Macbeth
Act V, Scene 4
Country near Birnam wood.
John L. Pritchard as Macduff
Richard James Lane, printmaker; J. Mitchell; 1838
- Drum and Colors. Enter Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, Siward’s
- Son, Menteth, Cathness, Angus, Lennox, Rosse, and Soldiers,
- marching.
Malcolm
1 - 2- Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
- That chambers will be safe.
Menteth
3- We doubt it nothing.
Siward
4- What wood is this before us?
Menteth
5- The wood of Birnan.
Malcolm
6 - 9- Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
- And bear’t before him, thereby shall we shadow
- The numbers of our host, and make discovery
- Err in report of us.
Soldiers
10- It shall be done.
Siward
11 - 13- We learn no other but the confident tyrant
- Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
- Our setting down before’t.
Malcolm
14 - 18- ’Tis his main hope;
- For where there is advantage to be given,
- Both more and less have given him the revolt,
- And none serve with him but constrained things,
- Whose hearts are absent too.
Macduff
19 - 21- Let our just censures
- Attend the true event, and put we on
- Industrious soldiership.
Siward
22 - 27- The time approaches
- That will with due decision make us know
- What we shall say we have, and what we owe.
- Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate,
- But certain issue strokes must arbitrate,
- Towards which advance the war.
- Exeunt marching.