Macbeth (36 page)

Read Macbeth Online

Authors: William Shakespeare

90
cut off
kill  

91
his
i.e. one man’s  

92
more-having
greater wealth/greed for more  

93
forge
fabricate, invent  

98
summer-seeming
befitting summer, i.e. youth (lust may wane with age)  

99
sword … kings
i.e. means by which they died (e.g. in wars motivated by greed)  

100
foisons
plentiful resources  

101
Of … own
of your very own, belonging entirely to you (as king)  

these
i.e. these vices you mention  

portable
bearable, endurable  

102
weighed
counterbalanced  

103
king-becoming
befitting a king (plays on the idea of one who is about to gain kingship)  

104
verity
truthfulness  

temp’rance
moderation, self-restraint  

105
Bounty
kindness, generosity  

lowliness
humility  

107
relish
trace/taste for  

108
division
category/variation  

several
individual  

abound … crime
i.e. I am full of all possible aspects of vice  

110
concord
harmony, peace  

111
Uproar
bring into a state of uproar  

118
untitled
without rightful title  

119
wholesome
healthy  

121
interdiction
prohibition  

122
blaspheme
slanders/commits sacrilege (to the
sainted
Duncan)  

breed
his family line  

123
sainted
saintly, holy  

124
upon her knees
i.e. in prayer  

125
Died … lived
spent every day of her life in a state of holy readiness for death  

126
repeat’st upon
utter against/recount about  

127
Hath … Scotland
have destroyed any hope I had of returning to Scotland/are exactly those, which, in Macbeth, caused me to flee Scotland  

131
scruples
doubts  

133
trains
tricks, stratagems (i.e. sending an apparently sympathetic nobleman to try and lure Malcolm back to Scotland)  

134
plucks
withholds  

135
over-credulous
too readily believing  

137
direction
guidance  

138
Unspeak … detraction
take back the harmful things I said about myself  

abjure
renounce  

139
taints
(moral) stains  

140
For
as being  

141
Unknown to woman
i.e. a virgin  

forsworn
perjured, a breaker of oaths  

142
Scarcely … own
have hardly ever desired even what I myself owned  

145
false speaking
lie  

146
this upon myself
i.e. the false statements he made about his character  

148
here-approach
arrival here  

150
at a point
prepared, ready  

151
we’ll
we’ll set forth  

the … quarrel
may our success match the degree to which our cause is justified  

157
stay
await  

cure
kings were believed to possess a healing touch  

convinces
defeats  

158
assay of art
efforts of medical practitioners  

159
sanctity
holiness  

160
presently amend
immediately recover  

163
the evil
“the king’s evil,” i.e. scrofula, an inflammation of the lymph nodes, which the monarch’s touch was believed to cure  

165
here-remain
stay  

166
solicits
entreats (through prayer)  

167
strangely-visited
severely afflicted  

169
mere
absolute  

170
stamp
coin  

171
’tis spoken
it is said  

172
succeeding royalty
king’s successors  

173
benediction
grace, blessing  

strange
inexplicable  

176
speak him
declare him to be  

178
countryman
i.e. fellow Scot  

know
recognize (presumably Ross’s clothing identifies him as Malcolm’s countryman, or perhaps Malcolm means that sorrow has so altered Ross that he seems like a different man)  

179
ever-gentle
ever noble  

180
betimes
hastily  

181
means
circumstances (more specifically, Macbeth)  

186
nothing … nothing
no one other than a fool  

189
marked
paid attention to  

190
modern ecstasy
commonplace frenzy  

The … who
i.e. no one bothers to inquire about who has died when they hear the funeral bell toll as death has become so common  

193
or … sicken
before becoming ill  

194
relation
report, account  

nice
detailed/accurate/extraordinary, strange  

196
hiss the speaker
mock the speaker (as the news is already out of date)  

197
teems
gives rise to, breeds  

203
at peace
i.e. dead (though Macduff continues to understand the sense of “untroubled”)  

204
niggard of
miser in  

206
heavily
sorrowfully/as a burden  

207
out
i.e. preparing for war/committed to rebellion  

208
witnessed the rather
further confirmed  

209
power
army  

afoot
on the march  

210
eye
i.e. you, your presence  

212
doff
cast off (as one would a garment)  

213
Be’t
let it be  

217
gives out
reports, proclaims  

216
An … out
i.e. there is not an older or better soldier in all Christendom  

219
the like
i.e. similarly encouraging news  

220
would
should  

desert
lonely, desolate  

221
latch
take hold of, receive  

223
general cause
i.e. the woes of Scotland  

fee-grief
grief owned by one person only (a term derived from legal language relating to property)  

231
possess them with
put them in possession of/cause them to become (demonically) possessed by  

heaviest
most sorrowful, grievous  

234
surprised
ambushed  

235
manner
way in which they were killed, details  

236
quarry
heap of deer killed at a hunt  

deer
puns on “dear”  

239
pull … brows
a conventional gesture of grief  

241
Whispers
whispers to  

o’er-fraught
overburdened  

244
must … thence
had to be away from home  

249
He
refers either to Macbeth or to Malcolm  

250
hell-kite
bird of prey from hell  

251
dam
mother  

252
fell swoop
cruel swooping down of the
hell-kite
  

253
Dispute
fight against  

259
struck
killed violently and suddenly  

Naught
wicked, sinful person  

260
demerits
faults  

261
Fell
quibbles on the adjectival sense of “cruel”  

262
whetstone
stone on which swords are sharpened  

264
play … eyes
i.e. weep  

265
braggart
play one who brags, i.e. gives out a braying cry/talks emptily and ceaselessly  

266
intermission
pause in action  

Front to front
face to face  

268
scape
escape  

270
tune
style (of speech)/tone/frame of mind  

271
power
army  

272
Our … leave
it remains only to obtain formal permission to depart (from the English king)  

273
ripe for shaking
i.e. ready to fall (like ripe fruit from a tree)  

powers above
heavenly powers  

274
Put … instruments
urge on their agents (us)/put on their weapons  

Physic
medicine  

1
watched
remained awake  

3
walked
sleepwalked  

4
field
battlefield (i.e. prepared for war)  

6
closet
cabinet  

9
perturbation
disturbance  

10
effects of watching
appearance and actions of waking  

11
agitation
disturbed state of mind/nervous activity  

15
meet
suitable  

taper
candle  

18
guise
custom/manner  

19
close
concealed  

31
set down
write down  

32
satisfy
meets the needs of, confirm  

remembrance
memory  

33
One: two
Lady Macbeth imagines she hears the striking of a clock or perhaps the bell she was to strike as a signal to Macbeth  

36
none … account
no one can hold us responsible as we are now so powerful  

39
Thane of Fife
Macduff  

41
mar
spoil  

42
starting
nervousness/fits, outbursts  

43
Go to
expression of reproof similar to “come come” (probably directed at Lady Macbeth)  

48
sorely charged
grievously burdened  

50
dignity
worth, high status  

52
be
i.e. be well  

53
practice
medical skill  

58
on’s
of his  

59
Even so?
i.e. is that how it is  

68
divine
priest  

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