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SIX ESSENTIAL MONOLOGUES FROM MACBETH

Brief Synopsis of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, 1606

At the opening of the 17th century play Macbeth, Shakespeare's shortest tragedy set in 11th century Scotland, a trio of witches predicts that Macbeth is going to be Thane of Cawdor and also King. Impatient and power hungry, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth plot to kill King Duncan, the current king of Scotland. The witches’ prediction also states that Banquo's heirs will seize the throne later on, so Macbeth grows intense with jealousy of Banquo and his son Fleance.  Macbeth consults the witches again and they tell him three additional predictions: He must beware of Macduff (a Scottish nobleman), Macbeth can't be harmed by any man born of woman, and Macbeth will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle.   Due to his ambition and greed, Macbeth’s leadership of Scotland slowly falls apart and his people do not trust him.  Suspicious of Macbeth’s intent, all Macbeth's opponents join forces and create a war to kill him.  Shielded with branches cut from Birnam Wood, the English army advances on Dunsinane Castle, which means that Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane. In the battle, Macbeth encounters Macduff, who declares that he (Macduff) was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what we now call birth by cesarean section). Macduff and Macbeth fight to the death.  

SIX ESSENTIAL MONOLOGUES FROM MACBETH

Table of Contents

Monologue 1: Act One, Scene 5: Lady Macbeth Monologue 2: Act One, Scene 7: MacbethMonologue 3: Act Two, Scene 1: MacbethMonologue 4: Act Three, Scene 1: BanquoMonologue 5: Act Five, Scene 5: MacbethMonologue 6: Act Five, Scene 8: MalcolmCharacter List

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SIX ESSENTIAL MONOLOGUES FROM MACBETH

MONOLOGUE 1 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “They met me on the day of success” by Lady MacbethFrom Macbeth, Act One, Scene 5

Enter Lady Macbeth, alone in Macbeth’s Castle at Inverness, reading a letter from Macbeth, who is returning home soon from success in battle:

LADY MACBETH: ‘They met me in the day of success: and I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves air,into which they vanished. Whiles I stood rapt inthe wonder of it, came missives from the king, whoall-hailed me 'Thane of Cawdor;' by which title,before, these weird sisters saluted me, and referredme to the coming on of time, with 'Hail, king thatshalt be!' This have I thought good to deliverthee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thoumightst not lose the dues of rejoicing, by beingignorant of what greatness is promised thee. Lay itto thy heart, and farewell.'

Looks up from reading the letter

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt beWhat thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;It is too full o' the milk of human kindnessTo catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;Art not without ambition, but withoutThe illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,And yet wouldst wrongly win: thou'ldst have, great Glamis,That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it;And that which rather thou dost fear to doThan wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither,That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;And chastise with the valour of my tongueAll that impedes thee from the golden round,Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seemTo have thee crown'd withal.

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MONOLOGUE 2 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “If it were done when ‘tis done” by MacbethFrom Macbeth, Act One, Scene 7

Hautboys, torches in Macbeth’s castle. Enter a Sewer, and diverse Servants with dishes and service over the stage. Then enter Macbeth.

MACBETH: If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere wellIt were done quickly: if the assassinationCould trammel up the consequence, and catchWith his surcease success; that but this blowMight be the be-all and the end-all here,But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,We'd jump the life to come. But in these casesWe still have judgment here; that we but teachBloody instructions, which, being taught, returnTo plague the inventor: this even-handed justiceCommends the ingredients of our poison'd chaliceTo our own lips. He's here in double trust;First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,Who should against his murderer shut the door,Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this DuncanHath borne his faculties so meek, hath beenSo clear in his great office, that his virtuesWill plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, againstThe deep damnation of his taking-off;And pity, like a naked new-born babe,Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsedUpon the sightless couriers of the air,Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spurTo prick the sides of my intent, but onlyVaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itselfAnd falls on the other.

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MONOLOGUE 3 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “Is this a dagger which I see before me?”From Macbeth, Act Two, Scene 1

The court of Macbeth’s castle. Past midnight. Enter Macbeth.

MACBETH: Is this a dagger which I see before me,The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.Art thou not, fatal vision, sensibleTo feeling as to sight? or art thou butA dagger of the mind, a false creation,Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?I see thee yet, in form as palpableAs this which now I draw.Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;And such an instrument I was to use.Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,Which was not so before. There's no such thing:It is the bloody business which informsThus to mine eyes. Now o'er the one halfworldNature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuseThe curtain'd sleep; witchcraft celebratesPale Hecate's offerings, and wither'd murder,Alarum'd by his sentinel, the wolf,Whose howl's his watch, thus with his stealthy pace.With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his designMoves like a ghost. Thou sure and firm-set earth,Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fearThy very stones prate of my whereabout,And take the present horror from the time,Which now suits with it. Whiles I threat, he lives:Words to the heat of deeds too cold breath gives.                                    [a bell rings]I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knellThat summons thee to heaven or to hell.

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MONOLOGUE 4 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “Thou has it now-King, Cawdor, Glamis, All” by BanquoFrom Macbeth, Act Three, Scene 1

The king’s palace at Forres. Enter BANQUO.

BANQUOThou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all,As the weird women promised, and, I fear,Thou play'dst most foully for't: yet it was saidIt should not stand in thy posterity,But that myself should be the root and fatherOf many kings. If there come truth from them--As upon thee, Macbeth, their speeches shine--Why, by the verities on thee made good,May they not be my oracles as well,And set me up in hope? But hush! no more.

Sennet sounded. Enter MACBETH, as king, LADY MACBETH, as queen, LENNOX, ROSS, Lords, Ladies, and Attendants

MACBETHHere's our chief guest.

LADY MACBETHIf he had been forgotten,It had been as a gap in our great feast,And all-thing unbecoming.

MACBETHTo-night we hold a solemn supper sir,And I'll request your presence.

BANQUOLet your highnessCommand upon me; to the which my dutiesAre with a most indissoluble tieFor ever knit.

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MONOLOGUE 5 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “Hang out our banners on the outward walls” by MacbethFrom Macbeth, Act Five, Scene 5

Enter MACBETH, SEYTON, and Soldiers, with drums and colors (flags). Macbeth’s military fortress at Dunsinane Hill.

MACBETHHang out our banners on the outward walls;The cry is still 'They come:' our castle's strengthWill laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lieTill famine and the ague eat them up:Were they not forced with those that should be ours,We might have met them dareful, beard to beard,And beat them backward home.

A cry of women is heard withinWhat is that noise?

SEYTONIt is the cry of women, my good lord.Exit

MACBETHI have almost forgot the taste of fears;The time has been, my senses would have cool'dTo hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hairWould at a dismal treatise rouse and stirAs life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors;Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughtsCannot once start me.

Re-enter SEYTONWherefore was that cry?

SEYTONThe queen, my lord, is dead.

MACBETHShe should have died hereafter;There would have been a time for such a word.To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to dayTo the last syllable of recorded time,And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more: it is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing.

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MONOLOGUE 6 PAUSE & REFLECT

SPEECH: “We shall not spend a large expense of time” by MalcolmFrom Macbeth, Act Five, Scene 8

Another part of the Battlefield near Dunsinane Hill.

MACDUFFHail, king! for so thou art: behold, where standsThe usurper's cursed head: the time is free:I see thee compass'd with thy kingdom's pearl,That speak my salutation in their minds;Whose voices I desire aloud with mine:Hail, King of Scotland!ALLHail, King of Scotland!

Flourish

MALCOLMWe shall not spend a large expense of timeBefore we reckon with your several loves,And make us even with you. My thanes and kinsmen,Henceforth be earls, the first that ever ScotlandIn such an honour named. What's more to do,Which would be planted newly with the time,As calling home our exiled friends abroadThat fled the snares of watchful tyranny;Producing forth the cruel ministersOf this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen,Who, as 'tis thought, by self and violent handsTook off her life; this, and what needful elseThat calls upon us, by the grace of Grace,We will perform in measure, time and place:So, thanks to all at once and to each one,Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone.Flourish. Exeunt. The End!

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Characters in The Tragedy of MacbethThree Witches - The Weird Sisters or Sisters of Fate – Three women with supernatural powers who foresee Macbeth’s ascent to power and his defeat, as well as Banquo’s line of kings to follow. Hecate (HEC-a-tee) is the queen of the witches who appears briefly and later in the play.

Duncan, King of Scotland - a kind and trusting older man whose unsuspecting nature leaves him open to Macbeth’s attack. Based on the historical King Duncan of Scotland who ruled from 1034-1040 AD.

Malcolm and Donalbain, King Duncan’s sons – heirs to the throne. After the murder of Duncan, Donalbain (younger son) flees to Ireland and Malcolm flees to England. Malcolm plays a greater role as the play goes on. He is a figure of goodness placed in opposition to Macbeth’s evil. He is most distinctive when he tests Macduff.

Macbeth, Thane of Glamis – Titular figure. A general in the king’s army whose “vaulting ambition” leads him to dream of greater titles. He becomes the Thane of Cawdor and is prompted by the witches’ prophecies and his wife’s goading to kill Duncan and become king of Scotland. One of his strengths is his ability to face the ugly truth about himself. He sees the evil to which he has subjected himself and his world but continues to defend his position with continued murder. Although brave in battle, Macbeth is a tyrannical and unpopular ruler. Based loosely on the historical King Macbeth of Scotland who ruled 1040-1057 AD.

Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife - what Macbeth lacks in decisiveness, she makes up for in bloodthirsty lust for power and wealth. Her principle importance lies in her ability to influence her husband and maintain appearances. Swearing off her femininity at the beginning of the play in order to achieve her ambitions, she soon regrets her actions and becomes a victim of nightmares and hallucinations.

Banquo – Thane of Lochaber. A virtuous and honorable general of Duncan’s army along with Macbeth. Although he senses the witches are evil and not to be relied on, he is also subject to the witches’ prophecies (“Banquo will father kings”). Unlike Macbeth, he does not act to fulfill these prophecies, relying on his better judgment and morals instead. Banquo’s ancestry with King Duncan makes him an apt choice to stand in opposition to Macbeth as his foil.

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Lennox – A Scottish thane who begins to question Macbeth’s tyrannical rule.

Ross – Macbeth’s cousin and a Scottish noble who eventually turns from Macbeth and sides with Malcolm and the English forces in opposing. Ross is a key deliverer of information throughout the play.

Macduff, Thane of Fife - a Scottish nobleman who first begins to question Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. He flees his home and becomes allied with Malcolm and the English forces in opposing Macbeth, succeeding in murdering Macbeth at Dunsinane.

Minor CharactersFleance- Banquo’s son.

Lady Macduff, Macduff’s wife- a kind and motherly foil for Lady Macbeth’s lack of feminine sympathies. Lady Macduff is killed along with her children when Macduff flees.

Angus, Mentieth, and Caithness- Scottish nobles who join with Malcolm and the English forces in opposing Macbeth.

Siward, Earl of Northumberland, England - leader of the English army and brother to Duncan, he leads an army against Macbeth. They disguise themselves with branches from Birnam Wood, therefore fulfilling the witches’ prophesy that Macbeth will fall only when “Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane (Macbeth’s Castle).”

Young Siward- Siward’s son, who Macbeth kills in battle.

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