air: But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d, confin’d, bound in To saucy doubts and fears. But Banquo’s safe?

Then my fit comes back on me. Otherwise I would have been perfect: as whole as marble, as firmly set as rock, as wide and free as the surrounding air. But now I am shut in a cabin, penned up, confined, tied down by insolent doubts and fears. But Banquo is safely dealt with?

Ay, my good lord. Safe in a ditch he bides, With twenty trenched gashes on his head; The least a death to nature.

Yes, my good lord. He stays safe in a ditch, with twenty deep gashes in his head, the smallest of them enough to kill a man.

Thanks for that. There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled Hath nature that in time will venom breed, No teeth for th’ present.—Get thee gone; tomorrow We’ll hear, ourselves, again.

Thanks for that. There lies the full-grown serpent; the young worm that has fled has a nature that in time will breed venom, though it has no teeth at present. Be off with you; tomorrow we'll talk together again.

My royal lord, You do not give the cheer: the feast is sold That is not often vouch’d, while ’tis a-making, ’Tis given with welcome. To feed were best at home; From thence the sauce to meat is ceremony; Meeting were bare without it.

My royal lord, you're not playing the host. A feast is no better than something bought and paid for if the host doesn't often assure his guests, while it's being served, that it is given with welcome. If you only want to eat, you'd do best at home; away from home, ceremony is the sauce that flavours the meat, and a gathering is bare without it.

Sweet remembrancer!— Now, good digestion wait on appetite, And health on both!

You remind me sweetly! Now, may good digestion follow appetite, and health follow both!

May’t please your Highness sit.

May it please your Highness to sit down.

Here had we now our country’s honour roof’d, Were the grac’d person of our Banquo present; Who may I rather challenge for unkindness Than pity for mischance!

We would have all the nobility of our country here under one roof, if only our dear Banquo were present. I hope I may have reason to accuse him of rudeness rather than to pity him for some accident!

His absence, sir, Lays blame upon his promise. Please’t your Highness To grace us with your royal company?

His absence, sir, puts his promise at fault. Would it please your Highness to honour us with your royal company?

The table’s full.

The table is full.

Here is a place reserv’d, sir.

Here is a place kept for you, sir.

Where?

Where?

Here, my good lord. What is’t that moves your Highness?

Here, my good lord. What is it that disturbs your Highness?

Which of you have done this?

Which of you has done this?

What, my good lord?

Done what, my good lord?

Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me.

You can't say I did it. Never shake your bloody hair at me.

Gentlemen, rise; his Highness is not well.

Gentlemen, get up; his Highness is not well.

Sit, worthy friends. My lord is often thus, And hath been from his youth: pray you, keep seat; The fit is momentary; upon a thought He will again be well. If much you note him, You shall offend him, and extend his passion. Feed, and regard him not.—Are you a man?

Sit down, worthy friends. My lord is often like this, and has been since his youth. Please, stay in your seats. The fit lasts only a moment; in the time it takes to have a thought he will be well again. If you pay him much attention, you will offend him and make his fit last longer. Eat, and take no notice of him.—Are you a man?

Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that Which might appal the devil.

Yes, and a brave one, who dares to look at something that might terrify the devil.

O proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear: This is the air-drawn dagger which you said, Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws, and starts (Impostors to true fear), would well become A woman’s story at a winter’s fire, Authoris’d by her grandam. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all’s done, You look but on a stool.

Oh, what fine nonsense! This is nothing but a picture painted by your fear. This is that dagger drawn in the air which you said led you to Duncan. These outbursts and starts of yours — frauds compared with real fear — would suit a woman's tale told by a winter fire on her grandmother's authority. Shame on you! Why do you pull such faces? When it all comes to it, you're only looking at a stool.

Pr’ythee, see there! Behold! look! lo! how say you? Why, what care I? If thou canst nod, speak too.— If charnel houses and our graves must send Those that we bury back, our monuments Shall be the maws of kites.

Please, look there! Look! See! There! What do you say to that? Well, why should I care? If you can nod, then speak as well. If burial vaults and our graves must send back those we bury, then our tombs will have to be the stomachs of kites.

What, quite unmann’d in folly?

What, are you completely stripped of your manhood by this foolishness?

If I stand here, I saw him.

As surely as I stand here, I saw him.

Fie, for shame!

Shame on you!

Blood hath been shed ere now, i’ th’ olden time, Ere humane statute purg’d the gentle weal; Ay, and since too, murders have been perform’d Too terrible for the ear: the time has been, That, when the brains were out, the man would die, And there an end; but now they rise again, With twenty mortal murders on their crowns, And push us from our stools. This is more strange Than such a murder is.

Blood has been shed before now, in the old days, before human law made the community gentle and civilized; yes, and since then too, murders have been committed too terrible to hear about. There was a time when, once the brains were out, the man would die, and that was the end of it; but now they rise again, with twenty deadly wounds on their heads, and push us off our stools. This is stranger than such a murder is.

My worthy lord, Your noble friends do lack you.

My worthy lord, your noble friends are missing you.

I do forget.— Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends. I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing To those that know me. Come, love and health to all; Then I’ll sit down.—Give me some wine, fill full.— I drink to the general joy o’ th’ whole table, And to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss: Would he were here.

I forget myself. Don't stare at me in wonder, my most worthy friends. I have a strange illness, which is nothing to those who know me. Come, love and health to you all; then I'll sit down. Give me some wine, fill it full. I drink to the joy of the whole table, and to our dear friend Banquo, whom we miss. I wish he were here.

To all, and him, we thirst, And all to all.

We drink thirstily to you all, and to him, and everyone to everyone.

Our duties, and the pledge.

Our duty to you, and we drink the toast.

Avaunt! and quit my sight! let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes Which thou dost glare with!

Away! Get out of my sight! Let the earth hide you! Your bones have no marrow, your blood is cold; there is no sight in those eyes you glare with!

Think of this, good peers, But as a thing of custom: ’tis no other, Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.

Think of this, good lords, as nothing but a usual thing. That's all it is; it only spoils the pleasure of the evening.

What man dare, I dare: Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, The arm’d rhinoceros, or th’ Hyrcan tiger; Take any shape but that, and my firm nerves Shall never tremble: or be alive again, And dare me to the desert with thy sword; If trembling I inhabit then, protest me The baby of a girl. Hence, horrible shadow! Unreal mock’ry, hence!

Whatever any man dares, I dare. Come at me like the shaggy Russian bear, the armoured rhinoceros, or the tiger of Hyrcania; take any shape but that one, and my steady nerves will never shake. Or come alive again and challenge me with your sword to fight in some deserted place; if I cower and tremble then, declare me a little girl's doll. Away, horrible shadow! Unreal illusion, away!

Why, so;—being gone, I am a man again.—Pray you, sit still.

There now; with it gone, I am a man again. Please, stay seated.

You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting With most admir’d disorder.

You have driven away the cheerfulness and wrecked a good gathering with this astonishing disturbance.

Can such things be, And overcome us like a summer’s cloud, Without our special wonder? You make me strange Even to the disposition that I owe, When now I think you can behold such sights, And keep the natural ruby of your cheeks, When mine are blanch’d with fear.

Can such things happen and pass over us like a summer cloud, without our being especially amazed? You make me a stranger to my own nature, when I realize you can look at such sights and keep the natural red of your cheeks, while mine are white with fear.

What sights, my lord?

What sights, my lord?

I pray you, speak not; he grows worse and worse; Question enrages him. At once, good night:— Stand not upon the order of your going, But go at once.

Please, don't speak; he's getting worse and worse. Questions make him furious. Good night to you all at once. Don't bother about leaving in order of rank, just go immediately.

Good night; and better health Attend his Majesty!

Good night, and may better health come to his Majesty!

A kind good night to all!

A kind good night to you all!

It will have blood, they say, blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs, and understood relations, have By magot-pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought forth The secret’st man of blood.—What is the night?

It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood. Stones have been known to move and trees to speak; prophets, and the reading of hidden connections, have by means of magpies and jackdaws and rooks revealed the most secret murderer. What time of night is it?

Almost at odds with morning, which is which.

It's nearly struggling with morning over which is which.

How say’st thou, that Macduff denies his person At our great bidding?

What do you say about Macduff refusing to come in person at our solemn command?

Did you send to him, sir?

Did you send for him, sir?

I hear it by the way; but I will send. There’s not a one of them but in his house I keep a servant fee’d. I will tomorrow (And betimes I will) to the Weird Sisters: More shall they speak; for now I am bent to know, By the worst means, the worst. For mine own good, All causes shall give way: I am in blood Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er. Strange things I have in head, that will to hand, Which must be acted ere they may be scann’d.

I hear it indirectly; but I will send. There's not one of them in whose house I don't keep a paid servant. Tomorrow — and early, too — I will go to the Weird Sisters. They shall tell me more, for now I am determined to know the worst, by the worst means. For my own good, everything else must give way. I have stepped so far into blood that, if I waded no further, going back would be as exhausting as going on across. I have strange things in my head that will go to my hands, things that must be done before they can be examined.

You lack the season of all natures, sleep.

You lack sleep, the preservative of all living things.

Come, we’ll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse Is the initiate fear that wants hard use. We are yet but young in deed.

Come, we'll go to sleep. My strange delusion is the fear of a beginner, who needs hard practice. We are still only beginners in action.