WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
William Shakespeare
Macbeth
Adaptation and activities by Janet Borsbey and Ruth Swan
Illustrated by Simone Rea
YOUNG ADULT
READERS
Contents
6
Main Characters
8
Before You Read
10
Chapter One
18
Activities
20 Chapter Two
“When will we three meet again?”
“ Is this a dagger...?”
28 Activities
30 Chapter Three “ Horror! Oh, horror!”
38 Activities
40 Chapter Four
“W hat’s done is done.”
48 Activities
50 Chapter Five
“ Double, double toil and trouble.”
58 Activities
60 Chapter Six
“Out, dam ned spot!”
68 Activities
70 Chapter Seven “ Life is just a passing shadow.”
78 Activities
80 Playscript
88 Focus on...
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
90 Focus on...
Theatrical Superstitions and Idioms
92 Focus on...
CLIL Physical Geography: Scotland
94 Test Yourself
96 Syllabus
These icons indicate the parts of the story that are recorded start ► stop ■
MAIN CHARACTERS
MACBETH
LADY M ACBETH
A Scottish Thane (Lord)
His wife
.D U N C A N
King o f Scotland
MALCOLM
DONALBAIN
Duncan's sons
HECATE
The goddess o f witchcraft
T H E TH R EE W ITCHES
Hecate’s servants
BANQUO
A Scottish Thane
FLFANCE
Banquo’s son
MACDUFF
ROSS
LENNOX
Scottish Thanes
BEFORE YOU READ
Vocabulary
1
The following words all appear in the story. Match the words to
the dictionary definitions. Use your translation dictionary to help
you find the English definition.
d a g g e r/'daega/ noun [C ]
a A person whose job is to fight,
sword /soid/ noun [C]
b A wall around the top of a castle
battlefield /’baet(3)l ,fi:ld/
c A short type of knife used
that you can walk around,
noun [C ]
battlements /'ba;t(o)lmonts/
in fighting,
d A large group of people whose
job is to fight,
noun [plural]
s o ld ie r/'sould3o(r)/ noun [C ]
e The place where people fight,
a rm y /'a;(r)mi/ noun [C ]
f A very long type of knife used
in fighting.
2
Anagrams. Solve these anagrams to find eight verbs w e use to
report speech. Then put them into the context phrases in the
Past Simple.
‘Are you hurt?’ cried his brother.
1
rvc
2
kas
‘W hat time is it?’ Banauo
3
rwpheis
pelry
‘W ho are thev?’
‘W e must be patient.’
4
cry
Banauo.
Donalbain.
5
ecionnut
‘He is not vour friend.’
6
aenrsw
‘I’ll do it toniaht.’ he
7
dad
‘Before the dav is over.’
8
lacl
‘Get a doctor for this brave man.’
Macbeth.
the third witch.
Duncan.
Grammar
3 Use the clues below to com plete the irregular verb crossword.
Use the first letter of the answer to help you. Then read chapter
one and check your answers.
1
2
3
5
4
6
8
7
9
11
10
12
13
Clues Across
3
Donalbain r__________ towards his brother. (3 letters)
4
6
King Duncan’s men w __________ the battle. (3 letters)
The soldiers t__________ their stories about the day. (4 letters)
9
Macbeth was brave in the battle. He f
like a lion. (6 letters)
10 Macbeth t________ about his conversation with the witches. (7 letters)
12 Ross k__________ a lot about the battle. (4 letters)
13 Macbeth and Banquo h
a strange noise. (5 letters)
Clues Down
Lord Ross to tell Macbeth the news. (4 letters)
1
Kina Duncan s
2
The King of Norway p___ 10,000 gold pieces for his freedom. (4 letters)
4
The sun w
5
The Kina of Norwav 1
7
Macbeth 1
Macbeth b
8
11 The witches h
low in the sky. (3 letters)
the battle. C4 letters)
the room. (4 letters)
to realize something. (5 letters)
nothing more to say. (3 letters)
9
Chapter One
When w ill we three
meet
agin
?
“
”
► 2 It was a dark time and a dark place. In ancient Scotland, rebellions were
com m on and kings didn’t live long. Duncan, King o f Scotland, was in
his palace at Forres in the far north. King Duncan was a good man and
a fine king, but rebels were trying to take his throne*. The rebel leader
was a rich, powerful man, the Thane* o f Cawdor. The battles were
hard and bloody* and Duncan was worried about his sons. Malcolm,
the older son, was fighting at that very m om ent. Fortunately, the
younger son, Donalbain, was safe w ith Duncan, for now.
‘News,’ said King Duncan anxiously, ‘We need news about the
battle. It’s hard to sit here, safe at Forres, while m y m en are fighting.’
‘I know father, but we m ust be patient,’ replied Donalbain, w ith a
heavy heart.
The Thane o f Cawdor was a very powerful m an indeed.
Away from the King’s palace, in an open field, there was a very strange
sight indeed. Three shapes were visible. They were old wom en, ugly
old wom en and they were wearing black rags*. The three wom en
were witches and they were m aking a terrible plan.
‘W hen will we three m eet again?’ said one witch, ‘In thunder,
lightning or in rain?’
throne the position of being king or queen
bloody violent and with a lot of blood
Thane a Scottish word for Lord
rag an old piece of cloth
10
MACBETH
'W hen the battle’s lost and won!’ laughed the second.
‘Before the setting of the sun*!’ added the third.
‘W here, sisters? W here shall we meet?’
‘Near! Near here.’
‘W ho, sisters? W ho shall we meet?’
‘Let’s m eet Macbeth!’
‘Macbeth!’ they cried together, ‘Let’s m eet Macbeth. In fog and
filthy* air!’
An hour or two later, King Duncan and Donalbain were still waiting
for news about the latest battle. Suddenly, two m en appeared on the
horizon.
‘Look father! It’s Malcolm! H e’s w ith a soldier. I think he’s h u rt.’
Donalbain ran towards his brother. ‘W hat’s happened? Are you hurt?’
he cried.
‘No, brother, I’m fine. This soldier is hurt, but he saved my life. I
was almost captured* by the Thane of Cawdor’s m en,’ he turned to
the King, ‘Hello father. T here’s no need to worry, I’m well and we
w on the battle. We won! It was long and terrible and this m an here,
this soldier, is a hero.’
‘Malcolm. Thank God,’ whispered* the King, embracing* his son,
‘A nd thank you,’ Duncan turned to the soldier.
‘I’m not a hero, Sire*,’ said the soldier quietly, 'Lord M acbeth was
the true hero today.’
Lord Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, was the King’s cousin.
‘My brave cousin,’ said the King, ‘H e’s such a fine m an.’
‘Yes,’ said the soldier, ‘He fought like a lion. The battle was hard
setting of the sun when the sun goes away in the evening
to w hisper to speak very, very quietly
filthy very dirty
to em brace to hold someone in your arms
to capture to catch someone as a prisoner
Sire an old word used when talking to a king
11
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
and the King of Norway was helping the Thane o f Cawdor. Their
army* was larger than ours too. They attacked again and again,
but M acbeth and Banquo were good generals. Scotland is safe, Sire,
Scotland is safe!'
The soldier sat down heavily in a chair. 'I’m sorry, Sire,' he
whispered.
‘Get a doctor for this brave m an,’ called Duncan, ‘Quickly.’
The other thanes and soldiers were beginning to return to the royal
palace from the battlefield*. They told their stories o f the day and
everyone agreed that Macbeth was the real hero. The Thane of Ross,
another of the Scottish lords, knew more details about the battle. ‘God
save the King!’ he called, 'I’ve come from Fife. We captured the King
of Norway! Here, here are the ten thousand gold pieces he paid for his
freedom! We took the m oney and he has gone back to Norway.’
‘W hat about the rebel leader?’ asked King Duncan, ‘Tell m e about
the Thane o f Cawdor.’
‘We captured him too. W hat shall we do w ith him?’
‘Execute* him. Execute him now. Then I want you to go and find
Macbeth. Tell him that I have executed the Thane o f Cawdor and tell
Macbeth that he is now the new Thane. My brave cousin will now have
two titles; Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor! That is his reward*.’
‘Immediately, Sire! It will be a great pleasure to tell the brave
Macbeth!’ Ross left, calling for his horse.
M acbeth himself was riding across the open fields w ith his friend,
Banquo. They were tired from the battle, but very elated*. It was
arm y a large group of soldiers
reward a prize for doing something good
battlefield the place where soldiers fight
to execute to kill
elated very happy
12
MACBETH
getting dark and the sun was low in the sky. As they were riding along,
a sudden mist* came up. Their horses stopped, afraid o f something.
T hrough the fog, the two m en could just see three strange shapes,
black and dark. Then they heard three w om en call o ut to them .
‘Hail*!’
‘Hail!’
‘Hail!’
M acbeth and Banquo stared at each other and at the three witches.
‘W ho are they?’ whispered Banquo, ‘Let’s ride on. We m ust be
near to Forres by now.’
‘No, w ait,’ said his friend, ‘Perhaps they have a message for us.’
‘Hail Macbeth! Thane o f Glamis!’ cried the first witch.
The two m en were silent.
‘Hail Macbeth, the new Thane of Cawdor!’ cried the second witch.
‘Hail Macbeth, the future King o f Scotland!’ cried the third.
Macbeth rem ained silent, trying to understand w hat the witches
were saying, but Banquo was curious to know more.
‘You have a lot to say about m y friend Macbeth. You say he will be
Thane o f Cawdor and King of Scotland’, he said boldly*, ‘but w hat
about me? W hat can you tell m e about my future? W hat will happen
to me in the future? Will I be as lucky as Macbeth?’
The witches answered in turn.
‘You will be less than Macbeth, b ut you will be greater.’
‘You will not be as lucky as Macbeth, but you will be luckier.’
‘You will not be king, but your children will be kings.’
‘Hail Macbeth! Hail Banquo!’ the witches said together.
‘No, wait!’ cried Macbeth, ‘W hat do you mean? You’re right, 1 am
Thane o f Glamis, that is my title. But I can’t be Thane o f Cawdor,
mist another word for fog
boldly bravely
Hail Hello
13
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
because there is already a Thane o f Cawdor. H e’s a rebel, but he’s
alive. And King o f Scotland? I can’t be king, because we already have a
good king and we are loyal* to him. So tell me, who are you and why
have you m et us here to tell us these strange prophecies*? Tell me!’
The witches had nothing m ore to say. They simply disappeared
into the fog.
‘W here have they gone?’ said Banquo to Macbeth.
‘It seems they have vanished into thin air*,’ his friend replied, And I
want to know why they went away so suddenly. I had more to ask them.’
‘Were they witches? Or are we going mad?’
‘Don’t worry, your children will be kings!’ M acbeth joked*.
‘A nd you’ll be king too!’ his friend replied.
‘Oh yes. And Thane o f Cawdor as well, don’t forget that! Shh. Just
a m inute, I can hear horses.’
The sound of the horses came nearer and nearer.
‘W ho is it?’ whispered Macbeth.
‘It’s Lord Ross!’ cried Banquo.
‘Macbeth!’ Lord Ross called out, ‘I have news from the King!
Your royal cousin is well and happy with your victory. He sent m e to
congratulate you and to thank you. King Duncan has decided to give
you a reward. You are now the new Thane o f Cawdor. Hail Macbeth,
Thane of Cawdor!’
‘They were witches!’ whispered Banquo to Macbeth, ‘A nd, it looks
like they were telling the tru th .’
M acbeth was confused. He turned to Ross. ‘W hat do you mean?
The Thane of Cawdor is still alive.’
‘Yes, but he is a traitor* and he has confessed*. King Duncan has
ordered his execution.’
loval to be a trusted friend of someone
to joke to say something funny
prophecy a prediction about the future
traitor a person who rebels against the government
to vanish into thin air to disappear suddenly or in a strange way
to confess to say that you have done something wrong
14
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘So I am both Thane of Glamis and Thane o f Caw dor/ Macbeth
was surprised, but a little excited. He turned again to Banquo, ‘But
they m ade a second promise. Will I be King o f Scotland one day? Will
your children also be royal?’
‘Be careful, Macbeth. Perhaps it was a trick. Perhaps they were evil
spirits,’ his friend replied.
Macbeth was thinking hard. The witches were right. Their prophecy
was right. Now he was the new Thane of Cawdor. Perhaps they were
also right about the future. Could he also becom e King of Scotland?
But w hat about King Duncan? Macbeth began to realize that he
w anted to be the King of Scotland. Very much.
‘Macbeth! W e’re waiting for you!’ said Banquo.
‘Sorry Ross, sorry Banquo,’ he said to his friends, ‘I was lost in
thought. Let’s ride to King D uncan.’
Back in the palace at Forres, King Duncan was very m uch in command.
‘Have they executed Cawdor yet?’
'Yes, father,’ said Malcolm, ‘They say he was very brave and
honest. H e confessed his treason* and asked you to forgive* him. He
was very sorry.’
A door opened and Macbeth, Banquo and Ross walked in.
‘My dear cousin!’ called the King, ‘Congratulations to you. I must
thank you.’
He walked over to M acbeth and shook his hand* warmly. He did
the same to Banquo.
‘Sire,’ said Macbeth, ‘we simply did our duty*. You are our king
and we are loyal to you.’
treason the crime of trying to destroy the ruler or government
to shake som eone’s hand to take someone’s hand when you
of your own country
meet them
to forgive to decide not to be angry with someone after they
to do one’s d uty to do what is right
have done something wrong
16
MACBETH
‘Welcome, welcome!' replied the King. ‘Come and see m y son,
Malcolm.’
The King turned to talk to all the thanes in the room . ‘Thanes
o f Scotland,’ he said, ‘I thank you all for your loyalty to Scotland. I
think it’s tim e to nam e my heir*. Malcolm, m y eldest son, has served
me well. Today, I have made him Prince o f Cumberland. He will be
the next King of Scotland after me. And now, Macbeth, Thane of
Cawdor, I will stay at your castle tonight, so we can talk m ore.’
‘That is an honour, Sire,’ replied M acbeth, ‘I m ust send a message
to m y wife.’ He bowed* to the King and left the room . H e was
thinking very hard. In truth, he was a little disappointed*. ‘Malcolm is
the new Prince of Cumberland, so he will be King before me. Perhaps
the witches were wrong. Their first prophecy was right, b ut now
Malcolm is in m y way*.’
Back in the hall, King D uncan was still talking to the thanes. He
was talking about Macbeth, his bravery and his loyalty. ‘M acbeth is a
perfect cousin,’ said the King.
■
heir the person who takes your position after you die
disappointed unhappy because something you hoped for or
to bow to lower your head or your body as a way of showing
expected didn't happen
respect
to be in som eone’s w ay to block someone
17
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1
Choose the best answer - A, B or C.
1 W h y was King Duncan worried?
a D because he was losing the battle
B □ because Donalbain was fighting
C □ because he was waiting for news
2
W ho were the three strange women?
aQ
wives of the soldiers
bD
nurses
C □ witches
3
W hat relation is Macbeth to King Duncan?
a D
he’s his brother
bD
he’s his uncle
C □ he’s his cousin
4
W h at did all the Scottish lords say about Macbeth?
a D
that he was a hero in the battle
B O that they don't know where he is
C □ that he was a friend of the Thane of Cawdor
5
W h at did the strange women say to Macbeth and Banquo?
a D
that Macbeth will be king
bD
that Banquo will be Thane of Cawdor
C D that King Duncan will leave Scotland
6 W here did the strange women go?
a D they went to the castle
B □ they disappeared in the fog
cQ
7
they followed Macbeth home
W hat title did King Duncan give to his son?
A O Thane of Glamis
B
EH Thane o f Ross
Prince o f Cumberland
CD
18
Grammar
2
Comparatives. Com plete the second sentence so it means the
same as the first, using no more than three words.
1
The Thane of Cawdor isn't as powerful as King Duncan.
2
King Duncan i s .............................. the Thane of Cawdor.
Macbeth is braver than the soldier.
The soldier isn’t .............................. Macbeth.
3
The rebel army is larger than King Duncan’s army.
King Duncan’s army isn’t .............................the rebel army.
4
Banquo won’t be as lucky as Macbeth.
Macbeth w i l l ................................. Banquo.
5
Malcolm is older than Donalbain.
Donalbain isn’t .............................. Malcolm.
3
Superlatives. Com plete the sentences using the superlative
form of the adjective in brackets.
1
Macbeth is the bravest man in the battle, (brave)
2
The Thane of Cawdor is ______________ man in Scotland, (rich)
3
The battle is_____________ battle that Malcolm has fought, (difficult)
4
The three women a r e ______________ women that Macbeth has
ever seen, (ugly)
5
The prophecies a re ______________prophecies that Macbeth has
ever heard, (strange)
6 The King thinks Macbeth w a s __________ man in the battle, (good)
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Speaking
4 Three of the following things happen in the next chapter. Which
three? Tell your partner your ideas.
• King Duncan stays at Macbeth’s castle.
• King Duncan invites Lady Macbeth to his castle.
• Macbeth kills King Duncan.
• King Duncan has a strange dream.
• Banquo sees Lady Macbeth with blood on her hands.
• Macbeth is frightened to go into the King’s room.
Chapter Two
“Is this a dagger.
► 3 In Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth was reading a letter from her
husband.
... The battle was a great success, but I must tell you about a strange
thing which happened after the fight was over. As Banquo and I were
riding back to the royal palace, we met three women on the road - 1
think they were witches. We stopped and talked to them and they
made two prophecies to me about my future. First of all, they said
that I was now the new Thane of Cawdor. Then they made another
prediction; they said that, one day, I will be King of Scotland. They
vanished before I could ask any more questions. Later, we met Lord
Ross, who was lookingfor me. He told me the King wanted to give me
a reward. It’s incredible. Now I am the new Thane o f Cawdor and
th a t is my reward. So, you see, the witches were right.
W hat do you think? Will I be King of Scotland? Will you be Queen? I
wanted to write to you immediately. I wanted you to know. My dear
wife, my partner in life, I’ll see you soon.
Lady Macbeth put the letter down and sat there deep in thought.
'My husband was Thane o f Glamis and is now Thane o f Cawdor. Will
he ever be King?’ Then she thought about her husband’s character.
20
MACBETH
M acbeth was kind, too kind and he was loyal to the King. He was
certainly ambitious, but he was a good and honest man. 'You w ant to
be King,' she thought, ‘but you are too kind, too loyal and too honest.
You aren’t cruel* enough. You need to take action and you need to be
cruel. Com e hom e to me quickly and I’ll help you. I’ll make you brave
enough to do what we have to do. I’ll give you strength, I’ll make sure
you get the crown o f Scotland and I’ll make sure that I’m your queen.’
There was a knock at the door and Lady M acbeth stood up calmly
and opened it. A messenger was standing outside.
‘A message from King D uncan,’ he said, bowing.
‘Yes?’
‘King Duncan is coming here tonight, my Lady.’
‘A re you mad? Here? Tonight?’
‘Yes, m y Lady. And Lord M acbeth will be here soon, but he asked
m e to hurry w ith this message.’
‘Thank you, you may go,’ said Lady Macbeth. She was already
m aking plans. ‘Duncan is coming here, to our castle,’ she thought. ‘It
is a perfect opportunity for us. I’ll make sure that this will be a fatal
visit for him. I need to be calm, cruel and brave. I m ust behave like
a m an, even crueller and braver than a man. I need all my strength.’
Later that afternoon, M acbeth arrived back at his family castle. A
servant took his horse and Macbeth w ent immediately to see his wife.
‘Hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor!’ she cried. H er eyes were bright.
‘My love,’ he said, kissing her hand, ‘Did my m essenger arrive?
Duncan is coming here tonight.’
‘Yes, yes! And when is he leaving?’
cruel someone who enjoys being horrible to other people or to animals
21
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘Tomorrow.’
‘A h-ha,’ replied his wife, ‘but he will never see tomorrow. I have a
plan and you, Macbeth, Thane o f Cawdor, will be King of Scotland.
Listen to me carefully. W hen D uncan comes here, you m ust welcome
him warm ly to our house and you m ust look innocent. Then, later
tonight, we will act and you m ust be like a snake. O ur only hope is for
D uncan to die. If you are to be King and I am to be Queen, Duncan
m ust die tonight.’
‘W e’ll talk m ore about this later,’ said Macbeth, ‘N ow we m ust
prepare for King D uncan’s arrival.’
‘Leave the plans to m e,’ said Lady Macbeth, as her husband was
leaving the room , ‘but you m ust be cold, you m ust be brave and you
m ust be calm.’
In the late afternoon, D uncan and all the Scottish lords arrived at
the castle. As they arrived, the noise of their horses, carriages* and
arm our* was trem endous. Lord and Lady M acbeth were standing in
the courtyard* ready to m eet their guests.
‘This is a fine castle here,’ called the King, as he got off his horse,
‘Yes, beautiful. And here is the beautiful Lady Macbeth. Thank you
Lady, for being our host*.’
‘Sire, it is an honour to welcome you here to our hom e,’ Lady
M acbeth replied, ‘I hope you had a good journey.’
‘Yes, splendid. Your husband w ent ahead of us, I imagine he was in
a hurry to ride hom e and see you, m y Lady! Ah, and here is m y new
Thane o f Cawdor. H ow are you Macbeth, my brave cousin, now you
have seen your wife again?’
carriage a type of transport which a horse pulls
courtyard a square area with buildings around it
arm our something soldiers wear on their bodies to protect
host a person who invites you to their house is the host and
them in a battle
you are the guest
22
MACBETH
Chatting and laughing, Duncan and the others w ent into the
castle.
A little later, Macbeth was talking to him self in his room . ‘I w ant
to be King o f Scotland, as the witches said, so I must kill Duncan. I
have no choice, although he is m y guest, m y cousin and m y king. But
he is a good man, he doesn’t deserve* to die. W hat shall I do?’
Lady M acbeth walked into the room . 'W hy did you leave our
guests? The King has almost finished his supper.’
‘Has he asked for me?’
‘Yes, he’s wondering where you are, my Lord.’
‘I can’t do it,’ said Macbeth. ‘I’ve thought and thought about it. I
can’t kill Duncan. He has given m e a great honour, I’m now Thane
o f Cawdor. It would be w rong to kill him just for m y own am bition.’
‘Coward*!’ hissed* his wife, ‘A re you afraid? Is the mighty* Thane
o f Cawdor afraid? You w ant to be King, don’t you? You have no choice.
You must kill him. If you don’t, we will never be King and Q ueen.’
‘I’m not a coward. No m an is braver than I am! But w hat if we
fail?’
‘Then we fail! Just be bold and brave and then we w on’t fail. I have
a plan. Duncan is tired after his journey and will soon be ready to go
to bed. W hen he’s asleep, I’ll go and talk to the two servants who
sleep in the room next to his. They’ll be tired too, I’ll give them lots
o f wine to make them sleepy and w hen they fall asleep, you can get
into D uncan’s room s and kill him. If you use the servants’ daggers*,
people will think they killed him. No-one will think it’s us.’
‘My love, w hen we have children, I hope they’ll be boys,’ said
Macbeth, ‘They’ll be the bravest boys in Scotland w ith a m other like
you.’ He thought some m ore. ‘A lright, I’ll do it tonight. But now I
to deserve to merit something
to hiss to make a noise like a snake
coward someone who isn’t brave, e.g. a soldier who runs
m ighty strong or powerful
away from a battle
dagger a short knife used to fight
23
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
have to go back to the party and pretend* that nothing is wrong. I
m ust be a false friend to the King/
Later the same night, Banquo and his son, Fleance, were walking in
the castle courtyard. ‘W hat tim e is it, Fleance?’ Banquo asked.
‘I don’t know. It m ust be almost m idnight.’
‘It’s tim e for bed, then. Look, it’s dark in the castle, all the candles
are out*. My head is so full o f strange thoughts, though. I don’t think
I’ll sleep well tonight.’
Suddenly, they heard footsteps* in the courtyard. ‘W h o ’s there?’
called Banquo.
‘A friend!’
It was Macbeth.
‘So you haven’t gone to bed yet, either?’ said Banquo, ‘The King’s
asleep, he really enjoyed him self tonight and he’s getting on very well
w ith Lady M acbeth.’
‘Yes, he has been very generous too.’
‘On the way here I thought about the weird* sisters, the witches,’
said Banquo, ‘Their first prediction for you has come true already,
hasn’t it?’
‘Forget them , for the m om ent,’ replied Macbeth, ‘Let’s talk about
them another day.’
‘W hatever you w ant,’ said Banquo, yawning*, ‘I’m going to bed.
Sleep well, Macbeth. Com e on Fleance.’
Banquo and his son w ent into the castle. After a few minutes,
M acbeth followed them inside. He walked up the stone steps and
stood for a while outside Duncan’s rooms. Suddenly, M acbeth saw a
to pretend to act in a way so that people believe you, but it
to hear footsteps to hear the sound of someone walking
isn’t true
weird strange and unusual
out (here) not lit, not on fire
to yawn to open your mouth wide because you are tired or bored
24
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
vision in front of him, the vision o f a dagger. The dagger was covered
in blood and the handle* was pointing towards him. ‘W hat’s this?’ he
whispered, horrified, A dagger? Is this a dagger which I see before*
me? And the handle is towards m y hand. Com e here, dagger, let
m e get you. Let m e get you! But I can’t, I can’t get you, you’re not
there. I can see you, but there's nothing there. W hat is this? W hat’s
happening to me? It’s a vision, a dream , it’s all in m y m ind.’
The bloody vision seem ed to make M acbeth m ore courageous.
He ran into the room where Duncan’s servants were asleep. The
servants smelled strongly o f wine and didn’t move w hen Macbeth
came in. M acbeth gently took their daggers from their belts and went
quickly into Duncan’s room.
Lady Macbeth was standing outside in the corridor. She was
worried. ‘I hope they drank enough w ine,’ she thought, ‘I hope the
servants don’t wake up.’
Macbeth opened the door and came out o f D uncan’s room s very
quietly. ‘I’ve done it,’ he said. ‘Did you hear anything? Did you hear
any noise?'
‘J ust an owl, nothing m ore,' she replied.
'I heard a voice,’ M acbeth was clearly terrified.
T h e re was no voice,’ said Lady Macbeth calmly.
‘Look at my hands, they’re covered in blood, the King’s blood. And
there was a voice. The voice said, "You’ll never sleep again. Only the
innocent sleep. Macbeth, you have m urdered sleep.” It was a terrible,
terrible voice.’
'No, it’s impossible. It was all in your mind. I tell you, there was no
voice. Now, you m ust be brave, m y Lord. Forget w hat we have done.
Go, wash your hands, wash off the blood. And the daggers, why have
handle the part of something which you hold e.g. the handle
on a knife
26
before an old way of saying ‘in front of'
MACBETH
you brought the daggers w ith you? Are you mad? Take them back
to the servants’ room and leave them there. Leave them w ith the
servants.’
‘I can’t. I can’t go in there again. I’m too afraid to see him dead.’
Macbeth was trembling*.
‘Then give me the daggers. I ’ll take them back. I’ll cover the
servants w ith Duncan’s blood. Then people will think that they
m urdered D uncan.’
Lady M acbeth w ent into the servants’ room . W hen she returned,
she could hear knocking at the castle gates*. M acbeth was very pale.
‘Look at my hands,’ Macbeth said to his wife, ‘They’re stained* red
with D uncan’s blood and they’ll never be clean again. All the w ater in
the oceans will never make them clean again.’
'My hands are as red as yours!’ Lady M acbeth was losing patience,
‘But I have m ore courage than you. Let’s go to bed, there’s someone
knocking at the gates. Everyone m ust think that we are asleep. Noone m ust see us awake at this tim e o f night.’
Lord and Lady M acbeth hurried to their room s but, as they went
inside, they could still hear the sound o f knocking at the castle gates. ■
to trem ble to shake because you are afraid or excited
to stain to make a mark on something that you can’t wash out
gate a door in a castle wall or outside, e.g. in a garden or on
e.g. red wine on a tablecloth
a farm
27
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1
Are the statements true (T ) or false (F )? Correct the false statements.
1
Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth about
T
F
the three witches.
Q
CD
2
A messenger tells Lady Macbeth that she must go to
King Duncan’s castle.
□ CD
3
Lady Macbeth plans to kill her husband.
CD CD
4
The horses quietly arrive at Macbeth’s castle.
CD CD
5
The King says that Lady Macbeth is quite ugly.
CD CD
6
The King has supper at Macbeth’s castle.
CD CD
7
At first, Macbeth doesn’t think he is brave enough to
kill the King.
Q Q
8
Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger in front of him.
CD CD
9
Lady Macbeth kills King Duncan.
CD CD
10 Lady Macbeth takes the servants' daggers back into
the King's rooms.
CD CD
Grammar
2 Choose the correct answer - A, B or C. W rite the letter in the space.
1
The witches
A made
three promises to Macbeth.
C making
B asked
2
Lady Macbeth opened the door
B towards
A together
3
A servant
4
B taken
A take
Duncan and the Scottish lords
5
A was
King Duncan
A finishing
C calmly
Macbeth’s horse.
B coming
his supper.
B asked
C took
at the castle.
C arrived
C finished
6
After a
7
A several
Lady Macbeth was standing
B ahead
A to
8
Macbeth saw a vision of a daqqer in
A behind
9
Macbeth was
minutes, Macbeth followed Banquo into the castle.
C many
B few
Duncan’s rooms.
C outside
of him.
C front
B near
to qo back into King Duncan’s rooms.
C dancing
B frightening
A afraid
10 Lord and Ladv Macbeth
B arrived
A had
to bed.
C went
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Speaking
3 Talk in pairs. W h a t do you think happens next?
• Everyone thinks that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth murdered
King Duncan.
• Everyone thinks that Donalbain and Malcolm murdered King
Duncan.
• Everyone thinks that Banquo and Fleance murdered King
Duncan.
• Everyone thinks that the servants murdered King Duncan.
29
C hapter T hree
“Horror! Oh,horror!”
► 4 ‘W ho's knocking at the gates?’ cried the porter* as he was getting
out of bed, ‘Knock, knock! W ho’s there? W ho is it at this tim e in the
morning?’
The knocking w ent on.
‘J ust a minute! Give m e time! Nobody thinks about the poor old
porter.’
The knocking w ent on and on, getting louder and louder.
‘It’s alright! I’m coming!’
The porter walked slowly out o f the gatehouse* and into the
courtyard. He looked through the gates and saw tw o m en standing
outside. ‘W ho are you?’ he said sleepily.
‘Macduff, a Thane o f Scotland,’ said one o f the m en angrily.
‘Lennox, also a Thane o f Scotland,’ said the other, ‘O pen the gates,
man. Let us in at once.’
The porter opened the gates slowly.
‘Com e on, be quick man!’ shouted Macduff, ‘W hy are you so
slow? Did you drink too m uch last night?’
‘Perhaps a little too m uch,’ admitted* the porter, as he let the two
m en in, ‘We did have a small celebration last night, in honour o f the
King.’
porter a person who opens and closes the door at the entrance
to adm it to say that you did something if someone asks you
to a castle or a building
about it
gatehouse a small house by the entrance to a castle or by the
entrance to a group of buildings
30
MACBETH
‘Is Lord M acbeth awake, yet?’ asked Macduff.
At that very m om ent, M acbeth came into the courtyard. ‘Good
m orning to you both!’
‘Good m orning to you, Macbeth. Congratulations, Thane of
Cawdor!’ replied Macduff, ‘Is the King awake yet? He told us to come
early, I hope w e’re not later than he expected.’
‘H e’s still in bed. Shall I go and wake him?’
‘No, no, I’ll go,’ said Macduff.
T il show you the way.’ M acbeth walked across the courtyard w ith
Macduff. W hen they reached the castle door, Macbeth pointed to the
King’s rooms. Macduff w ent inside and Macbeth w ent back across
the courtyard to talk to Lennox.
‘W hat a terrible storm we had last night. The noise from the wind
was terrible. It sounded just like a m an screaming*. It m ade m e feel
quite strange. The wind almost sounded like death!’ said Lennox.
‘Yes, it was a rough night,’ M acbeth agreed.
‘It certainly was. We saw quite a lot of damage on the roads. I
don’t rem em ber anything like it.’
The door into the castle slammed* shut and Macduff came out
into the courtyard. His face was as white as a sheet*. ‘Horror! Oh,
horror! Oh, horror!’ he cried.
'W h a t’s the matter?’ cried Lennox and M acbeth together, ‘W hat
is it, man?’
‘Murder! It’s m urder!’
‘N ot the King?’
‘Go! Look!’
M acbeth and Lennox ran towards the King’s rooms.
to scream to make a loud noise with your voice because you
to slam (here) to close very violently
are frightened
as w hite as a sheet very pale
31
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
'Ring the alarm bells,' screamed Macduff, ‘Wake up, everyone!
Murder! Treason! Malcolm, Donalbain, wake up! Banquo, wake up!
MURDER! TREASON!'
Lady M acbeth came running towards the King's rooms, ‘W hat's
happened? Tell me, Macduff!’
‘Oh, Lady, it is too terrible for a gentle w om an like you to hear. 1
can’t say, it w ould be a crime to tell you.’
By now, everyone was awake. Thanes, servants and guards were
all running towards the King's rooms.
‘W hat is it, Macduff?' cried Malcolm.
‘I’m sorry, Malcolm. Your father, your royal father is dead.
M urdered. M urdered by traitors to Scotland.’
‘Who? W ho did it? W ho m urdered him?’ people cried.
‘It seems his servants killed him ,’ cried Lennox, ‘They were covered
in blood. Their daggers and their clothes were covered in blood.’
‘Why? W hy did they kill my father? I was sure they were loyal m en.’
‘W e’ll question them now!’ shouted Macduff.
‘But you can’t. I killed the traitors, I killed them w ith my own
sword*,’ said M acbeth quietly.
‘W hy on earth did you do that?’ Macduff was absolutely furious.
‘I see your point. Yes, perhaps it was a mistake, but I was so angry
w hen I saw the King lying dead. I thought o f our good King Duncan,
m urdered by those two drunks and I saw the blood on their daggers,
I smelled the wine and I killed them . I loved King D uncan.’
Lady Macbeth cried out and then fainted*. The thanes all ran to
help her and her servants carried her to her rooms. Banquo w ent to
talk to all the thanes and soldiers, leaving D uncan’s tw o sons alone
sw ord a large and very long knife used to fight
32
to faint to lose consciousness
MACBETH
together. They could hear Banquo talking to the men. ‘We need to
find out why this happened! We m ust find out why. Quick everyone,
get dressed. Bring your arm our. W e'll m eet in the great hall in ten
m inutes.’
Malcolm and Donalbain moved away so that no-one could hear
them . ‘W e’re in danger too,’ said Malcolm to his brother, trying to be
calm, ‘Someone here is an enem y to us. We can’t trust anyone, not
even our close friends. We need to get away. I’m going to England. I’ll
be safer there and perhaps I can find m en to help us.’
‘I agree,’ said Donalbain, ‘I’ll go to Ireland. W e’ll be safer if we
separate and let’s go now. Let’s n ot wait to say goodbye to these false
friends. They showed no mercy* to our father, they’ll show no mercy
to us.’
Malcolm and Donalbain w ent secretly out of the castle, called for
their horses and escaped. Scotland’s true king, Malcolm, D uncan’s
heir, escaped to England.
A short while later, Lord Ross was standing in the courtyard talking
to an old man.
‘I’m seventy-four. Seventy-four years old,’ said the man, ‘and I have
seen some terrible things in m y life, b ut this is the w orst event o f all.’
‘I agree, old m an.’
‘The m urder of a king, here, in m y m aster’s house. But strangely,
other terrible things have happened too in the last few days. Look at
the sky now, it’s daytime, but the sky is dark. And on Tuesday, a baby
owl killed a falcon*. I’ve never seen a thing like that before. I’m sure
these are strange signs o f trouble.’
m ercy kindness or forgiveness
falcon a bird which hunts
33
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
'Yes/ agreed Ross, ‘A nd the king’s horses, his beautiful fast horses
are all dead. They escaped from their stables and started fighting. I’ve
never seen horses fighting like that, it was a terrible thing to see.’
Then Macduff walked into the courtyard. He greeted* the two men.
‘W hat do you think o f all this?’ asked Macduff, ‘Did D uncan’s servants
really kill him?’
‘I know, it seems strange that they did it. And why? W hat advantage
could they get?’ said Ross. 'I really don’t understand.’
‘Someone probably paid them . I think Duncan was m urdered by
his sons. Think about it. W here are Malcolm and Donalbain now?
They’re not in the castle. I think they’ve escaped. This makes them
look guilty*. This makes m e think they killed their ow n father.’
‘Yes, you may be right. This is an unnatural crime, but ambition
is a terrible thing,’ said Ross in a sad voice, ‘I suppose this means that
M acbeth will now be king.’
‘Yes, you’re right. The other thanes have already taken him to Scone*.’
‘So, another king will be crowned at Scone. King Macbeth of Scotland!’
‘It will be difficult for M acbeth to follow Duncan. Duncan was
such a good king,’ sighed* Macduff.
And w hat about King D uncan’s body? W here is it?’
‘His servants have taken him to Colmekill. They’ll put his body
w ith the bodies of all Scotland’s kings.’
The three m en sighed sadly.
‘So Macduff, are you going to Scone, to see M acbeth’s coronation?’
‘No. I’m going hom e to Fife to see my wife and children. W hat
about you?’
‘I’m going to Scone.’
to greet to say hello or to welcome someone
Scone a place in Scotland where in the past Scottish Kings were
to look guilty to look as if you have done something wrong
crowned
to sigh to breathe out very slowly and deeply, sometimes you
34
sigh when you are sad
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘I hope all goes well there, Ross.’
Macduff said goodbye to the old m an and rode away from
M acbeth’s castle.
‘Goodbye, old m an,’ said Ross.
‘God bless you and all those w ho w ant to bring peace,’ the old
m an replied.
After the coronation, the new King M acbeth moved to the royal palace
at Forres. All the Scottish thanes were invited to celebrate the event
and Banquo was one o f the first to arrive. But Banquo was worried
and a little excited; he couldn’t stop thinking about the three witches
and their prophecies. ‘They called M acbeth Thane o f Cawdor and he
became Thane o f Cawdor. Then they called him King o f Scotland,
now he is the King o f Scotland. Was M acbeth involved in Duncan’s
murder? But no, then, they said my children would be royal. Perhaps
now I can hope for my future,’ he thought.
Two servants opened the doors and interrupted his thoughts.
King M acbeth and his new queen came into the room . ‘A h, here’s our
m ost im portant guest! Look, m y dear, it’s our good friend Banquo!’
The Q ueen welcomed Banquo warmly and invited him to the
banquet* that evening.
‘Thank you, your Highness*.’ Banquo accepted the invitation
to the dinner, then he explained that he wanted to go riding in the
afternoon. He liked the countryside around M acbeth's castle.
‘Fine,’ said Macbeth, ‘but w hen you return we should talk. We
need to talk about Malcolm and Donalbain. They are m y cousins but
I am sure they are the murderers. One is in Ireland and the other in
banquet a big dinner with lots of people, usually as a celebration
your Highness a title you give to a King or Queen when you
speak to them
36
-
wh '
MACBETH
England. They escaped after Duncan died and now they are telling
terrible lies about their father’s death. Anyway, are you planning to go
far this afternoon? Will you be back in tim e for us to talk?’
‘Yes, w e’ll be back in tim e for the banquet and w e’ll be back in
tim e to talk.’
‘We, you said? Is Fleance going w ith you?’
‘Yes,’ Banquo confirmed that he and his son were going riding
together.
‘Well,’ said Macbeth, ‘I hope you b oth enjoy the ride. But don’t be
too late back. Rem ember that you are the m ost im portant guest at
the banquet tonight. You are m y m ost trusted friend.’
Banquo laughed. He said goodbye to M acbeth and the Queen,
then left the room . The Q ueen followed him, as she had a lot of
things to do before the banquet.
Macbeth was then alone in the hall. He walked around for a while.
He was worried about Banquo, and he had two major reasons to be
worried. The first reason was that Banquo knew about the witches’
prophecy. W hat if Banquo told someone? W hat if people started to talk?
The second reason was more complicated. The witches had also made a
prophecy about Banquo. ‘You will not be king, but your children will be
kings,' Macbeth said the witches’ words out loud. ‘If Banquo’s children
are kings, then my own children can’t be kings. I have committed a
crime, a terrible crime and Banquo’s children will benefit*.’
There was only one solution. Banquo m ust die and Fleance,
Banquo’s son, m ust die w ith him. The perfect chance was on that
very afternoon, w hen Banquo and Fleance were out riding. Macbeth
called his m ost trusted servant to come and talk to him.
■;
to benefit to get something good from a situation
37
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1
Match the questions about the text with the correct answers.
1 □ W h o is knocking at the castle gates?
2
3
EH W h o is dead?
EH W h y does everyone think the servants killed the king?
4 □ W hat do Malcolm and Donalbain decide to do?
5 EH W ho is crowned the new King of Scotland?
6 EH W hat do Banquo and Fleance do that afternoon?
a
King Duncan
b
Macbeth
c
To escape to England and Ireland
d
They go riding
e
There is blood on their daggers
f
Two Thanes of Scotland, Macduff and Lennox
Vocabulary
2a
Use your dictionary. Com plete the word-buiiding table with
the words from chapter three.
NOUN
A D JE C T IV E
A D VERB
loud
sleepily
anger
angry
slowness
terribleness
noisy
storm
rough
38
2b
Choose the correct alternative in the sentences below. Use the
table to check your answers.
1
Someone was knocking at the castle door loudness/loud/loudly.
2
The porter opened the door very sleep/sleepy/sleepily.
3
4
5
6
3
You could hear the a n g e r/a n g ry /a n g rily in Macduff’svoice.
The porter was very s lo w n e ss/slo w /slo w ly to open the gates.
The weather was te rrib le n e s s /te rrib le /te rrib ly that night.
The wind was blowing in the trees noise/noisy/noisily.
7
The sky was very s to rm /s to rm y /s to rm ily .
8
It was a ro u g h n e s s /ro u g h /ro u g h ly night.
W rite a story about a stormy night. First make notes, then write
your story in about 100 words. Think about...
• what you can hear
• what you can see
• how you feel
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES
Speaking
4a
Talk in pairs. W h a t do you think? Are the statements about the
following chapter true (T ) or false ( F ) ?
Macbeth sends someone to
2
Banquo and his son escape and go to England.
3
Banquo is killed, but his son escapes.
EH EH
EH EH
EH EH
4
Banquo returns from England with an army to kill
Macbeth.
Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost during a dinner with
EH EH
5
the Scottish lords.
EH EH
EH EH
6
4b
k ill Banquo.
1
Macbeth decides to visit the three witches.
Read the next chapter and check your answers.
39
C hapter Four
“
W h at’s done is done. ”
(►) 5 M acbeth’s trusted servant returned to the great hall some time later.
He brought two m en w ith him.
‘A h, yes,’ said Macbeth, ‘I spoke to both o f you yesterday, too,
didn’t I?’
‘Yes,’ said the first man.
‘Have you thought about w hat I said?’
‘Yes, we have.’
‘Banquo has behaved badly towards you, as I told you yesterday.
He is not your friend,’ continued Macbeth, ‘A re you brave men? Are
you brave enough to do w hat I ask of you?’
‘We are, my Lord,’ said the second man.
‘Excellent,’ said Macbeth, ‘Then listen carefully. Banquo is your
enemy, but he is also an enemy of mine. Every minute that he is alive, I
am in danger and so are you. I want you to kill him. Will you help me?’
‘Yes, I will do as you ask, m y Lord,’ said the first man, ‘I have had
a bad time in life, m any things have gone w rong for me. You tell me
that it’s Banquo’s fault* that these things have happened. I believe
you’re right and I think he m ust die.’
‘I will also do as you ask,’ said the second man, ‘I have been unlucky
all m y life. Perhaps this will change my luck.’
fault if something is your fault, it is something (usually
something wrong) that you caused to happen
40
MACBETH
'Excellent, again,’ said M acbeth, ‘But you m ust do it tonight.
Tonight is your only chance. You m ust do exactly as I say. Wait outside
the castle walls, in the shadows* and w hen Banquo comes, you m ust
attack him and kill him. Make sure you’re n ot too near to the castle,
no-one m ust hear you, no-one m ust suspect* you. T here’s one m ore
thing. His son will be w ith him and he is m y enem y too. He m ust also
die. Can you do this for me?’
‘Yes, we can, m y Lord,’ both m en said together.
M acbeth turned away from his two guests. ‘Yes, Banquo, it will
soon be over and done. Tonight you will die and so will Fleance. You
will find a place in heaven* tonight.’
That afternoon, the Queen had no idea what Macbeth was planning.
She was sitting in her rooms, alone. She was thinking about Duncan’s
murder. She was beginning to think that killing King Duncan was a
terrible mistake. It was strange, both she and Macbeth had what they
wanted, but she wasn’t happy and neither was her husband. He was
spending a lot of time alone and she didn’t think that it was good for him.
She called a servant and sent him to find Macbeth. W hen he joined* his
wife in the hall, she decided to give him some words of advice. ‘Look,
my Lord, why are you spending all your time alone? W hat’s done is
done. We can’t change the past. We have to forget about Duncan.’
‘No, no. We have only just begun,’ Macbeth replied, ‘We started
som ething w hen we killed Duncan. W e’re in danger, our throne is in
danger and we can’t stop now. We have to finish it, or w e’ll never eat
or sleep in peace again. I w ould prefer to die and be w ith Duncan than
to live but have a tortured* m ind.’
shadow a dark area where there isn’t any light
heaven paradise
to suspect to think, or to have an idea that someone has done
to join to go with someone, or to go to be with someone
something wrong
tortured (here) full of pain
41
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘You’ll feel better at the banquet tonight. You’ll be happy with our
guests tonight.’
‘Yes, I will, my dear wife. And so will you as we rem em ber Banquo.’
‘Forget about Banquo,’ she said.
‘But it’s not so easy. It’s like m y m ind is full o f scorpions and I’m
sure the reason is because Banquo and Fleance are still alive.’
The new Q ueen tried to calm her husband. ‘We can’t do anything
about Banquo now,’ she said, ‘We can’t do anything about him at all.
Forget about him .’
‘Oh, but I have done som ething about Banquo. And also about
Fleance. I didn’t tell you, because there was no need for you to know.’
‘Macbeth, my Lord. W hat have you done? W hat have you done?’
said the Queen, horrified.
‘Wait. Have a little patience. You’ll see in the m orning.’
It was just beginning to go dark that evening and three m en were
hiding in the shadows, outside the castle. They were the two m en
sent by M acbeth to kill Banquo, the third m an was a stranger.
‘W ho are you?’
‘I’m here to help you,’ said the stranger.
‘W ho sent you?’
‘M acbeth.’
‘But there are already two of us,’ said one man.
‘I know,’ said the stranger, ‘but M acbeth wants to be sure. W ith
three of us to do this job, we can’t fail.’
‘Fine, you’re right,’ said the first man, ‘Com e and join us.’
The three m en stood together in the darkness.
42
MACBETH
'W hen you hear the horses, w e'll get Banquo and you can get the
boy. Is that clear? Macbeth says the boy m ust die too.'
‘H ow long do you think they'll be?'
‘N ot long. It's almost evening, they'll be here soon. W hen they get
near to the castle, they’ll get off their horses and a servant will m eet
them w ith a light.’
The three m en heard the sound of horses in the distance. The
sound came nearer and nearer. Then, they heard the horses stop and
saw a servant walk out o f the castle gates w ith a light in his hand.
‘Right, here they come. Let’s get them! Go towards the light.'
The three m en ran out o f the shadows. Banquo and Fleance were
taken completely by surprise. Two o f the m en pulled Banquo from
his horse and the third got hold o f Fleance. As they attacked Banquo,
he ju st had tim e to shout to his son. ‘Ride Fleance, ride! It’s a trap*!
Ride for your life!’
Those were Banquo's last words. The two m en killed him. Fleance
struggled* hard and got away from his attacker, he jum ped onto his
horse and rode off as fast as he could. He didn’t look back. H e rode
far away from the royal palace. The servant was terrified, he too, ran
away as fast as he could.
‘Quick, back to the palace!’ said the leader of the men. We have
good news for King Macbeth, but we also have bad news about
Fleance. We m ust tell him straight away.’
<s>
Back at the castle, guests were beginning to arrive for the banquet.
M acbeth was welcoming them all into the great hall. Then, in the
distance, he saw the first of his trusted m en at the gate. Macbeth
quickly walked over to him. ‘There’s blood on your face,’ he
trap a trick to catch someone
to struggle to fight to get away from someone
43
wW ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
whispered, T h a t’s good. So Banquo is dead. Did you kill Fleance too,
as I asked?’
‘I’m sorry, Sire, Fleance escaped.’
T h is is bad, he will come back to take his revenge. I don’t like it.
And Banquo, where is Banquo’s body?’
‘Safe, Sire. H e’s in a ditch*, he’s definitely dead.’
T h a n k you. Thank you for that. Now go, w e’ll talk about this
tomorrow. You will have your reward for your loyalty. Leave now,
before someone sees you.’
The m an disappeared back into the shadows and M acbeth ran to
join his guests in the hall. They were beginning to take their seats at
the table, which was full o f food and drink.
‘W elcome friends!’ said the Queen.
T h a n k you, your Highness!’ cried the thanes.
‘Welcome, welcome everyone!’ Macbeth cried as he came back into
the hall. He w ent over to sit next to his queen, but then he saw that
someone was sitting in his seat. He looked around, pretending to look
for Banquo. ‘But where is Banquo? Banquo isn’t here!’ cried Macbeth.
‘No,’ said Ross, ‘but he prom ised to come. We all heard him and
I’m sure he’ll be here soon.’
‘Com e and sit down, Sire!’ called Lennox, T h e n our banquet can
really start!’
‘But, there’s nowhere for m e to sit.’
‘Here, Sire. This is your place, here,’ Lennox pointed to an em pty
chair.
‘W here?’ said Macbeth, clearly agitated*. ‘W here? W hat are you
doing here? Don’t look at m e like that!’
The thanes looked astonished. M acbeth was talking to the empty
ditch a very long hole in the ground, often beside a road
agitated worried
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
chair. The Q ueen got up and tried to calm Macbeth, as her guests
were all very concerned by his behaviour. The chair was clearly
empty, but Macbeth seem ed to think that som eone was sitting there.
‘D on’t worry, sit down, enjoy the food!’ the Q ueen said to her
guests, ‘H e’s just feeling a little ill. He often has a problem like this,
he’s had it since he was young. It will pass very quickly.’
‘Control yourself!’ she then whispered to her husband, ‘There’s
no-one there. The chair is empty. Rem ember the dagger you saw
before you killed Duncan? This is the same. It’s a vision, it’s all in
your mind, it’s in your im agination.’
‘But, look, look! H e’s there! It’s Banquo!’ M acbeth whispered back
to his wife. He was obviously terrified by w hat he could see.
‘Please be brave, m y Lord. There’s no-one there!’
M acbeth turned and looked again at the ghostly figure in the chair,
but the chair was empty. Banquo wasn’t there any m ore. He sighed
w ith enorm ous relief*, walked back to the table w ith his wife and
went to sit down. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said to his guests, ‘I was feeling ill.
Now I’m fine. Let’s raise* our glasses to Banquo, our absent friend.
Banquo, the finest m an, my greatest friend!’
Everyone stood up and raised their glasses. ‘To Banquo!’ they said.
Then suddenly, before anyone could take a drink, Macbeth
screamed and pointed his finger. ‘There! There! Get away! Get away
from m e you horrible vision! You’re dead! Dead!’
But, once again, there was nothing there. M acbeth’s guests were
now very worried. He was screaming and shouting and he was
pointing his finger at nothing. Lady Macbeth tried to calm everyone
down, but then she decided the banquet had to end and so she asked
relief happiness that something has happened in a good way
when it could have been bad
46
to raise to lift
MACBETH
everyone to leave. At last Banquo’s ghost vanished again and Macbeth
began to calm down. Again he sat dow n in his chair.
‘H e'll be fine,’ Lady Macbeth said to everyone as they left, ‘H e just
needs to rest. Please don't worry. Good night.’
The thanes and the other guests left the hall.
‘Good night,’ said Lennox, ‘I hope he feels better in the m orning.’
M acbeth was exhausted. ‘Blood will have blood,’ he said to his
wife. But M acbeth was also very worried. ‘Macduff didn’t come
tonight,’ he said in a tired, dull voice.
‘Did you invite him?’ said the Queen.
‘Oh, yes. I don’t know why he didn’t come, but I’ll find out. I have
spies* in his castle. I have spies in all their houses. And another thing.
I think I’ll visit the three witches again tomorrow. They know m ore
than they have told me. I have blood on m y hands and I need to know
w hat is going to happen. It’s too late to tu rn back now.’
‘You’re tired, my Lord,’saidhis wife. ‘You need to sleep. Everything
will look better in the m orning.’
‘You’re right. Let’s try to sleep. I’m just a little afraid, but we need
to be ready. T here’s m uch m ore left to com e.’
■
spv a person who secretly watches someone or who works
secretly for the government
47
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1 Answer the questions about chapter four.
1
W h o does Macbeth want to kill?
2
W hat is the Queen (La d y Macbeth) thinking about in her rooms?
3
W hat happens to Banquo?
4
W h at happens to Fleance?
5
W h at is happening at the castle that night?
6
W h y doesn’t Macbeth sit down at the table?
7
W h at does Macbeth see that no-one else can see?
8
W h at happens when Macbeth raises his glass?
9
How does Macbeth react?
10 W h y is Macbeth worried about Macduff?
48
Speaking
2 Work in pairs. Each of you is going to talk on your own for about
a minute.
Student A turn to page 15.
Look at the picture. Tell your partner what you can see.
Student B turn to page 45.
Look at the picture. Tell your partner what you can see.
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Listening
► 63
Listen to the beginning of the next chapter. Hecate, a goddess,
talks to the three witches. Choose the best answer.
1
Hecate is
a
D
hot
B □ ill
C □ angry
2
The three witches are
CD better than Hecate
CD afraid of Hecate
C CD polite to Hecate
a
b
3
Hecate tells the witches to
EH go home immediately
CD find Lady Macbeth
C CD listen carefully
A
b
4
The witches
CD listen in silence
CD see a light in the darkness
C CD make a plan
a
b
5
The witches must remember
A
CD that Macbeth is King
of Scotland
B □ that Hecate is Queen
of the night
C CD that Hecate is their
Goddess
49
C hapter Five
“Double, double toil
and trouble.
”
► 6 That same night, in the middle of a thunderstorm , Hecate, the
Goddess of all witches, was talking to the weird sisters, the three
witches. Hecate was angry. ‘H ow dare you*?'
‘W hy are you so angry with us, Hecate?' said one of the three, boldly.
The three witches were afraid o f Hecate, because she was even
stronger than them and even m ore evil.
‘H ow dare you play silly games w ith M acbeth w ithout me? You
didn't even tell me w hat you were planning. I'm your goddess. I w ant
my part,' Hecate was screaming now, ‘In future, I w ant you to ask me
first before you do anything. Now, listen to m e, and do w hat I say.'
The thunder got louder and the lightning came nearer. The
witches listened in silence. Hecate continued, ‘Macbeth is coming here
tomorrow. He's coming to see you. He wants to know w hat will happen
next. He wants to know m ore about his future. You m ust confuse him.
Use all your magic skills. Make him think that he is safe and secure.
Man's biggest enemy is a false sense of security. Tell him that everything
will be alright. Do as I say and remember, I'm your goddess.'
Hecate disappeared into the night, leaving the three witches
shivering* in the dark.
how dare you you can say this if you think someone has done
something without having the right
50
to shiver to shake because you are cold or frightened
■
~
r
~ h
MACBETH
► 7 That same night, in the royal palace, rum ours* were beginning to fly.
Lennox was talking to another of the Scottish thanes. ‘Strange things
have happened here in Scotland. D uncan was m urdered, m urdered at
M acbeth’s castle. W hen his sons escaped, it was natural to think that
they were Duncan’s murderers. Everyone thought it and everyone
said it. But now, after everything th at’s happened, I’m not sure I
believe it.’
‘Yes, I think I agree w ith you. I don’t think Donalbain and Malcolm
killed their father. They loved him as a father, and as their king,’ said
the thane.
‘N ow Banquo is dead and Fleance has escaped. And this time
everyone is saying that Fleance m urdered his father too. I don’t believe
that either.’
‘No, no. You’re right, Lennox. N either do I, it seems w rong to m e,’
agreed the thane.
‘A nd don’t you think it was a little strange that M acbeth killed
Duncan’s guards immediately? They were asleep, they were drunk,
and he killed them . W hy didn’t he give us all a chance to talk to them?
W hy didn’t he question them?’
‘Yes, it’s very strange,’ said the thane.
‘It m ay be disloyal to King M acbeth to say this, but I’m glad he
hasn’t found Donalbain or Malcolm. It’s lucky for them .’
There was a long silence.
‘A nd now,’ continued Lennox, ‘it seems that Macduff is in disgrace*.
He didn’t come to the tyrant’s* banquet. Do you know w here he is?’
‘Yes, I do. Macduff has gone to England to find Malcolm. Malcolm
is the true king of Scotland, his father, Duncan, wanted him to be
rum our a story or piece of news which may, or may not, be true
tyrant a person who is very powerful in a bad and horrible way
disgrace if you are in disgrace, a person (or people) aren’t happy
with you or your behaviour
51
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
his heir. He w anted him to be the next King o f Scotland. Macduff is
going to speak to Malcolm. He thinks they should talk to Edward,
the English King. They hope, and I hope, King Edward will help, then
we can stop Macbeth, we can remove M acbeth the tyrant from the
Scottish throne. W e'll have no m ore banquets w ith bloody daggers.
Then we can save Scotland!'
‘This is good news. O ur prayers are w ith him ,’ said Lennox
thoughtfully.
The following day, a black, w et day, the three witches were standing
in a cavern* near the open field. This time they were standing around
a large black cauldron*. They were chanting*:
Round and round the cauldron go
Into the pot a toad* we throw
And a tiny little snake
In the cauldron boil and bake
Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn; and cauldron bubble.
W hile they were chanting, they were throw ing things into the big
black cauldron, exactly as the rhyme said. One o f them threw a toad
into the pot, the next one threw in a snake and the last witch stirred*
the mixture. Again they chanted:
Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn; and cauldron bubble.
As they were chanting, Hecate appeared. ‘Oh, well done!’ she
cavern a cave
toad an animal similar to a frog
cauldron a cooking pot, usually used by witches
to stir you usually use a spoon to stir sugar in your coffee
to chant to sing or speak in a musical way
52
MACBETH
cried w ith delight, 'N ow dance around the cauldron and chant again,
M acbeth’s coming! Show him your powers. Make him afraid o f you.’
The witches obeyed.
Double, double toil and trouble
Fire burn; and cauldron bubble.
Macbeth walked quickly into the cavern. He was horrified. ‘W hat
are you doing, you evil m idnight hags*?’
The witches laughed, but did not answer.
‘Listen to me. I have a question,’ he continued.
‘Speak!’ cried the first witch.
‘Ask!’ cried the second.
‘W e’ll answer!’ cried the third.
‘O r shall we call our masters?’ said one of the witches, ‘They will
answer.’
‘Call them . Let m e see them . Let them answer m e.’
The witches danced and chanted around the cauldron. The air
in the cavern w ent even colder. Then, a ghostly head rose up from
the cauldron. Macbeth started to speak, but one o f the witches
interrupted.
‘Be silent! Listen to our master. H e can read your m ind.’
The ghostly head spoke. ‘Be afraid of Macduff! That’s my answer enough!’
The head disappeared.
‘No, come back! I have another question,’ cried Macbeth.
This tim e, the ghost o f a child appeared above the cauldron, ‘Be
brave. No m an of wom an born* can harm * Macbeth.’
Then this ghost disappeared.
hag a horrible, ugly old woman
to harm tohurt
no m an of w om an born not a man who was born naturally
53
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
‘So I have no reason to be afraid o f M acduff/ said Macbeth to
himself, ‘Now, w hat’s this?’
A third spirit appeared above the cauldron. It was a child, wearing
a crown and holding a branch*. ‘Be brave, be proud. M acbeth will
only be defeated* w hen Birnam W ood moves. W hen Birnam W ood
moves to Dunsinane Hill to fight him, Macbeth will be defeated.’
The spirit disappeared.
‘So I am safe,’ cried Macbeth, ‘Forests don’t move! Woods can’t
fight! But there is one m ore thing I w ant to know. Will a child of
Banquo’s ever becom e king?’
‘Enough!’ cried the witches, ‘The spirits have told you enough!’
‘No! I m ust know!’
The witches began to chant.
Show him the truth and break his heart
We came from the shadows and now we depart!
There was a m ovem ent above the cauldron. The ghostly shapes of
eight kings appeared above it. They all looked exactly the same. Then
M acbeth saw Banquo’s ghost appear next to them . The ghost was
pointing at the kings. M acbeth understood the message: Banquo’s
children were the future Kings of Scotland. The spirits and the
witches disappeared, leaving M acbeth standing alone in the cavern,
frozen* w ith cold and fear.
On his way back to the palace, in the freezing rain, M acbeth heard the
sound of horses. He looked up and saw Lennox talking to a group
o f m en on horseback*. As M acbeth got nearer, the m en rode away,
leaving Lennox alone.
branch a piece of a tree
frozen cold like ice
to be defeated to be the loser
on horseback riding a horse
54
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
'W ho were those men?' he commanded.
‘Messengers, your Highness. They have news for you.’
‘W hat news?’
‘Macduff has escaped to England.’
'To England?’ M acbeth was silent for a m om ent or two, then he
becam e decisive, 'I knew it. M acduff’s a traitor. I’ll send m en to his
castle. They’ll kill everyone they find there. If his wife is there, they’ll
kill her. If his children are there, they’ll kill them. They’ll kill the
servants, they’ll kill everyone.’
Meanwhile, at M acduff’s castle, Ross was talking to Lady Macduff,
who was very angry and upset. ‘My husband has escaped to England,
they tell me. Why?’
‘You m ust be patient, m y Lady,’ replied Ross.
‘W hy did he escape? He was afraid. H e’s a coward and he’s a traitor
to Macbeth. A traitor to Scotland.’
‘Please don’t be so fast to judge* him. We don’t know why he
went, my Lady. Perhaps he was wise*, not afraid.’
‘Was it wise to leave me? Was it wise to leave his children? No, it’s
clear to me. He doesn’t love us.’
‘N o,’ said Ross, gently, ‘You’re angry and I can understand that. But
Macduff is not a coward. H e’s wise and noble*. These are dangerous
times, we don’t really understand w hat’s happening. Now, I m ust go,
but I’ll be back soon. God bless you, my pretty cousin.’
‘But look at m y son! He has a father, but he has no father. We are
alone here.’
‘I’m sorry, m y Lady, but I m ust go,’ and Ross left the castle, sadly.'
to judge to make a decision about someone or about their
wise intelligent or sensible
behaviour
noble (here) honest and good
56
MACBETH
'My child,’ said Lady Macduff to her son, ‘Your father’s dead.’
‘T hat’s not true, mother! It’s not true! But, is my father a traitor?
You said he was a traitor.’
‘Yes.’
‘But, I don’t understand. W hat is a traitor, m other?’
‘A liar*. And all traitors and all liars m ust be executed.’
‘W ho executes them , m other?’
‘H onest m en.’
Their sad conversation was interrupted by the arrival o f a
messenger. ‘Lady, you m ust take all your children and leave this castle.
M acbeth is sending soldiers. You m ust go and go at once. And I m ust
go too, they m ust not find m e here.’
The m essenger ran from the room.
‘Leave? W hy should I leave? I’ve done no harm! I have no reason
to leave.’
M acbeth’s soldiers burst into the room . ‘W here is your husband?’
‘I hope h e ’s safe away from you!’ cried Lady Macduff.
‘H e’s a traitor,’ said one o f the soldiers roughly.
‘Liar!’ cried M acduff’s son.
The soldier showed no mercy. He stabbed the boy w ith a dagger.
‘Mother, he has killed me! Run!’ he screamed.
Lady M acduff ran out o f the room towards her other children.
‘Come!’ she screamed.
It was too late.
liar a person who says things which aren’t true
57
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
Match the characters in the story to the things they say. You can
use the characters more than once. Some characters are extra.
Macbeth • Lennox • The 3 witches • Banquo • Lady Macduff •
The ghostly head • Macduff • Hecate
1
‘W h y are you so angry with us?’
2
‘Do as I say and remember I am your Goddess.’
3
4
'Double, double toil and trouble.’
'W hat are you doing you evil midnight hags?’
5
‘Will a child of Banquo’s ever become king?’
6
‘Be afraid of Macduff.’
7
‘Macduff is a traitor. I’ll send men to his castle.’
8
‘He’s a traitor to Macbeth. A traitor to Scotland.’
Vocabulary
2a Match the words with their definitions. Which word is the odd
one out? Why?
1
boil
a
2
b
3
bake
fry
c to cut something into pieces you need to use this
4
chop
d to take away the water from something,
slice
e.g. you do this when pasta is ready
e to cook something in oil or butter
e.g. butter in a hot pan
object
5
6
mix
7
knife
drain
8
f to cut something into small pieces
a
h
one thing
9
break
10 melt
58
i
j
2 b Now find the words in the wordsearch. There are 11 words, not
10, can you find the extra hidden w ord?
M
B
L
S
Y
C
O
O
K
E
O
B
H
L
M
H
D
E
L
1
D
R
A
1
N
O
R
T
( B
A
K
0
X
C
L
P
O
O
F
R
Y
A
S
E
A
C
1
A
O
M
A
K
A
V
H
L
K
N
1
F
E
H
L
Speaking
3 Work in pairs. Use the words in exercise 2 to talk about your
favourite recipe.
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Speaking
4 Here are some events from the next chapter. Talk in pairs. Why
do you think they happen?
• Malcolm and Macduff decide to go back to Scotland.
• Macduff makes a promise to kill Macbeth.
• Lady Macbeth starts walking and talking in her sleep.
• Malcolm and Macduff hide in a forest near Macbeth’s castle.
59
C hapter Six
“Out, damned spot!”
A few weeks later, at the English court*, everyone was talking about
Scotland. People were thinking about the possibility o f war, a war
w ith Scotland. There were lots o f rum ours, but it was difficult to
know w hat was true and w hat was not. One afternoon, Malcolm was
walking in the gardens, w hen Macduff came to join him. Malcolm
wasn't sure about Macduff. Was he honest? Was he still loyal to
Macbeth? Could he trust him? T h e news from Scotland gets worse
and w orse,’ said Malcolm to his companion.
‘Yes, it seems there are new widows* and new orphans* every day.
M acbeth is truly a tyrant.’
‘I agree, Macbeth is a tyrant. But, Macduff, there is som ething I
don’t understand. W hy did you leave your wife and children? W hy
did you leave them in Scotland to come here? Are you still M acbeth’s
loyal servant? I can understand it. We all loved M acbeth once. Some
people are still loyal to him. Are you still loyal to him?’
‘No, I’m not a traitor to Scotland. You are the true King of
Scotland. It’s what good King Duncan w anted.’
‘No, I know. M acbeth’s the traitor. I think I see that now.’
M acduff was silent. H e was thinking about his wife and children
at hom e in the castle in Fife. ‘Oh Scotland! O h Scotland! M acbeth
court the place where a king or queen lives and works
w idow a woman whose husband is dead
60
orphan a child whose parents are dead
MACBETH
is evil,’ said Macduff sadly, 'H e is the w orst king in the history of
Scotland. He is a tyrant, not a king. Your father was a true king and
your m other was a true queen.’
Malcolm began to realise that M acduff was a true, true friend.
‘I have asked King Edward of England for an army,’ he said, ‘I w ant
to take this arm y to Scotland to defeat Macbeth. Will you com e with
me?’
‘Yes,’ said Macduff, ‘I must come w ith you. My wife and my
children are still there. They’re safe in my castle, but danger is all
around them . I m ust return. I will come w ith you to help you save
Scotland.’
‘Yes, we m ust save Scotland from this terrible tyrant M acbeth.’
The two m en talked and began to make plans. They were
determ ined to go back to Scotland, w ith an English army, to fight
against Macbeth. Macduff w anted Malcolm to be King; after all, he
was the true heir to Duncan.
As they were talking, Lord Ross arrived at the English court. He
asked for M acduff or Malcolm and some servants took him to the
gardens.
‘Ross!’ M acduff and Malcolm ran to m eet him.
‘W elcome, welcome. Malcolm, do you know Ross?’ said Macduff.
‘N ot well, but you are welcome here. We need brave thanes to
fight against M acbeth,’ replied Malcolm.
‘W h at’s the news from Scotland?’ said Macduff anxiously.
‘The news is worse than ever,’ Ross’s voice was heavy, ‘The news is
bad for you, Macduff. The King sent soldiers to your castle.’
‘My wife! Tell m e that m y wife is well!’
‘She is dead, m y friend.’
61
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
'My children?’ M acduff’s voice was quiet.
‘Dead. And all your servants. Everyone they could find.’
‘All m y pretty ones? My wife and children too?’
‘Courage,’ said Ross, ‘Have courage. T urn your sadness to anger.
Let anger rule your heart.’
‘My Lord Macduff, I’m so sorry. I don’t know w hat to say,’
Malcolm’s voice was sad.
‘T hat’s because you don’t have any children.’
‘T hat’s true, but I have courage. We need to have courage, we
need to have strength. I have them both and I know you have them
both. We will march* on Scotland and we will kill M acbeth.’
‘No, I will,’ said Macduff, ‘I’ll kill Macbeth. I’ll kill him w ith my
own sword.’
In M acbeth’s castle at Dunsinane, there was a very strange
atm osphere. Thanes and servants were all talking about the events
of the last few weeks. People were talking about Macbeth. They
were talking about M acduff’s family and they were talking about
the Queen. Servants gossiped about her strange habits. The Q ueen
was starting to w alk around the castle at night. Some o f the servants
w atched her as she walked. ‘She talks to herself,’ they said, ‘Perhaps
she’s going m ad.’
After several nights of this strange behaviour, the servants began
to feel afraid, so they called a doctor. The doctor came to the castle
and listened to w hat they had to say. He decided to sit w ith one of
them and watch the Q ueen’s door one night. That night, he came
to the castle at about ten o’clock. He sat down outside the door to
to march on (here) to go to attack
62
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
the Q ueen s room s until six o’clock the following m orning. Nothing
happened. He returned to the castle the following night and nothing
happened. On the third night, however, things were different. The
doctor was sitting w ith a servant outside the door to the Q ueen’s
room s when, suddenly, the Q ueen herself opened the door. She
walked out o f her room s and into the corridor.
‘Look!’ said the servant, ‘She’s walking, but she’s asleep.’
‘You’re right,’ whispered the doctor, ‘Tell m e again. H ow long has
she been like this?’
‘Since our Lord M acbeth became King.’
‘A nd what has she said?’
The servant was afraid. ‘I will never tell anyone. I have no
witnesses*, so I’ll be silent.’
‘W hat’s she doing now?’ said the doctor.
‘Oh, she often does that.’
‘She’s rubbing her hands*,’ said the doctor quietly.
‘Yes, sometimes she can rub her hands for a quarter of an hour
w ithout stopping.’
‘Shh. She’s talking,’ said the doctor.
‘Yes, and she always says the same thing. Listen to this,’ replied the
servant.
‘H ere’s a spot*,’ said the Queen, looking at her hands, as she
walked in her sleep.
‘I’ll make a note o f this,’ said the doctor.
Lady M acbeth was walking up and down the corridor. ‘Out,
dam ned spot! Out, I say. It’s blood. The old m an had so m uch blood
in him. And Macduff? Macduff, Macduff, the Thane o f Fife, he had a
witness a person who sees a crime or an accident is a witness
to rub one’s hands to put your hands together and move them
together
spot a mark
64
MACBETH
wife. W here is she now? My hands will never be clean again. I can still
smell the blood on them . All the perfum es o f Arabia will never make
them smell sweet again.’
‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ whispered the doctor, ‘Servants
shouldn’t hear things like this.’
‘I know. The Q ueen is saying things she should not say,’ replied
the servant.
‘She is in such pain, she feels such sadness,’ said the doctor to
himself.
But the Q ueen continued. ‘Wash your hands, put on your
nightclothes, don’t look so pale. It’s fine. Banquo’s dead and gone.
He can’t come back again. To bed. I can hear knocking at the gate.
W h at’s done is done, we can’t change the past. To bed.’
The Q ueen w ent back into her rooms.
The doctor was amazed. ‘There are such terrible rum ours about
the King and Queen. Perhaps they are true. Perhaps the Q ueen is
mad. It's clear her m ind is torm ented*. I don’t know w hat to think. I
w ant you to take care o f her. Look after her well.’
‘I will. Good night, doctor.’
In the countryside, near Macbeth’s casde at Dunsinane, groups of Scottish
thanes were meeting. Malcolm and the English army were coming.
‘M acbeth is at Dunsinane. Some say h e’s mad, some say he’s angry.
We m ust get rid of him*. We need a good, wise king,’ said Lennox.
The other thanes nodded* in agreement.
‘Yes, we need a good king. We don’t want a king who m urders
people. A king w ho m urders people in secret.’
torm ented in trouble, worried and upset
to nod to move your head up and down because you want to
to get rid of som eone to make someone disappear or go away
say yes, or because you agree
65
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
The thanes knew that they had to fight Macbeth. They knew they
had to take his castle. The arm y set off* to m arch to a small forest
m uch closer to the castle at Dunsinane to wait for Malcolm and the
English army. The nam e o f the forest was Birnam Wood.
<8><£><$►
Malcolm, Macduff and the English arm y arrived to join the thanes
at Birnam Wood. The thanes and Malcolm stood at the edge o f the
w ood looking at Dunsinane Castle on the opposite hill. The castle
looked strong. Malcolm was thinking about tactics.
Tell every soldier to cut down a branch from a tree. We must
carry the branches in front of us. That way, M acbeth w on't see the
arm y and he w on't know how m any of us there are.'
The soldiers started cutting down branches.
fit is almost tim e,’ said Macduff, ‘Time for the battle.'
to set off to start to move or to start to go somewhere
66
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1 Are the statements true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false statements.
T F
1
Malcolm and Macduff are in England.
2
Malcolm realizes that Macduff is a traitor.
3
Macduff secretly wants to become King of Scotland.
4
Lennox tells Macduff that his wife and children are
dead.
□ □
5
Macduff promises to kill Macbeth.
6
The Queen is starting to behave strangely.
7
A servant tells Macbeth about the Queen’s behaviour.
Q Q
8
The Queen walks in her sleep.
Q 0
9
The Scottish thanes think that Macbeth is a good king.
□ Q]
10 Malcolm tells the soldiers to cut down some branches
from trees in the forest.
Q Q
Reading
2 Fill the gaps in the text with the correct words - A, B, C or D.
In Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinane, there (1) ____ a very strange
atmosphere. Thanes and servants were all ( 2 )
of the last ( 3 )
about the events
weeks. People were talking about Macbeth. They
were talking ( 4 )
Macduff’s family and they were talking about
the Queen. Servants gossiped about her strange habits. The Queen
was starting to walk around the castle at night. Some of the servants
( 5 ) ____ her as she walked. ‘She talks to herself,’ they ( 6 ) _____,
'Perhaps she’s going mad.’
After several nights of this strange behaviour, the servants began
to feel (7 )
, so they called a doctor. The doctor ( 8 )
to the
castle and listened to what they had to say. He decided to ( 9 ) ____
with one of them and watch the Queen’s door one night.
1
Aa
B was
2 A write
B read
C eating
D talking
3 A next
4 A about
B little
B over
C few
D some
C for
D around
5 A seeing
B watched
C seen
D watching
A said
B saying
C told
D telling
7 A happily
8 A arrived
B calmly
D slow
B visited
C afraid
C came
9 A sitting
B sat
C staying
D sit
6
C talked
D with
D away
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
Speaking
3 Talk in pairs. Discuss the questions below.
At the beginning of the next chapter, Macbeth thinks again about
the witches’ prophecy.
'No man o f woman born can harm Macbeth.’
‘M acbeth w ill only be defeated when Birnam W ood moves to
Dunsinane Hill.’
• W h at do you think the prophecy means?
• Do you think the prophecy will come true?
69
C hapter Seven
“
Life is ju st
a passing shadow. ”
W hile Malcolm, the thanes and the English arm y were cutting down
branches in Birnam W ood, M acbeth was m aking preparations in
his castle at Dunsinane. H e was not at all afraid. The words o f the
witches came back to him:
‘No man of woman born can harm Macbeth. ’
‘Macbeth will only be defeated when Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. ’
'No, I’m not afraid,’ M acbeth said to himself, ‘Malcolm was born
o f wom an, all m en are born o f women! And, to add to that, forests
don’t move.’
M acbeth’s spies and servants were trying to find out how m any
m en were in their enem ies’ army.
‘Sire,’ said a servant running into the room , ‘they say there are ten
thousand m en in their army.’
‘I’m not afraid,’ shouted M acbeth in anger, ‘They cannot kill
Macbeth! Bring me my arm our!’
‘It’s not time, yet,’ replied the servant.
Just at that m om ent, the doctor came into the room.
‘A h, yes. My good doctor, how ’s my wife? Is she any better? W hat’s
the m atter with her?’
70
MACBETH
'She can’t sleep. She has delusions.’
‘Cure her, doctor, give her som ething to make her sleep. She is
sad, find a way to make her forget her sadness. Cure her, th at’s your
job. Mine is to fight a battle.’
‘I cannot cure a broken heart,’ replied the doctor.
‘But you have potions* and drugs to cure m y wife. I’m sure you can
do it. Just cure her. Perhaps you also have drugs which will remove an
English arm y from Scotland. Do you know we have an arm y here?’
‘Yes, Sire. Your preparations make that clear.’
‘Well, I’m not afraid o f death. Birnam W ood m ust come to
Dunsinane before J die!’
The doctor sighed. He wished he was a long way away from
Dunsinane.
In Birnam Wood, the soldiers were waiting. They were all carrying
branches from the trees in the wood. The thanes gave the order,
‘March!’ they called, ‘March towards M acbeth’s castle at Dunsinane!’
The arm y m arched slowly out o f Birnam Wood, carrying their
branches in front o f them.
Back in the castle, the servants and soldiers were running in all directions,
making preparations for the battle. Macbeth was defiant*. ‘Put out the
flags! Show them this castle is mine. Put out my flags!’ he ordered, ‘They
will come soon. Prepare for a siege*. We are strong here in this casde,
they have no bricks or stone to hide behind. Let them attack, then, when
they are weak, we’ll attack them and send them home to England. They
will never take this castle! They will never take my throne!’
potion a special liquid, often with medical properties
siege an attack where you are locked in your castle or building
defiant refusing to obey someone or refusing to see anything
and surrounded by enemy soldiers
bad
71
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Suddenly, from som ew here in the castle, there was a loud scream.
'W hat on earth was that?’ said M acbeth to his servant, 'T hat’s the
sound of w om en crying. Find out w hat it is.’
The servant ran out of the hall. He came back a short while later.
He was very pale.
'W hat is it, man? I have heard enough screams in the middle of the
night. Tell me w hat it is, I’m not afraid of screams in the day.’
‘The Queen, m y Lord, is dead.’
‘Now? The Queen, m y wife, is dead today? But why today, not
tomorrow? W hy has her candle gone out today? Tom orrow I would
have time to think about her, my Queen, m y love. So why today? Not
tomorrow, or tom orrow or another tomorrow, w hen time will be
there for m e to think about her. To think about her passing*, to think
about m y love. No, this m eans nothing to me. So! So, she is dead.
Life is just a passing shadow. We walk on the earth for an hour or two
and then we die. It means nothing. D on’t talk to m e about the Queen
today, I w ant news about the army, give me news about the army!’
There was a noise outside the room and a m essenger came
running into the hall. He was clearly afraid.
‘Sire, a strange thing is happening outside.’
‘What? Tell me w hat’s happening!’
‘I was standing on the battlements* looking out towards Birnam
Wood. Sire, the forest is moving. It looks like Birnam W ood is moving.
It’s coming in this direction.’
‘Liar! W hat are you talking about?’ cried Macbeth, ‘That’s impossible.’
Once again, in his mind, he heard the witches;
‘Macbeth will only be defeated when Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. ’
passing (here) her death
battlements a walled area around the top of a castle where
soldiers can walk
72
MACBETH
He was very afraid. There was only one choice. ‘I have lived long
enough. Let m e end all this today. I’m tired of the sun. I’ll die fighting!’
he shouted, and he ran out o f the castle onto the battlefield.
Malcolm was shouting to his troops on the battlefield outside the
castle. Siward, the English general was w ith him. 'P ut down your
branches, and show Macbeth who you are!’ he called, ‘Macduff, lead
your m en into battle! Let’s fight well and kill the tyrant!’
‘To battle!’ called Macduff to his men.
The two armies fought hard. Macduff was everywhere; he was
looking for Macbeth. M acbeth him self was fighting hard.
‘No man o f woman born can harm Macbeth. ’
The witches’ words echoed in his m ind as he fought. H e killed
Scotsmen, he killed Englishmen, ‘You were born o f wom an!’ he cried
to each o f them as they died.
At one point in the battle, he m et a young man. They fought hard.
‘W ho are you?’ asked Macbeth, as he paused for breath.
‘Siward, son of the general. W ho are you?’ cried the young man.
‘You’ll be afraid, when you hear it! I am M acbeth.’
‘You are the devil himself. I’ll kill you!’
M acbeth laughed as he killed the boy. ‘Kill me? You too were born
of wom an!’
The English arm y was too strong for Macbeth’s forces. The thanes
soon took the castle. Malcolm and the thanes searched the castle,
b ut they couldn’t find Macbeth. Macduff w ent back out onto the
battlefield, determined to find him. He was thinking about his wife
and children. Then, there in the mist, he saw the King.
73
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
'Turn, hell hound*, turn!’ cried Macduff.
‘No!’ cried Macbeth, ‘You are the last m an I w ant to fight. I have
your family’s blood on m y hands already. I will n ot fight.’
‘Tyrant! Bloody tyrant! My sword will be my voice.’
With these words, Macduff attacked Macbeth. They fought furiously.
‘You are fighting hard for nothing!’ cried Macbeth, ‘My life is not
in danger. You can’t kill m e, you know. No m an born of w om an can
harm Macbeth!’
‘A h,’ shouted Macduff, ‘you are in danger. You will die by my sword.
Because I was not born. I was cut from my m other’s dead body.’
‘The witches lied!’ cried Macbeth, as he began to understand, ‘It
was all a lie, a game. I will not fight.’ M acbeth put down his sword.
‘Then surrender*, coward. W e’ll keep you like a m onster in a
show. Everyone will come to look at you. W e’ll w rite a sign, “Come
and see the tyrant”!’
‘I can’t surrender. I can’t kiss the ground before Malcolm’s feet.’
M acbeth picked up his sword again. ‘It’s over, Birnam W ood has
come to Dunsinane, Macduff was not born o f wom an. I’ll fight and
die like a king,’ he cried as he attacked Macduff.
Macduff was strong. He was filled w ith hate for the m urderer of
his wife and children. M acbeth was weaker now he understood that
the witches’ prophecy was a trick. The m en fought on.
In M acbeth’s castle, Malcolm, Siward and the thanes were waiting
for news.
‘I hope our friends are safe,’ said Malcolm.
‘Some will die and some will return,’ said one of the thanes
philosophically.
hell hound a terrible dog from hell
74
to surrender to say you are the loser and to stop fighting
W ILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Malcolm looked around the hall. ‘Macduff is missing. Siward's son
is missing.'
Ross had news o f Siward's son. ‘Your son, m y Lord, has paid a
soldier’s debt*.’
‘So,’ said Siward, ‘m y son is dead. Did he fight bravely?’
‘Oh yes, he did. M acbeth killed him on the battlefield.’
‘Then he died a proud and happy death.’
‘I’ll pray for him ,’ said Malcolm.
‘God be with him!’ said Siward.
There was still no news o f M acduff or Macbeth. Malcolm and the
thanes were outside on the battlem ents. They could hear some noise
from the battle, although it was difficult to see w hat was happening.
Suddenly, they heard soldiers cheering* in one corner of the battlefield.
‘W hat is it?’ cried Malcolm, ‘W hy are they cheering?’
‘It’s Macduff!’ cried Ross.
Macduff walked slowly across the battlefield towards the castle.
He was pulling som ething behind him. It was the dead body o f
Macbeth. ‘Hail, Malcolm! King o f Scotland!’ cried Macduff. ‘The
tyrant’s dead! Come soldiers, M acbeth is dead. Long live Malcolm,
King o f Scotland!’
The soldiers put down their swords and joined Macduff.
‘Hail Malcolm! King o f Scotland!’
‘Hail Malcolm! King o f Scotland!’
From the battlem ents, the new King Malcolm raised his arms
and the arm y was silent. ‘Brave men, thanes and generals,’ he called,
‘The cruel tyrant, Macbeth, is dead. His body is lying there on the
d ebt a price that you must pay
76
to cheer to shout loudly because you are happy
MACBETH
battlefield. His wife, his partner in cruelty, the Q ueen has killed
herself. Macduff, Siward and the thanes have w on the battle. As their
reward, they will be Earls* of Scotland, not thanes. And there is only
one thing left to do. I m ust thank you, each and every one, and invite
you all to Scone. There, in the ancient palace, where Scottish kings
are always crowned, I too will be crowned king.’
There was a loud cheer from the arm y on the battlefield and the
thanes on the battlements.
‘Hail Malcolm! King of Scotland!’
‘Hail Malcolm! King o f Scotland!’
The End
Earl a title given to someone by a king, a more important title than ‘Lord'
11
AFTER-READING ACTIVITIES
Reading Comprehension
1 Choose the best answer - A, B or C.
1
W h y isn’t Macbeth afraid about the battle?
A CD because he is a good fighter
BED because he thinks no-one can kill him
C CD because he is very brave
2
W h at does Macbeth ask the doctor to do?
CD g iv e h im s o m e th in g to h e lp h im s le e p
B C D b e re a d y to h e lp th e s o ld ie rs a fte r th e b a ttle
C CD c u re his w ife
A
3
W hat happens to Lady Macbeth?
A
CD she g e ts b e tte r
BCDshe dies
cCDshe runs away with Lennox
4
W h y do Malcolm and the thanes search the castle?
ACDthey are looking for gold
BED they are looking for a doctor
C CD they are looking for Macbeth
5
W h y does Macduff go back out onto the battlefield?
A
b
ED he wants to find the English general
CD he wants to find Macbeth
c E D h e wants to find Duncan
6
W h o kills Macbeth?
A CD Malcolm
CD Siward
C CD Macduff
B
7
W h o is the new King of Scotland?
ACD Malcolm
B ED Siward
C ED Macduff
78
Grammar
2
Question forms. W rite questions for these answers. Be careful,
the tenses are mixed.
1
W h at was Macbeth doing ?
He was making preparations at the castle.
2
How
_______________________________________________________ ?
He isn't afraid.
3
W h y __________________________________
He isn’t afraid because he thinks no-one can kill him.
?
4
W h at __
He told the servants to put out the flags.
?
5
W here _______________________________________________________?
Macbeth ran out onto the battlefield.
6
W h o _________________________________________________________ ?
Macbeth killed Siward, the general’s son.
7
W h o _____
?
Macduff was thinking about his wife and children.
W h at ___________________________________________ to Macduff?
8
Macbeth says ‘You can’t kill me.’
9
W h at ________________________________________________________ ?
Malcolm and the thanes could hear cheering from the battlefield.
10 W h at ________________________________________________________ ?
The soldiers shouted, ‘Hail Malcolm! King of Scotland!’
Writing
3
Put the following events into the correct order. Then use them
to w rite a summary of the last chapter. Rem ember to add that
Macbeth believes no-one can kill him.
• Malcolm and the English army take the castle.
• Lady Macbeth dies.
• Macbeth kills Siward, the general's son.
• Malcolm becomes the new King of Scotland.
• The soldiers walk out of Birnam Wood with branches from the trees.
• Macduff kills Macbeth.
79
THE PLAY
The Players
KING DUNCAN, King o f Scotland.
LADY MACBETH.
MALCOLM,
DONALBAIN,
Three WITCHES.
his Sons.
Three GHOSTS.
MACBETH,
BANQUO,
ROSS,
LENNOX,
MACDUFF,
| Generals in the
| King’s Army.
SERVANTS and SOLDIERS.
Thanes o f Scotland.
Act One
A t the royal palace at Forres,
King Duncan has heard the news
about his army’s victory against
the rebels. He is talking to Lord
Ross.
of Cawdor and that I am
pleased.
[Ross hurries out of the room.
In afield, near to King Duncan’s
Brave Macbeth,
my brave cousin. We have
castle, three evil witches are
waiting fo r Macbeth. He and his
friend, Banquo, appear;]
w on the battle and I m ust
W I T C H 1.
thank him. The Thane of
Cawdor, leader o f the rebels,
m ust die. I will give his title
to Macbeth.
2 . Hail, Macbeth,
the new Thane o f Cawdor!
w i t c h 3.
Hail, Macbeth,
duncan.
ROSS. Shall I ride to m eet
him, your Highness?
duncan.
Yes, Ross. Tell
him he is the new Thane
Hail, Macbeth!
w itch
the future King o f Scotland!
. W ho are you?
W h at are you talking
about?
macbeth
banquo
.
You have a lot to
say about Macbeth, tell me
about my future!
1. You will be less
than Macbeth, but you will
be greater.
w itch
2 . You will not be as
lucky as Macbeth, but you
w itch
will be luckier.
3 . You will not be
King, b ut your children will
be kings.
w itch
w i t c h e s [together]. Hail
Macbeth! Hail Banquo!
[The witches disappear.]
MA C B E T H . Strange women.
Were they witches?
b a n QUO. I don’t know, but
you are m y future king.
[Banquo bows to Macbeth.]
King? I’m not
even Thane o f Cawdor!
And your children
after me! No, I don’t believe
MA C B E T H .
it. We already have a king
and he has two sons.
[Lady Macbeth is at the family
castle. She is re-reading a letter
from her husband, when he walks
into the room.]
I’ve read y our
le tte r and I believe the
l a d y M.
w itches. One day, w e will
be King and Q ueen o f
Scotland. But I know you,
y o u ’re too kind and too
noble. We m u st be calm ,
cruel and brave, th en ou r
dream s will com e tru e.
King Duncan is
coming here tonight.
MA C B E T H .
MA C B E T H .
l a d y M.
They were m ad old wom en.
[Enter Ross.]
MACBETH.
ROSS. Hail, Macbeth! I have
great news! The King has
m ade you Thane of Cawdor!
See! Thane of
Cawdor! They were witches.
One day you’ll be King of
BANQUO.
Scotland...
Yes? Well he m ust
never leave. You m ust kill
him.
But he is my
cousin, my king and he will
be m y guest.
l a d y M [angry]. I have no
patience w ith you. Coward!
I’ll make the plan and you
can kill him. If you don’t,
then I will.
81
Act Two
King Duncan has arrived at
Macbeth’s castle and after dinner
he has gone to bed. It’s early in the
morning and Macbeth is outside
King Duncan’s rooms.
He sees a vision of a dagger
in front o f him.
m a c b e t h [horrified]. W h a t’s
this? A dagger? Is this a
dagger w hich I see before
me? W ith the handle
tow ards m y hand? C om e
here, dagger, let m e get
you! But I can’t, you’re not
there. I can see you, b u t
have blood on m y hands
too.
[There is knocking at the castle
gate. Two thanes, Macduff and
Lennox, have just arrived at the
castle. They go to wake up the
King.]
m acduff.
Ring the alarm!
Wake up everyone! Murder!
Treason! Everyone, wake
up! Wake up! MURDER!
TREASON!
[Thanes, servants and guards all
run towards the King’s rooms.]
l e n n o x . King Duncan
y o u ’re n o t there. W h at is
this vision?
[Macbeth now feels braver. He goes
is dead. M urdered by his
servants.
m a c d u f f . W e’ll question
into the King’s rooms and then
comes out a short time later. He
them now!
m a c b e t h . You can’t. I killed
looks frightened and pale.]
m a c b e t h . I’ve done it, but I
heard a voice.
l a d y M [calm]. There was no
voice. It’s in your mind.
m a c b e t h . T here’s blood on
m y hands. All the w ater in
the oceans will never make
them clean again.
l a d y M.
Be brave. Go, w ash
y our hands, rem em ber, I
82
them . I was so angry when
I saw the King lying dead.
I saw the blood on their
daggers and I killed them.
[Malcolm and Donalbain talk
together while everyone else is
making plans.]
MALCOLM.
W e’re in danger
too. We can’t trust anyone,
not even our close friends.
I’m going to England. I’ll be
safer there and perhaps I can
find m en to help us.
I agree. I’ll go
to Ireland. W e’ll be safer if
we separate and let’s go now.
DONALBAIN.
Let’s not wait to say goodbye
to these false friends.
[Malcolm and Donalbain go
secretly out of the castle.]
Act Three
The royal palace at Scone. Macbeth
has been crowned King o f Scotland
and is preparing a banquet to
celebrate.
MA C B E T H .
Remember,
Banquo, that you will be
our guest o f honour this
evening!
b a n q u o . Your Highness, I
will be there. My son and
I are going riding now, but
be happy w ith our guests.
Forget about Banquo.
But it’s not so
easy. My m ind is full o f
MA C B E T H-
scorpions and I’m sure it’s
because Banquo and Fleance
are still alive.
We can’t do
anything about Banquo now.
Forget it.
LADY M.
w e’ll be back before the
Oh, but I have
done som ething about
banquet, I promise you.
MACBETH. Riding, you say?
Banquo. And also about
Fleance.
You and your son? Com e
back safely, both of you.
[Later in the afternoon, the King
and Queen are talking.]
O ur throne is in
danger. Banquo is a danger
MACBETH.
to us and we can’t stop now.
l a d y M . You’11 feel better at
the banquet tonight. You’ll
MA C B E T H .
l a d y M . What? W hat have
you done?
MACBETH. Wait. Have a little
patience. You’ll see in the
morning.
[At the castle, guests are beginning
to arrivefor the banquet. Enter a
soldier.]
m acbeth.
T h ere’s blood
83
on your face. So Banquo is
dead. Did you kill Fleance
MACBETH.
too?
Lennox.
I’m sorry, Sire,
SOLDIER.
Fleance escaped.
This is bad, he
will com e back to take
his revenge. I d o n ’t like it.
m acbeth.
W h ere’s B anquo’s body?
S O L D I E R . Safe, Sire. H e ’s
in a ditch, h e ’s definitely
dead.
T h ankyou. N ow
go, w e’ll talk about this
tom orrow. You will have
MA C B E T H .
your reward for your loyalty.
Leave now, before som eone
sees you.
[.Macbeth runs to join his guests in
the hall]
l a d y m.
thanes
Welcome friends!
[together]. Thank
you, your Highness!
Welcome,
welcome everyone! But
m acbeth.
where is Banquo? Banquo
isn’t here!
No, b u t he prom ised
to com e. We all heard him
ROSS.
and I’m sure h e ’ll be here
soon.
Come and sit
down, Sire! Then our
LENNOX.
banquet can really start!
But, there’s
nowhere for m e to sit.
Here, Sire. This is
your place, here.
[Macbeth is agitated. He is
pointing at an empty chair.]
m a c b e t h . Where? Where?
W hat are you doing here?
D on’t look at m e like that!
LADY M. D on’t worry,
everyone. Sit down, enjoy
the food! The King is just
feeling a little ill. H e often
has a problem like this. It
will pass very quickly.
l a d y M [quietly to Macbeth].
Control yourself! There’s
no-one there. The chair is
empty. It’s a vision, like the
dagger. It’s all in your mind.
m acbeth.
l a d y M.
It’s Banquo!
Be brave, my Lord.
There’s no-one there!
MACBETH [to his guests].
I’m sorry. I’m feeling better
now. L et’s raise our glasses
to Banquo, our absent
friend.
all.
To Banquo!
m a c b e t h [pointing to an
empty chair again]. There!
There! G et away! G et away
from m e you horrible
vision! You’re dead! Dead!
LADY M.
H e’ll be fine, but
I think you should all go.
He ju st needs to rest. Please
don’t worry. Good night.
[The thanes and the other guests
leave the hall]
LADY M. You’re tired, m y
Everything will look better in
the m orning.
MACBETH. You’re right.
Let’s try to sleep. I’ll visit
the witches in the m orning.
There's m uch m ore left to
come.
Lord. You need to sleep.
Act Four
In a cavern. The three witches are
MA C B E T H .
chanting around a cauldron.
T O G E T H E R . Double, double
[At the palace, Lennox is waiting for
Macbeth.]
toil and trouble
Fire burn; and cauldron
bubble.
[Enter Macbeth.]
MA C B E T H . W hat are you
doing, you evil midnight
hags? I need to know my
future.
[Ghosts appearfrom the cauldron.]
. Be afraid of
Macduff! T hat’s my answer -
GH O sT I
enough!
G H O S T 2.
No m an o f wom an
born can harm Macbeth.
GHOST 3 . Macbeth will only
be defeated w hen Birnam
W ood moves to Dunsinane
Hill.
Then I am safe!
LENNOX.
I have news for you.
m a c b e t h . W hat news?
L E N N O X . M acduff has
escaped to England.
m a c b e t h . M acduff’s a
traitor. I’ll send m en to
his castle. If his wife is
there, they’ll kill her. If his
children are there, th ey ’ll
kill them . T he servants,
everyone.
[At night, in the royal palace. Lady
Macbeth is in the corridor, rubbing
her hands. She is walking and
talking madly in her sleep.]
lady
M.
H ere’s a spot. Out,
dam ned spot! Out, I say. It’s
blood. The old m an had so
85
m uch blood in him. And
never be clean again. All
Macduff? The T hane o f
the perfum es o f Arabia
will never m ake them smell
sw eet again.
Fife, he had a wife. W here
is she now? My hands will
Act Five
In the countryside, near Macbeth’s
castle at Dunsinane. Thanes, Malcolm
w hat it is.
s E R v a N T . The Queen, my
and the English army have met.
MALCOLM. Soldiers! Cut
down some branches from
Lord, is dead.
m a c b e t h . Now? N ot
tomorrow? O r tomorrow?
the trees. Carry the branches
in front o f you.
MA C D UF F . It is time for the
battle.
MA L C O L M . March! To
Dunsinane!
[At Macbeth’s castle.]
O r another tomorrow, when
I have time? Life is just a
passing shadow. Don’t talk to
m e about the Q ueen today, I
w ant news about the army!
[Macbeth runs onto the
battlements.]
T . Look, Sire, the
I’m not afraid.
Malcolm was born of
S E RVAN
wom an, all m en are born of
women! Forests don’t move!
S E R v a N T . There are ten
W ood is moving. It’s coming
in this direction.
M A C B E T H . T hat’s
thousand m en in their army!
MA C B E T H . Put out the flags!
impossible!
[Macbeth and his soldiers run out
m acbeth.
Show them this castle is
mine. They will never take
my throne!
[A loud scream is heard.]
m a c b e t h . T hat’s the sound
o f wom en crying. Find out
forest is moving. Birnam
onto the battlefield.]
W here’s
M acduff.
Macbeth?
m a c b e t h . Here, but you can’t
kill me. No man of woman
born can harm Macbeth!
MA C D U F F .
Die! Killer o f m y
wife and children. You will
die by m y sword. Because
I was not born. I was cut
[Macduff kills Macbeth. The
soldiers stop fighting and start
cheering.]
from m y m other's dead
The tyrant is
dead! Hail Malcolm! King of
body.
Scotland!
macbeth.
The witches lied!
m acduff.
Die, tyrant!
MA C D U F F .
SOLDIERS.
Hail Malcolm!
King o f Scotland!
The End
87
FO CUS ON...
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
E a rly Y ears
W illiam Shakespeare w as born in 1564 in Stratford -u p on Avon, a tow n in the centre o f Eng land . N o b o d y really know s
th e exact d ay that he w as born, but p eo p le say that it w as on
A pril 23rd. He w as bap tised on April 26th, so it’s possible that
he w as born on the 23rd. How ever, p eo p le p ro bably chose
th a t day, firstly because Sh akespeare also died on April
23[d an d secondly, because April 23[d is Saint G eo rg e’s Day E n g la n d ’s patron saint.
L ife in S tr a tf o r d
Peop le d o n ’t know for sure, but W illiam p ro bably w ent to Stratford’s petty, or ju n io r school,
w h e n he w as five years old. There he learn ed to read and w rite. Then, w h e n he w as seven
years old, he w ent to Stratford’s g ra m m a r school. The school day w as very long. It started at 6
or 7 in the m orn in g and fin ish ed at 5 or 6 in the even in g. At school he learn ed Latin and Greek.
He p ro b a b ly left school w hen he w as fifteen or sixteen, w hich w as n orm a l at that tim e. In the
w in te r o f 1582, w hen he w as 18 years old, he m arried A n n e H athaw ay. She w as 26 years old.
Their first child, Susanna, w as born less than six m on ths later. Early in 1585, A n n e had tw ins,
H am net and Judith. H am net w as th eir o n ly son, but he died w hen he w as 11.
.
Shakespeare's house and m useum
at Stratford-upon-Avon
T h e L o st Y ears
W e d o n ’t know w h e n or w hy Shakespeare left Stratford. W e d o n ’t know w hat he w as doin g
before he b ecam e a successful actor and dram atist, either. These years (1585 until 1592) are
called th e lost years. One story says that he killed a deer* belo n gin g to a lord and so he
w en t to London to escape. A n oth er story says that he w as a teacher during that tim e.
L o n d o n a n d th e T h e a tr e
W hatever happened during the lost years, by 1595, Shakespeare w as already fam ous in London. He
w as an actor in an im portant theatre group and he had already w ritten som e successful plays. During
his life, he w rote a total of 58 plays - com edies, histories and tragedies. Shakespeare also w rote
hundreds of poem s. Shakespeare stayed in London until 1611, w hen he m oved back to Stratford. He
died on April 23rd 1616 at the age of 52. He w as buried* in Holy Trinity church tw o days later.
plete the form with the information about Shakespeare.
Name:
Place of birth:
W ife ’sname:
________________
Date of birth:
_______
Number ofchildren:__________ _
Occupation:
_______________
Age started s c h o o l:_____________ Date of death:____________
Age left school:_______________
deer
In
buried put in the ground
89
Theatrical Superstitions and Idioms
The Scottish Play
Theatre p eo p le are often very su perstitiou s and a top superstition is ab o u t Macbeth. Actors often
call it ‘The Scottish P lay’, becau se the w orst th in g you can say in a theatre is the w ord 'M acbeth’.
So m e p eo p le say that th e origin o f this is that m ore actors have been injured in battle or m urder
scenes than in oth er plays. A n o th er idea is that Macbeth has alw ays been a very pop u lar play.
Theatre co m p a n ie s in fin ancial d ifficulty often staged it, so th ey could attract people. It d id n ’t
alw ays w ork, m an y theatres failed, m akin g Macbeth unlucky.
This superstition also ap pe a rs in an ep isod e of The Simpsons. W hen the S im p son s visit London,
they m eet Ian M cKellen o utsid e a theatre. Every tim e so m e o n e says ‘M acbeth ’, so m eth in g bad
h app ens to poor Ian.
So w hat do you do if y o u ’re in a theatre and so m e o n e says the w ord ‘M acbeth ’? Run o utside the
theatre and spin arou nd three tim es. Then the bad luck w ill go.
ever and Always
Blue is the Colour
Never w histle in the theatre. S o m e o n e will
lose th eir job.
N ever light 3 candles on stage. The person
nearest to the shortest can d le w ill get
m arried or die.
Never say the last line o f a play until the
first p erform an ce on o p e n in g night, or the
production w ill be a disaster.
Alw ays leave a light on in an em p ty theatre.
It’s called the ghost light, because every
theatre is supposed to have a ghost in it.
It’s not very green, but leaving the light ▲
on will keep ghosts away.
Blue is an u nlucky colour, but not if it’s with
som ething silver. The reason is probably that
blue dye w as expensive and very difficult to
m ake. Som etim es, if a theatre com pany w as
in financial trouble, actors w ould w ear blue to
pretend that everything w as fine, even if tilings
w ere going badly. How ever, if the actors w ore
blue costu m es w ith silver, this w as a good
sign, because th ey could afford the silver too.
Break a Leg
D on’t say ‘g o o d luck’ to an actor before a play,
it’s bad luck. Say ‘break a leg ’. A th eory behind
this stran g e expression is from Elizabethan
tim es. If an actor p erform e d very w ell, the
people in the theatre threw m o n ey onto the
stage. Actors ben t th eir knees to pick up the
m oney, so ‘b re ak in g ’ th e line o f th eir legs.
WSmk
Odd Idioms we use Today
W e u se s o m e th e a trica l id io m s an d
e x p re s s io n s in n o rm a l la n g u a g e to d a y. An
a cto r m ig h t sa y th a t a
i w as upstaging
th e m or stealing their H m e lig h . A ham
a cto r is o n e w h o o v e r-a cts. If y o u upstage
s o m e b o d y , y o u (w ro n g ly ) b e c o m e th e
m o s t im p o rta n t p e rso n on th e sta g e . It’s
v e ry ru d e . So is stealing the limelight. But
w h y ‘lim e lig h t’? Lim e (a c h e m ica l) w as
h e a te d a n d w as o n e o f th e first fo rm s of
sta g e lig h tin g . Today, you can upstage
s o m e o n e , o r steal someone's limelight at
a p a rty, at a m e e tin g or at a p u b lic e ve n t.
It’s im p o ssible
two left k et and you
o b vio u sly need
.S o w hy do w e
say these things? If so m e th in g g oe s w rong
and tw o p eo p le are responsible, you can say
it takes two to tango, m ea n in g , it w asn 't only
m e! How ever, if y o u ’ve g ot two left feet that
is your fault. It m ean s y o u ’re very clu m sy and,
in ballet, that y o u ’re not a very g o o d dancer.
Finally, w atch o u t in th e th e a tre if you h ear
the a n n o u n ce m e n t ‘Mr San d s is in th e b a r’.
W e d o n ’t say this o u tsid e th e th eatre, but it’s
qu ite im p o rta n t to know . It m e a n s th a t the
bar is on fire, so p e rh a p s you sh o u ld leave.
Task
Internet research.
a Find out the meaning and origin of the following theatrical
idioms:
To tread the boards. The show m ust go on. To be on the edge
o f one's seat. To bring the house down. Rolling in the aisles.
b Find out about theatrical superstitions in your country.
CLIL
Lochs
The Scots G aelic w ord for
M e i s /or/?/I d x , b k / a n d
there are m ore than 30,000
o f them in Scotland. The m ost
fam ou s is obviously Loch Ness,
because o f its association
w ith the Loch Ness m onster.
Loch Ness contains the largest
vo lu m e o f w ater of any o f the
lochs, but Loch Lom ond is, in
fact, the largest w ith an area
of 71,1km 2. This m akes Loch
Lom ond the largest freshw ater
lake in Great Britain. The
loch is alm ost 40 km long
and it ranges from 1.21 km to
approxim ately 8 km w ide.
There are m ore than thirty
sm all islands in Loch Lom ond.
Hills and
Mountains
Coastline
and Rivers
Scotland can be divided into
three areas: the Highlands,
the Southern Uplands and
the Central Lowlands. Most
o f the m ountains are in
the Highlands. The highest
m ountain is only about
1,300 m high (Ben Nevis),
but local w eather conditions
m ake it quite dangerous. The
Highlands is divided into two
by a valley, the Great Glen {glen
com es from the Scottish Gaelic
w ord for vallefl. The Southern
Uplands is m ainly m ade up of
hills and valleys and the Central
Low lands is also a hilly area
w ith rich m ineral reserves.
A s w ell as freshw ater lochs,
Scotland has a n u m b e r of
sea lochs w hich are very
sim ila r to fjords. If these sea
lochs are included, Scotlan d’s
coastlin e is 00602767
",
‘ '
There are a n u m b e r of
estuaries w hich are called
firths (a Low land Scots w ord),
an d th ey are m ain ly on the
east coast. The lon g est river
in Scotland is the River Tay
w hich is a p prox im ately
193 km long. The River Clyde
is the third largest river. It
flow s th ro u g h G lasgow and
w as particu larly im portan t
for sh ip b u ild in g.
islands
There are a lm o st 800 islands in Scotland an d m ost o f th em can be d ivid e d into three m ain groups;
Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides. ‘Lewis and Harris’ is the largest island w ith an area of about 2,225 km 2.
There are a b o u t 100 Shetland Islands, but o n ly 15 are inh abited. The O rkney Islands are m ainly
flat and have very few trees. This is because the islands are p articu larly w indy. The H ebrides is an
a rch ipelag o and is usually d ivid ed into tw o m ain groups: th e Inner and O uter H ebrides.
92
Com plete the two tables.
Fill the gaps in the summary.
Use the information
in the texts to help you.
The Five Longest Rivers
in Scotland
7Hiridexc-ami'
' ^
1 __ ________________
2
River Spey 193 km
4
5
River Tweed 156 km
River Dee 137 km
' -'A
\
- * T S ,
i4 -*E s a
-2SS%&rmr
Scottish Geographical Terms
an inlet of water or estuary
munro
a mountain over 914.4 m high
a valley
a lake
a mountain
The geography of Scotland is extremely varied. The country can be
divided into three main a re a s,________________ , _________________ and
________________ . In addition, there are about
can themselves
be divided
islands which
into three g r o u p s ,________________ ,
________________ a n d ________________ . The largest loch in Scotland, in
terms of area i s ________________ , although Loch Ness is the largest
by volume. Scotland’s only land border is with England. The highest
mountain in Scotland is ________________ , which is o n ly ______ high and
the longest river is th e
, which is _______long.
Task - Internet Research
Do some research on the Internet about the human geography
of Scotland. Think about cities and the urban population
ation, | |
population density, population growth/decline and industry.
J
TEST YOURSELF
A n s w e r th e q u e s tio n s a b o u t Macbeth.
2
94
1
W h o is the King of Scotland at the very beginning of the story?
2
W h at three prophecies do the witches make when Macbeth
and Banquo first meet them?
3
W here is Duncan staying when Macbeth murders him?
4
W hich two countries do Malcolm and Donalbain escape to?
5
W h y does Macbeth send people to murder Banquo and
Fleance?
6
W hose ghost does Macbeth see at the banquet?
7
W h y are the
M acbeth)?
8
W h o kills Macbeth?
9
W h o becomes King of Scotland after Macbeth?
servants
worried
about the
Queen
(Lad y
Match the words to their definitions. The words are all from the
glossary.
1
mist
a
2
filthy
b to act in a way so that people believe you
but it isn't true
3
4
to capture
c
reward
d to lose consciousness
5
to pretend
weird
e
to close very violently
f
very dirty
6
7
to slam
8
to faint
a prize for doing something good
another word for fog
9 strange and unusual
h to catch someone as a prisoner
3
W rite a paragraph about the them es given below. Give examples
from the story of Macbeth. Think about the them e in relation to
the different characters (and how they change over the story).
ambition and power
superstition and fate
violence
gender
95
SYLLABUS
Level B1
included in Levels A1 and A2.
would for hypothesis and polite
requests, m ust for deduction,
may for possibility.
Nouns: complex noun phrases
Types
Verbs: Present Perfect Simple:
conditionals, conditionals with
unfinished
unless, clauses with although,
with so... that, time
clauses with as soon as, until,
before and after.
This reader contains the items
listed below as well as those
since,
past with
recent
past
fo r and
with just,
Past Perfect Simple, reported
speech, should for obligation,
of
Clause:
clauses
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
The Hound of the Baskervilles
William Shakespeare, Romeo end Juliet
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
STAGE 4
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
STAGE 5
Francis Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
type-two
STAGE 3
W illia m Shakespeare
Macbeth
Scotland in the eleventh century. Macbeth is a brave general, loyal to King
Duncan and to Scotland. Until, that is, he meets three evil witches after a
battle against King Duncan’s enemies. They tell him that one day he, Macbeth,
will be King of Scotland. This is the beginning of a story of ambition and evil,
involving him and his calculating wife, Lady Macbeth. W hat follows leads them
to terrible violence, murder, madness and ultimately to their own destruction.
In this reader you will find:
- The Play
- Information about Shakespeare’s life
- A section focussing on theatrical superstitions and idioms
- A section focussing on CLIL Physical Geography
- A glossary of difficult words
- Comprehension activities
- PET-style activities
- An exit test
Tag
Ambition, power
Q
STAGE 6
Elementary
600 headwords
A1
Pre-Intermediate
800 headwords
A2
Intermediate
1000 headwords
B1
Upper Intermediate
1800 headwords
B2
Advanced
2500 headwords
Cl
Proficiency
Unabridged Texts
C2
R e co rd e d
W i t h fr e e
e x tr a c ts in C D .
d o w n lo a d a b le
D o w n lo a d full te x t
B o o k le t
©
a s M P fro m
w w w . e lir e a d e r s .