Table of Contents
ACT 4, SCENE 2
Setting: Fife. Macduff's castle.
[Enter LADY MACDUFF, her Son, and ROSS]
| LADY MACDUFF | What had he done, to make him fly the land? | |
| ROSS | You must have patience, madam. | |
| LADY MACDUFF | He had none: | |
| His flight was madness: when our actions do not, | ||
| Our fears do make us traitors. | ||
| ROSS | You know not | |
| Whether it was his wisdom or his fear. | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his babes, | |
| His mansion and his titles in a place | ||
| From whence himself does fly? He loves us not; | ||
| He wants the natural touch: for the poor wren, | ||
| The most diminutive of birds, will fight, | 10 | |
| Her young ones in her nest, against the owl. | ||
| All is the fear and nothing is the love; | ||
| As little is the wisdom, where the flight | ||
| So runs against all reason. | ||
| ROSS | My dearest coz, | |
| I pray you, school yourself: but for your husband, | ||
| He is noble, wise, judicious, and best knows | ||
| The fits o' the season. I dare not speak | ||
| much further; | ||
| But cruel are the times, when we are traitors | ||
| And do not know ourselves, when we hold rumour | ||
| From what we fear, yet know not what we fear, | 20 | |
| But float upon a wild and violent sea | ||
| Each way and move. I take my leave of you: | ||
| Shall not be long but I'll be here again: | ||
| Things at the worst will cease, or else climb upward | ||
| To what they were before. My pretty cousin, | ||
| Blessing upon you! | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Father'd he is, and yet he's fatherless. | |
| ROSS | I am so much a fool, should I stay longer, | |
| It would be my disgrace and your discomfort: | ||
| I take my leave at once. | ||
| [Exit] | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Sirrah, your father's dead; | 30 |
| And what will you do now? How will you live? | ||
| Son | As birds do, mother. | |
| LADY MACDUFF | What, with worms and flies? | |
| Son | With what I get, I mean; and so do they. | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Poor bird! thou'ldst never fear the net nor lime, | |
| The pitfall nor the gin. | ||
| Son | Why should I, mother? Poor birds they are not set for. | |
| My father is not dead, for all your saying. | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Yes, he is dead; how wilt thou do for a father? | |
| Son | Nay, how will you do for a husband? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Why, I can buy me twenty at any market. | 40 |
| Son | Then you'll buy 'em to sell again. | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Thou speak'st with all thy wit: and yet, i' faith, | |
| With wit enough for thee. | ||
| Son | Was my father a traitor, mother? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Ay, that he was. | |
| Son | What is a traitor? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Why, one that swears and lies. | |
| Son | And be all traitors that do so? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Every one that does so is a traitor, and must be hanged. | 50 |
| Son | And must they all be hanged that swear and lie? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Every one. | |
| Son | Who must hang them? | |
| LADY MACDUFF | Why, the honest men. | |
| Son | Then the liars and swearers are fools, | |
| for there are liars and swearers enow to beat | ||
| the honest men and hang up them. | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Now, God help thee, poor monkey! | |
| But how wilt thou do for a father? | 60 | |
| Son | If he were dead, you'ld weep for | |
| him: if you would not, it were a good sign | ||
| that I should quickly have a new father. | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Poor prattler, how thou talk'st! | |
| [Enter a Messenger] | ||
| Messenger | Bless you, fair dame! I am not to you known, | |
| Though in your state of honour I am perfect. | ||
| I doubt some danger does approach you nearly: | ||
| If you will take a homely man's advice, | ||
| Be not found here; hence, with your little ones. | ||
| To fright you thus, methinks, I am too savage; | 70 | |
| To do worse to you were fell cruelty, | ||
| Which is too nigh your person. Heaven preserve you! | ||
| I dare abide no longer. | ||
| [Exit] | ||
| LADY MACDUFF | Whither should I fly? | |
| I have done no harm. But I remember now | ||
| I am in this earthly world; where to do harm | ||
| Is often laudable, to do good sometime | ||
| Accounted dangerous folly: why then, alas, | ||
| Do I put up that womanly defence, | ||
| To say I have done no harm? | ||
| [Enter Murderers] | ||
| What are these faces? | ||
| First Murderer | Where is your husband? | 80 |
| LADY MACDUFF | I hope, in no place so unsanctified | |
| Where such as thou mayst find him. | ||
| First Murderer | He's a traitor. | |
| Son | Thou liest, thou shag–hair'd villain! | |
| First Murderer | What, you egg! | |
| [Stabbing him] | ||
| Young fry of treachery! | ||
| Son | He has kill'd me, mother: | |
| Run away, I pray you! | ||
| [Dies] |
[Exit LADY MACDUFF, crying 'Murder!' Exeunt Murderers, following her ]