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Storgy

MacbethModern English

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 4

Country near Dunsinane: a Wood in view.

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  1. Enter, with drum and colours Malcolm, old Siward and his Son, Macduff, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, Ross and Soldiers, marching.

    Malcolm, old Siward and his Son, Macduff, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, Ross and Soldiers come in marching, with a drum and flags.

  2. Malcolm1

    Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe.

    Kinsmen, I hope the days are close when people will be safe in their own bedrooms.

  3. Menteith3

    We doubt it nothing.

    We have no fear about that at all.

  4. Siward4

    What wood is this before us?

    What wood is this in front of us?

  5. Menteith5

    The wood of Birnam.

    The wood of Birnam.

  6. Malcolm6

    Let every soldier hew him down a bough, And bear’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host, and make discovery Err in report of us.

    Have every soldier cut himself a branch and carry it in front of him. That way we will hide how many men we have, and make the scouts report us wrongly.

  7. Soldiers10

    It shall be done.

    It will be done.

  8. Siward11

    We learn no other but the confident tyrant Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure Our setting down before’t.

    The only news we get is that the overconfident tyrant is still holding out in Dunsinane, and will let us lay siege to it.

  9. Malcolm14

    ’Tis his main hope; For where there is advantage to be given, Both more and less have given him the revolt, And none serve with him but constrained things, Whose hearts are absent too.

    That is his chief hope, because wherever there was a chance to escape, both high and low have deserted to our side, and nobody serves with him except men who are forced to, and their hearts are not in it either.

  10. Macduff19

    Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we on Industrious soldiership.

    Let us keep our judgements until we see what actually happens, and get on with soldiering hard.

  11. Siward22

    The time approaches, That will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have, and what we owe. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate, But certain issue strokes must arbitrate; Towards which advance the war.

    The moment is coming that will settle it properly and let us know what we can truly call ours and what we still owe. Guesswork only tells us its uncertain hopes, but blows must decide the definite outcome; so advance the army towards that.

  12. Exeunt, marching.

    They all leave, marching.

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Explain lines 12–20 in plain terms.What is the speaker actually deciding in this scene?Where does the language turn, and what does the turn do?

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Original text: Project Gutenberg edition #1533 (public domain, edited by the PG Shakespeare Team). Modern English rendering by Storgy.