ACT I

                                  SCENE I

                                A desert place.

[Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches]

First Witch When shall we three meet again In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won.

Third Witch That will be ere the set of sun.

First Witch Where the place?

Second Witch Upon the heath.

Third Witch There to meet with Macbeth.

First Witch I come, Graymalkin!

Second Witch Paddock calls.

Third Witch Anon.

ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air. 

                              A heath near Forres.

[Thunder. Enter the three Witches]

First Witch Where hast thou been, sister?

Second Witch Killing swine.

Third Witch Sister, where thou?

First Witch A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap, And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:--
'Give me,' quoth I: 'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries. Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger: But in a sieve I'll thither sail, And, like a rat without a tail, I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.

Second Witch I'll give thee a wind.

First Witch Thou'rt kind.

Third Witch And I another.

First Witch I myself have all the other, And the very ports they blow, All the quarters that they know I' the shipman's card. I will drain him dry as hay: Sleep shall neither night nor day Hang upon his pent-house lid; He shall live a man forbid: Weary se'nnights nine times nine Shall he dwindle, peak and pine: Though his bark cannot be lost, Yet it shall be tempest-tost. Look what I have.

Second Witch Show me, show me.

First Witch Here I have a pilot's thumb, Wreck'd as homeward he did come.

[Drum within]

Third Witch A drum, a drum! Macbeth doth come.

ALL The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about: Thrice to thine and thrice to mine And thrice again, to make up nine. Peace! the charm's wound up.

[Enter MACBETH and BANQUO]

MACBETH So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

BANQUO How far is't call'd to Forres? What are these So wither'd and so wild in their attire, That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on't? Live you? or are you aught That man may question? You seem to understand me, By each at once her chappy finger laying Upon her skinny lips: you should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so.

MACBETH Speak, if you can: what are you?

First Witch All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!

Second Witch All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!

Third Witch All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!

BANQUO Good sir, why do you start; and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth, Are ye fantastical, or that indeed Which outwardly ye show? My noble partner You greet with present grace and great prediction Of noble having and of royal hope, That he seems rapt withal: to me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time, And say which grain will grow and which will not, Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear Your favours nor your hate.

First Witch Hail!

Second Witch Hail!

Third Witch Hail!

First Witch Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.

Second Witch Not so happy, yet much happier.

Third Witch Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none: So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!

First Witch Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!

MACBETH Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: By Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives, A prosperous gentleman; and to be king Stands not within the prospect of belief, No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence You owe this strange intelligence? or why Upon this blasted heath you stop our way With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.

[Witches vanish]

BANQUO The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd?

MACBETH Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted As breath into the wind. Would they had stay'd!

BANQUO Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner?

MACBETH Your children shall be kings.

BANQUO You shall be king.

MACBETH And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?

BANQUO To the selfsame tune and words. Who's here? 

                                   A Heath.

[Thunder. Enter the three Witches meeting HECATE]

First Witch Why, how now, Hecate! you look angerly.

HECATE Have I not reason, beldams as you are, Saucy and overbold? How did you dare To trade and traffic with Macbeth In riddles and affairs of death; And I, the mistress of your charms, The close contriver of all harms, Was never call'd to bear my part, Or show the glory of our art? And, which is worse, all you have done Hath been but for a wayward son, Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do, Loves for his own ends, not for you. But make amends now: get you gone, And at the pit of Acheron Meet me i' the morning: thither he Will come to know his destiny: Your vessels and your spells provide, Your charms and every thing beside. I am for the air; this night I'll spend Unto a dismal and a fatal end: Great business must be wrought ere noon: Upon the corner of the moon There hangs a vaporous drop profound; I'll catch it ere it come to ground: And that distill'd by magic sleights Shall raise such artificial sprites As by the strength of their illusion Shall draw him on to his confusion: He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear He hopes 'bove wisdom, grace and fear: And you all know, security Is mortals' chiefest enemy.

[Music and a song within: 'Come away, come away,' &c]

Hark! I am call'd; my little spirit, see, Sits in a foggy cloud, and stays for me.

[Exit]

First Witch Come, let's make haste; she'll soon be back again.

[Exeunt] 

                                  SCENE I

                      A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron.

[Thunder. Enter the three Witches]

First Witch Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

Second Witch Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined.

Third Witch Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time.

First Witch: Round about the cauldron go; In the poison'd entrails throw. Toad, that under cold
stone Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter'd venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark, Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark, Liver of blaspheming Jew, Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse, Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips, Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver'd by a drab, Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, For the ingredients of our cauldron.

ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.

[Enter HECATE to the other three Witches]

HECATE O well done! I commend your pains; And every one shall share i' the gains; And now about the cauldron sing, Live elves and fairies in a ring, Enchanting all that you put in.

[Music and a song: 'Black spirits,' &c]

[HECATE retires]

Second Witch By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes. Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!

[Enter MACBETH]

MACBETH How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags! What is't you do?

ALL A deed without a name.

MACBETH I conjure you, by that which you profess, Howe'er you come to know it, answer me:
Though you untie the winds and let them fight Against the churches; though the yesty waves Confound and swallow navigation up; Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down; Though castles topple on their warders' heads; Though palaces and pyramids do slope Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure Of nature's germens tumble all together, Even till destruction sicken; answer me To what I ask you.

First Witch Speak.

Second Witch Demand.

Third Witch We'll answer.

First Witch Say, if thou'dst rather hear it from our mouths, Or from our masters?

MACBETH Call 'em; let me see 'em.

First Witch Pour in sow's blood, that hath eaten Her nine farrow; grease that's sweaten From the murderer's gibbet throw Into the flame.

ALL Come, high or low; Thyself and office deftly show!

[Thu nder. First Apparition: an armed Head]

MACBETH Tell me, thou unknown power,--

First Witch He knows thy thought: Hear his speech, but say thou nought.

First Apparition Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.

[Descends]

MACBETH Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution, thanks; Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: but one word more,--

First Witch He will not be commanded: here's another, More potent than the first.

[Thunder. Second Apparition: A bloody Child]

Second Apparition Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!

MACBETH Had I three ears, I'ld hear thee.

Second Apparition Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.

[Descends]

MACBETH Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I'll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder.

[Thunder. Third Apparition: a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand]

What is this That rises like the issue of a king, And wears upon his baby-brow the round And top of sovereignty?

ALL Listen, but speak not to't.

Third Apparition Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him.

[Descends]

MACBETH That will never be Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root?
Sweet bodements! good! Rebellion's head, rise never till the wood Of Birnam rise, and our
high-placed Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath To time and mortal custom. Yet my
heart Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art Can tell so much: shall Banquo's issue ever Reign
in this kingdom?

ALL Seek to know no more.

MACBETH I will be satisfied: deny me this, And an eternal curse fall on you! Let me know. Why sinks that cauldron? and what noise is this?

[Hautboys]

First Witch Show!

Second Witch Show!

Third Witch Show!

ALL Show his eyes, and grieve his heart; Come like shadows, so depart!

[A show of Eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand; GHOST OF BANQUO following]

MACBETH Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo: down! Thy crown does sear mine eye-balls. And thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first. A third is like the former. Filthy hags! Why do you show me this? A fourth! Start, eyes! What, will the line stretch out to the crack of doom?
Another yet! A seventh! I'll see no more: And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass Which shows me many more; and some I see That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry: Horrible sight!
Now, I see, 'tis true; For the blood-bolter'd Banquo smiles upon me, And points at them for his.

[Apparitions vanish]

What, is this so?

First Witch Ay, sir, all this is so: but why Stands Macbeth thus amazedly? Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprites, And show the best of our delights: I'll charm the air to give a sound, While you perform your antic round: That this great king may kindly say, Our duties did his welcome pay.

[Music. The witches dance and then vanish, with HECATE]

MACBETH Where are they? Gone? Let this pernicious hour Stand aye accursed in the calendar!
Come in, without there!