1    Here's a knocking indeed! If a
2    man were porter of hell-gate, he should have
3    old turning the key.
Knocking within
4    Knock,
5    knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of
6    Beelzebub? Here's a farmer, that hanged
7    himself on the expectation of plenty: come in
8    time; have napkins enow about you; here
9    you'll sweat for't.
Knocking within
10   Knock,
11   knock! Who's there, in the other devil's
12   name? Faith, here's an equivocator, that could
13   swear in both the scales against either scale;
14   who committed treason enough for God's sake,
15   yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come
16   in, equivocator.
Knocking within
17   Knock,
18   knock, knock! Who's there? Faith, here's an
19   English tailor come hither, for stealing out of
20   a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may
21   roast your goose.
Knocking within
22   Knock,
23   knock; never at quiet! What are you? But
24   this place is too cold for hell. I'll devil-porter
25   it no further: I had thought to have let in
26   some of all professions that go the primrose
27   way to the everlasting bonfire.
Knocking within
28   Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.

29   Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed,
30   That you do lie so late?

31   'Faith sir, we were carousing till the
32   second cock: and drink, sir, is a great
33   provoker of three things.

34   What three things does drink especially provoke?

35   Marry, sir, nose-painting, sleep, and
36   urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes;
37   it provokes the desire, but it takes
38   away the performance: therefore, much drink
39   may be said to be an equivocator with lechery:
40   it makes him, and it mars him; it sets
41   him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him,
42   and disheartens him; makes him stand to, and
43   not stand to; in conclusion, equivocates him
44   in a sleep, and, giving him the lie, leaves him.

45   I believe drink gave thee the lie last night.

46   That it did, sir, i' the very throat on
47   me: but I requited him for his lie; and, I
48   think, being too strong for him, though he took
49   up my legs sometime, yet I made a shift to cast
50   him.

51   Is thy master stirring?
Enter MACBETH
52   Our knocking has awaked him; here he comes.

53   Good morrow, noble sir.

54   Good morrow, both.

55   Is the king stirring, worthy thane?

56   Not yet.

57   He did command me to call timely on him:
58   I have almost slipp'd the hour.

59   I'll bring you to him.

60   I know this is a joyful trouble to you;
61   But yet 'tis one.

62   The labour we delight in physics pain.
63   This is the door.

64   I'll make so bold to call,
65   For 'tis my limited service.

66   Goes the king hence to-day?

67   He does: he did appoint so.

68   The night has been unruly: where we lay,
69   Our chimneys were blown down; and, as they say,
70   Lamentings heard i' the air; strange screams of death,
71   And prophesying with accents terrible
72   Of dire combustion and confused events
73   New hatch'd to the woeful time: the obscure bird
74   Clamour'd the livelong night: some say, the earth
75   Was feverous and did shake.

76   'Twas a rough night.

77   My young remembrance cannot parallel
78   A fellow to it.

79   O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart
80   Cannot conceive nor name thee!

81   What's the matter.

82   Confusion now hath made his masterpiece!
83   Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope
84   The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence
85   The life o' the building!

86   What is 't you say? the life?

87   Mean you his majesty?

88   Approach the chamber, and destroy your sight
89   With a new Gorgon: do not bid me speak;
90   See, and then speak yourselves.
Exeunt MACBETH and LENNOX
91   Awake, awake!
92   Ring the alarum-bell. Murder and treason!
93   Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! awake!
94   Shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit,
95   And look on death itself! up, up, and see
96   The great doom's image! Malcolm! Banquo!
97   As from your graves rise up, and walk like sprites,
98   To countenance this horror! Ring the bell.

99   What's the business,
100  That such a hideous trumpet calls to parley
101  The sleepers of the house? speak, speak!

102  O gentle lady,
103  'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak:
104  The repetition, in a woman's ear,
105  Would murder as it fell.
Enter BANQUO
106  O Banquo, Banquo,
107  Our royal master 's murder'd!

108  Woe, alas!
109  What, in our house?

110  Too cruel any where.
111  Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself,
112  And say it is not so.

113  Had I but died an hour before this chance,
114  I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant,
115  There 's nothing serious in mortality:
116  All is but toys: renown and grace is dead;
117  The wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees
118  Is left this vault to brag of.

119  What is amiss?

120  You are, and do not know't:
121  The spring, the head, the fountain of your blood
122  Is stopp'd; the very source of it is stopp'd.

123  Your royal father 's murder'd.

124  O, by whom?

125  Those of his chamber, as it seem'd, had done 't:
126  Their hands and faces were an badged with blood;
127  So were their daggers, which unwiped we found
128  Upon their pillows:
129  They stared, and were distracted; no man's life
130  Was to be trusted with them.

131  O, yet I do repent me of my fury,
132  That I did kill them.

133  Wherefore did you so?

134  Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,
135  Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man:
136  The expedition my violent love
137  Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan,
138  His silver skin laced with his golden blood;
139  And his gash'd stabs look'd like a breach in nature
140  For ruin's wasteful entrance: there, the murderers,
141  Steep'd in the colours of their trade, their daggers
142  Unmannerly breech'd with gore: who could refrain,
143  That had a heart to love, and in that heart
144  Courage to make 's love known?

145  Help me hence, ho!

146  Look to the lady.

Aside to DONALBAIN
147   Why do we hold our tongues,
148  That most may claim this argument for ours?

Aside to MALCOLM
149   What should be spoken here,
150  where our fate,
151  Hid in an auger-hole, may rush, and seize us?
152  Let 's away;
153  Our tears are not yet brew'd.

Aside to DONALBAIN
154   Nor our strong sorrow
155  Upon the foot of motion.

156  Look to the lady:
LADY MACBETH is carried out
157  And when we have our naked frailties hid,
158  That suffer in exposure, let us meet,
159  And question this most bloody piece of work,
160  To know it further. Fears and scruples shake us:
161  In the great hand of God I stand; and thence
162  Against the undivulged pretence I fight
163  Of treasonous malice.

164  And so do I.

165  So all.

166  Let's briefly put on manly readiness,
167  And meet i' the hall together.

168  Well contented.

169  What will you do? Let's not consort with them:
170  To show an unfelt sorrow is an office
171  Which the false man does easy. I'll to England.

172  To Ireland, I; our separated fortune
173  Shall keep us both the safer: where we are,
174  There's daggers in men's smiles: the near in blood,
175  The nearer bloody.

176  This murderous shaft that's shot
177  Hath not yet lighted, and our safest way
178  Is to avoid the aim. Therefore, to horse;
179  And let us not be dainty of leave-taking,
180  But shift away: there's warrant in that theft
181  Which steals itself, when there's no mercy left.