Macbeth: A Tragedy

By William Shakespeare

When the Three Witches prophesy that Macbeth, a Scottish general, will become king, they unleash a series of events that prove tragic for all involved. Spurred by ambition, Macbeth and his ruthless Lady will stop at nothing, including murder, to make the throne theirs. Beginning with the murder of King Duncan and culminating with Lady Macbeth’s descent into madness and Macbeth’s final clash with Macduff, Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s greatest dramatic works.

Known as “The Bard of Avon,” William Shakespeare is arguably the greatest English-language writer known. Enormously popular during his life, Shakespeare’s works continue to resonate more than three centuries after his death, as has his influence on theatre and literature. Shakespeare’s innovative use of character, language, and experimentation with romance as tragedy served as a foundation for later playwrights and dramatists, and some of his most famous lines of dialogue have become part of everyday speech.

HarperPerennialClassics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperPerennial Classics collection to build your digital library.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781443443418

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest playwright the world has seen. He produced an astonishing amount of work; 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 5 poems. He died on 23rd April 1616, aged 52, and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church, Stratford.

Book preview

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

DUNCAN

King of Scotland

MALCOLM, DONALBAIN

his sons

MACBETH, BANQUO

Generals of the King’s army

MACDUFF, LENNOX, ROSS, MENTEITH, ANGUS, CAITHNESS

Noblemen of Scotland

FLEANCE

son to Banquo

SIWARD

Earl of Northumberland, General of the English forces

YOUNG SIWARD

his son

SEYTON

an officer attending on Macbeth

BOY

son to Macduff

A Sergeant

A Porter

An Old Man

An English Doctor

A Scots Doctor

LADY MACBETH

LADY MACDUFF

Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth

THE WEIRD SISTERS

HECATE

The Ghost of Banquo

Apparitions

Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers

THE SCENE: SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND

ACT ONE

SCENE I. An open place.

Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches.

1 WITCH When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

2 WITCH When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won.

3 WITCH That will be ere the set of sun.

1 WITCH Where the place?

2 WITCH Upon the heath.

3 WITCH There to meet with Macbeth.

1 WITCH I come, Graymalkin.

2 WITCH Paddock calk.

3 WITCH Anon!

[10]

ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair:

Hover through the fog and filthy air.

[Witches vanish.

SCENE II. A camp near Forres.

Alarum within. Enter KING DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant.

DUNCAN What bloody man is that? He can report,

As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt

The newest state.

MALCOLM This is the sergeant

Who like a good and hardy soldier fought

[5]

’Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!

Say to the King the knowledge of the broil

As thou didst leave it.

SERGEANT Doubtful it stood,

As two spent swimmers that do cling together

And choke their art. The merciless

Macdonwald --

[10]

Worthy to be a rebel, for to that

The multiplying villainies of nature

Do swarm upon him – from the Western Isles

Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;

And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,

[15]

Show’d like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak;

For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name --

Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel

Which smok’d with bloody execution,

Like valour’s minion, carv’d out his passage

[20]

Till he fac’d the slave;

Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,

Till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chaps,

And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

DUNCAN O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!

[25]

SERGEANT As whence the sun gins his reflection

Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,

So from that spring whence comfort seem’d to come

Discomfort swells. Mark, King of Scotland, mark:

No sooner justice had, with valour arm’d,

[30]

Compell’d these skipping kerns to trust their heels,

But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage,

With furbish’d arms and new supplies of men,

Began a fresh assault.

DUNCAN Dismay’d not this

Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

SERGEANT Yes;

[35]

As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.

If I say sooth, I must report they were

As cannons overcharg’d with double cracks;

So they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe.

[40]

Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,

Or memorize another Golgotha,

I cannot tell --

But I am faint; my gashes cry for help.

DUNCAN So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;

[45]

They smack of honour both. – Go get him surgeons. [Exit Sergeant, attended.

Enter ROSS.

Who comes here?

MALCOLM The worthy Thane of Ross.

LENNOX What a haste looks through his eyes!

So should he look that seems to speak things strange.

ROSS God save the King!

DUNCAN Whence cam’st thou, worthy thane?

ROSS From Fife, great King,

[50]

Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky

And fan our people cold.

Norway himself, with terrible numbers,

Assisted by that most disloyal traitor

The Thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict,

[55]

Till that Bellona’s bridegroom, lapp’d in proof,

Confronted him with self-comparisons,

Point against point rebellious, arm ’gainst arm,

Curbing his lavish spirit; and to conclude,

The victory fell on us.

DUNCAN Great happiness!

[60]

ROSS That now

Sweno, the Norways’ king, craves composition;

Nor would we deign him burial of his men

Till he disbursed, at Saint Colme’s Inch,

Ten thousand dollars to our general use.

[65]

DUNCAN No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive

Our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death,

And with his former title greet Macbeth.

ROSS I’ll see it done.

DUNCAN What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won. [Exeunt.

SCENE III. A blasted heath.

Thunder. Enter the three Witches.

1 WITCH Where hast thou been, sister?

2 WITCH Killing swine.

3 WITCH Sister, where thou?

1 WITCH A sailor’s wife had chestnuts in her lap,

And mounch’d, and mounch’d, and mounch’d.

[5]

‘Give me’ quoth I.

‘Aroint thee, witch!’ the rump-fed ronyon cries.

Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o’ th’

Tiger;

But in a sieve I’ll thither sail

And, like a rat without a tail,

[10]

I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do.

2 WITCH I’ll give thee a wind.

1 WITCH Th’art kind.

3 WITCH And I another.

1 WITCH I myself have all the other;

[15]

And the very ports they blow,

All the quarters that they know

I’ th’ shipman’s card.

I’ll drain him dry as hay:

Sleep shall neither night nor day

Hang upon his pent-house lid;

[20]

He shall live a man forbid;

Weary sev’nights, nine times nine,

Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine.

Though his bark cannot be lost,

[25]

Yet it shall be tempest-tost.

Look what I have.

2 WITCH Show me, show me.

1 WITCH Here I have a pilot’s thumb,

Wreck’d as homeward he did come.

[Drum within.

[30]

3 WITCH A drum, a drum!

Macbeth

Reviews for Macbeth

[thomas_stephens_39 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This graphic novel retells the story of Macbeth. Macbeth gets a prophecy claiming he will be king. He acts on it violently. Eventually, his violence brings justice down upon him.This novel contains some of the same dialogue that the original does. This keeps it relevant to the original by allowing you to talk about how the language was different. There are also some occurrences that will have to be explained. For instance, why Macbeth feels entitled to the throne although he isn't kin to the king.ON the whole, I didn't like this graphic novel. I found it to be rather bland as far as art work goes. One of the neat things about graphic novels is that there is cool art work in it. If not for the art, why not read a picture-less version? I've also read Macbeth before, so the plot wasn't new to me.