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Act 5, Scene 3
Macbeth Translation Act 5, Scene 4
MALCOLM, Old SIWARD, YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and SOLDIERS enter marching, with a drummer and flag.
MALCOLM
Cousins, I hope the days are near at handThat chambers will be safe.
MALCOLM
Kinsmen, I hope the time is near when people will be safe in their own bedrooms.
MENTEITH
We doubt it nothing.
MENTEITH
We don’t doubt it.
SIWARD
What wood is this before us?
SIWARD
What forest is this ahead of us?
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MENTEITH
The wood of Birnam.
MENTEITH
Birnam Wood.
MALCOLM
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.
MALCOLM
Every soldier should hack off a branch and hold it in front of him. By doing so, we will make it difficult for Macbeth's spies to get an accurate count of the number of soldiers in our army to report back to him.
SOLDIERS
It shall be done.
SOLDIERS
It will be done.
SIWARD
We learn no other but the confident tyrantKeeps still in Dunsinane and will endure Our setting down before ’t.
SIWARD
We’ve heard nothing other than that the overconfident Macbeth remains in Dunsinane and will let us lay siege to the castle.
MALCOLM
‘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 constrainèd things Whose hearts are absent too.
MALCOLM
That’s exactly what he wants. Whenever they have the chance, his thanes and common soldiers all desert him. No one serves in his army except men who are forced to, whose hearts aren’t in it.
MACDUFF
Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we onIndustrious soldiership.
MACDUFF
Let’s not judge the situation until we see how it turns out. For now, let’s just act like hard-working soldiers.
SIWARD
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.
SIWARD
The time is quickly coming when we’ll know just what we’ve accomplished and what we still have to do. Speculations only express our uncertain hopes. But we’ll only get certainty by actually going out and fighting, so let’s start this war.
They exit, marching.
