Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

  29withal with

  35breath want of breath

  40mortal deadly

  43remorse pity

  44nature natural feeling

  45fell fierce 45-46keep peace...and it i.e., lull it from achieving its end

  47take...gall exchange my milk for gall; ministers agents

  48sightless invisible

  49wait on aid

  50pall thee shroud thyself; dunnest darkest

  56ignorant unaware

  62beguile deceive

  63Look...time act as the occasion requires

  67dispatch efficient management

  70look up clear appear untroubled

  71alter favor change your countenance

  I.6 Before Inverness Castle s.d.Hautboys treble shawms (ancestors of the modern oboe)

  1seat site

  3gentle soothed

  4temple-haunting nesting around churches; martlet swallow, house martin; approve demonstrate

  5loved mansionry beloved nest

  6jutty projection

  7coign of vantage convenient corner

  8procreant cradle cradle for breeding

  12-13The love...as love our subjects' love sometimes inconveniences us, but we still acknowledge it as love

  14God 'ield us God yield us-i.e., God reward me

  17single business simple effort

  20late recent

  21hermits beadsmen (who are obligated to pray for a benefactor's welfare)

  22-23had...purveyor (the purveyor was the chief logistical officer in the royal household, arranging for lodging and supplies; Duncan had wished to provide this service for Macbeth)

  24holp helped

  27Have theirs have their servants; what is theirs their possessions; in count in trust

  29Still always

  I.7 A room off the great hall in Macbeth's castle s.d.Sewer chief waiter

  1done when 'tis done over and done with when the act is performed

  3trammel...consequence entrap the consequences as in a net

  4his surcease Duncan's death

  6bank and shoal sandbank and shallows

  7jump risk

  8that because

  9instructions lessons

  10evenhanded impartial

  11ingredience contents (the ingredients collectively)

  17faculties power

  18clear innocent

  23sightless couriers invisible messengers (the winds)

  25That so that

  32bought acquired

  37green bilious

  44wait upon preempt

  45cat i' th' adage (the adage says, "The cat would eat fish but will not wet her feet")

  47none not a man

  48break broach

  52adhere agree

  53that their fitness their very fitness

  59fail?...fail? (F's punctuation mark could represent both modern? and!; it is thus not clear whether Lady Macbeth is acknowledging the possibility of failure)

  60But (1) however, (2) merely; sticking place (the notch holding the string taut, on either a crossbow or a musical instrument)

  62the rather the sooner

  64wassail liquor; convince overwhelm

  65warder guardian

  66fume vapor; receipt receptacle

  67limbeck distilling device

  72quell killing

  73mettle valor

  77other otherwise

  81mock delude

  II.1 Another room in Macbeth's castle

  5husbandry economy

  7summons signal to sleep

  15largess...offices gifts to your household staff

  17shut up concluded

  19will good will; defect deficient means

  20should...wrought would have worked liberally

  26cleave...'tis support my interests at the proper time

  29franchised free of obligations

  30be counseled take your advice

  40heat-oppressed overheated

  45made the fools o' playing tricks on

  47dudgeon handle; gouts spots

  49informs (1) reports, (2) takes shape

  53Hecate's offerings worship of Hecate, goddess of the moon and of witchcraft

  54Alarumed given the signal

  56Tarquin Tarquin Sextus Tarquinius, son of the ancient Roman king Tarquinius Superbus, who raped the chaste Lucretia (the story is recounted in Shakespeare's poem Lucrece); side arrogance (see Note on the Text)

  60take...time i.e., break the silence and thus disrupt the horror appropriate to the moment

  II.2

  3bellman night watchman

  6possets warm milk with spices and liquor

  7That so that

  11Confounds defeats

  26That so that

  27addressed them prepared

  30As as if; hangman's hands executioner's hands (hence, bloody)

  40knits...sleave smooths the tangled skein

  42second course the main, and most satisfying, course (sleep, after labor)

  48unbend slacken

  50witness evidence

  59gild paint

  65incarnadine redden

  66the green one Neptune's ocean (l. 63); most editors, following Johnson, take "one" to mean "uniformly," but F has a comma after "one"

  72left you unattended deserted you

  73nightgown dressing gown

  74watchers i.e., awake

  II.3

  2 old too much

  4Beelzebub one of the biblical devils

  4-5farmer...plenty (because a crop surplus would lower prices and diminish his profit)

  5Come in time you've come at the right time

  5-6napkins enow enough handkerchiefs (to wipe away the sweat caused by hellfire)

  8equivocator deceiver, prevaricator (here alluding to the equivocating testimony given by the Jesuit conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot, 1605)

  13stealing...hose (probably skimping on material in the making of French hose, which were tight-fitting, and hence would lead to discovery)

  14roast your goose heat your iron (a goose is a long-handled tailor's iron)

  19remember i.e., tip

  22-23second cock second crowing of the cock (i.e., till early morning)

  26nose-painting i.e., a red nose (from habitual drunkenness)

  32stand to grow erect

  33equivocates...sleep i.e., satisfies him only by putting him to sleep

  33 -34giving...lie (1) deceiving him (because he cannot perform sexually), (2) overthrowing him, (3) making him lose his erection, (4) accusing him of lying

  35gave...lie (1) made you a liar, (2) made you fall down

  36i'...throat (to lie in the throat was to lie egregiously)

  38took up my legs (1) made me fall down from drunkenness, (2) overthrew me in wrestling

  39cast throw

  44timely early

  45slipped missed

  48physics pain cures the trouble it gives us

  50limited appointed

  56combustion tumult

  57obscure bird i.e., the owl

  65Confusion destruction

  71Gorgon Medusa, a mythical monster whose terrible aspect turned those who saw her to stone

  77great doom the Last Judgment

  78sprites ghosts

  79countenance appear in keeping with

  91mortality human life

  92toys trifles

  93lees dregs

  94vault (1) world (with its vault the sky), (2) wine cellar

  100badged marked

  107Loyal and neutral loyal to Duncan and impartial on the question of the grooms' guilt

  108expedition haste

  114Unmannerly breeched indecently garbed

  117Look to look after

  118argument for ours matter as chiefly our concern

  120auger hole i.e., any tiny cranny

  123Upon...motion yet in motion

  124frailties hid bodies clothed

  126question discuss

  127scrupl
es doubts

  129undivulged pretense secret purposes

  138near nearer

  138-39the near...bloody i.e., the closer we are to Duncan in blood, the more likely we are to be killed

  140lighted landed

  142dainty of scrupulous about

  143shift steal; warrant justification

  II.4 Somewhere outside the castle

  1Threescore and ten seventy years

  4trifled...knowings made former experiences seem trifling

  5as...act as if troubled by the actions of men

  7traveling lamp i.e., the sun

  8predominance powerful influence

  12tow'ring soaring

  13mousing owl owl that preys on mice (a mere domestic predator); hawked at caught on the wing

  15minions favorites (the most highly prized)

  16flung out lunged about

  24pretend expect; suborned bribed

  28Thriftless wasteful; ravin up greedily devour

  29like likely

  31named chosen; Scone (where Scottish kings traditionally were crowned; near Perth)

  32invested crowned

  33Colmekill (the island of Iona, in the Hebrides, burial place of the ancient Scottish kings)

  40benison blessing

  III.1 The royal castle at Forres

  4stand...posterity continue through your heirs

  7shine look auspicious

  10 s.d.Sennet trumpet salute

  13allthing altogether

  14solemn supper formal banquet

  21still always; prosperous profitable

  25Go...better i.e., unless my horse goes faster than anticipated

  26borrower of i.e., borrower of time from

  32invention falsehoods

  33-34cause...jointly state business requiring our joint attention

  43While until

  44Sirrah form of address to an inferior)

  44-45Attend...pleasure are those men awaiting my orders

  48but unless

  49in Banquo about Banquo; stick deep are deep-seated

  50royalty of nature royal nature

  51would be deserves to be

  56genius is rebuked guiding spirit is daunted

  57Mark Antony's...Caesar (see Antony and Cleopatra, II.3.20-22)

  65filed defiled

  67rancors hatreds

  68eternal jewel immortal soul

  69common enemy of man i.e., Satan

  71list lists (the tournament field where knights answered challenges)

  72champion...utterance (1) support me to the utmost, (2) fight with me to the death; champion (1) defend, (2) challenge

  78under fortune out of favor with fortune

  80passed in probation with proved to

  81borne in hand manipulated, deceived; crossed thwarted; instruments agents

  82wrought worked

  83half a soul (even) a half-wit; notion crazed insane mind

  86Our point of the point of our

  88gospeled religious

  91yours your families

  92catalogue inventory, classification

  93curs watchdogs or sheep dogs

  94Shoughs lapdogs; waterrugs long-haired water dogs; clept called

  95valued file list of valued qualities

  97housekeeper watchdog

  99closed incorporated

  100addition...bill distinction, contrary to the catalogue

  102station...file place on the list

  104bosoms trust

  105execution...off accomplishment kills your enemy

  113set risk

  114on't of it

  116distance enmity

  118near'st of life vital parts

  120avouch justify

  121For because of

  122wail I must bewail

  130Acquaint...time (a famous crux: the general sense is "spy out the perfect time and inform you of it," but the syntax has not been satisfactorily explained)

  132something some distance; thought bearing in mind

  133clearness alibi

  134rubs nor botches problems or flaws

  III.2 A private chamber in the castle

  10sorriest fancies most painful delusions

  12all any

  14scorched slashed

  15close heal; poor malice inadequate evil

  17frame...disjoint structure of the universe collapse; both the worlds heaven and earth

  22torture rack

  23ecstasy frenzy

  26Malice domestic native evil (rebellion)

  31remembrance reminder

  32Present him eminence do him honor

  33Unsafe...that while we are unsafe; lave wash

  35vizards masks

  36leave leave off, stop

  39Nature's copy Nature's copyhold (their lease on life); eterne eternal

  43shard-born born in dung

  46chuck chick (term of affection)

  47seeling sewing up, hooding (from falconry)

  48Scarf up blindfold; pitiful pitying, compassionate

  50bond contract (Banquo's tenure of life)