Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, Macb. Pr'ythee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man; Macb. If we should fail, We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, 4 6 1 The adage of the cat is among Heywood's Proverbs, 1566:-" The cat would eate fishe, and would not wet her feete." 2 "Who dares do more is none." The old copy, instead of "do more," reads "no more:" the emendation is Rowe's. 3 Adhere in the same sense as cohere. 4 The circumstance relative to Macbeth's slaughter of Duncan's chamberlains is copied from Holinshed's account of king Duffe's murder by Donwald. 5 Wassel is thus explained by Bullokar in his Expositor, 1616: “ Wassaile, a term usual heretofore for quaffing and carowsing; but more especially signifying a merry cup (ritually composed, deckt and fill'd with country liquor) passing about amongst neighbours, meeting and entertaining one another on the vigil or eve of the new year, and commonly called the wassail bol." 6 To convince is to overcome. Shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason Macb. Bring forth men children only! For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males. Will it not be received, When we have marked with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, That they have done't? Lady M. Who dares receive it other, As we shall make our griefs and clamor roar Macb. I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show; False face must hide what the false heart doth know. [Exeunt. ACT II. SCENE I. The same. Court within the Castle. Enter BANQUO and FLEANCE, and a Servant, with a torch before them. Ban. How goes the night, boy? Fle. The moon is down; I have not heard the clock. Ban. And she goes down at twelve. 1 A limbeck is a vessel through which distilled liquors pass into the recipient. So shall the receipt (i. e. receptacle) of reason be like this empty vessel. 2 Quell is murder; from the Saxon quellan, to kill. Fle. I take't, 'tis later, sir. Ban. Hold, take my sword.-There's husbandry in heaven; Their candles are all out.-Take thee that too. Enter MACBETH, and a Servant with a torch. Who's there? Macb. A friend. Ban. What, sir, not yet at rest? The king's abed. He hath been in unusual pleasure, and Sent forth great largess to your officers: 2 By the name of most kind hostess; and shut up3 Macb. i Being unprepared, Our will became the servant to defect; Ban. 4 All's well. I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: Macb. I think not of them; Yet, when we can entreat an hour to serve, 1 It is apparent from what Banquo says afterwards, that he had been solicited in a dream to attempt something in consequence of the prophecy of the witches, that his waking senses were shocked at; and Shakspeare has here most exquisitely contrasted his character with that of Macbeth. Banquo is praying against being tempted to encourage thoughts of guilt even in his sleep; while Macbeth is hurrying into temptation, and revolving in his mind every scheme, however flagitious, that may assist him to complete his purpose. The one is unwilling to sleep, lest the same phantoms should assail his resolution again, while the other is depriving himself of rest through impatience to commit the murder. 2 The old copy reads offices. Officers of a household was the common term for servants. 3 Steevens has explained "to shut up," by "to conclude," and the examples he has adduced are satisfactory. 4 Being unprepared, our desire to entertain the king honorably was constrained by defective means, otherwise our zeal should have been manifest by more liberal entertainments. Would spend it in some words upon that business, Ban. At your kind'st leisure. Macb If you shall cleave to my consent,'-when 'tis, So I lose none, In seeking to augment it, but still keep I shall be counselled. Macb. Ban. Thanks, sir; Good repose, the while! the like to you! [Exit BAN. Macb. Go, bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready, She strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. [Exit Servant. Is this a dagger, which I see before me, thee; I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. To feeling, as to sight? or art thou but As this which now I draw. Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going; Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses, 3 1 Consent is accord, agreement, a combination for a particular purpose. By "if you shall cleave to my consent," Macbeth means, "if you shall adhere to me (i. e. agree or accord with my views), when 'tis (i. e. when events shall fall out as they are predicted), it shall make honor for you." Macbeth mentally refers to the crown which he expected to obtain in consequence of the murder that he was about to commit. We comprehend all that passes in his mind; but Banquo is still in ignorance of it. 2 Dudgeon, for handle; "a dudgeon dagger is a dagger whose handle is made of the root of box." 3 Gouts, drops; from the French gouttes. |