MACBETH

Act V, Scene 3
Macbeth hears bad news.
SUMMARY
Characters: Macbeth, Doctor, Servant, Seyton &
Attendants
Scene Summary:
Macbeth gets a whole heap of bad news in this
scene. He learns from the doctor that his wife is not
well, and that there’s nothing the doctor can do to
help her.
Plus, he hears that ten thousand English troops and
a whole lot of Scottish ones have gathered together
to take him down. He prepares to fight.

THE SCENE
[Macbeth castle at Dunsinane.
Enter Macbeth, Doctor, and Attendants]

Macbeth
Bring me no more reports; let them fly all.
Don’t bring me any more reports. Let all the thanes run from me.
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane,
I cannot taint with fear.
Until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane, I’ll be unaffected by fear.
What's the boy Malcolm?
Was he not born of woman?
What’s the boy Malcolm? Wasn’t he born from a woman?
The spirits that know
All mortal consequences have pronounced me thus:
'Fear not, Macbeth; no man that's born of woman
Shall e'er have power upon thee.'
The spirits that know the future have told me this: “Do not fear, Macbeth. No man born
from a woman will ever overpower you.”
Then fly, false thanes,
And mingle with the English epicures.
So run, disloyal thanes, and join the soft and self-indulgent English!
People who have a hedonistic lifestyle tend to be consumptive because
they seek satisfaction and enjoyment in their lives through the consumption of
products and services. They believe that having lots of things and
experiencing lots of pleasures is the way to achieve happiness

The mind I sway by, and the heart I bear,

Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.
My mind and heart will never waver with doubt or shake with fear.

[Enter a Servant]

The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon.

Where got'st thou that goose look?
May the devil turn you black, you pale-faced fool! Why do you look as frightened as a
goose?

Servant
There is ten thousand —
Macbeth
Geese, villain?

Servant
Soldiers, sir. The liver was thought to be the
seat of passions, and a liver
which is bloodless, white as a lily,
Macbeth is the liver of a coward

Go prick thy face and over-red thy fear,

Macbeth scornfully tells the boy to "prick" his face in order to make blood come and
cover his fear.
Thou lily-livered boy.
Go prick your cheeks so blood will hide their whiteness, you cowardly boy.
What soldiers, patch?
What soldiers, fool? Damn you!
Death of thy soul — those linen cheeks of thine
Are counsellors to fear. What soldiers, whey-face?
That pale face of yours will influence the others to be afraid as well. What soldiers, milk-
face?

Servant
The English force, so please you.

Macbeth
Take thy face hence.
[Exit Servant]
Seyton! — I am sick at heart
When I behold — Seyton, I say! —
Seyton! I’m sick at heart when I see—Seyton, come here!—
This push
Will cheer me ever, or dis-seat me now.
I have lived long enough.
This battle will either secure my place forever or knock me from my throne. I have lived
long enough.
My way of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;
The path of my life now leads me toward withering and death, like a yellowing leaf.
And that which should accompany old age,
As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have
And I cannot hope to have those things that should be a part of old age, like honor, love,
obedience, and loyal friends.
— but, in their stead:
Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor, breath
Instead, men curse me, quietly but with profound hate; people honor me with words but
not in their hearts.
Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.
... Seyton!
My heart would happily end my life, and yet does not dare to do it. Seyton!

He claims that the curses will be mouth-honor, which

is honoring that is not truly meant from the heart,
honoring that would be denied but some dare not for fear
of Macbeth. Macbeth has come to the end of his life.

[Enter Seyton, Macbeth's military assistant, who

helps him with his armor]

Seyton
What is your gracious pleasure?
Macbeth
What news more?

Seyton
All is confirmed, my lord, which was reported.

Macbeth
I'll fight till, from my bones, my flesh be hacked.
Give me my armor.
I’ll fight until they hack the flesh off my bones. Give me my armor.

Seyton
'Tis not needed yet.

Macbeth
I'll put it on.
Send out more horses; skirr the country round;
Hang those that talk of fear. Give me mine armor.
I’ll put it on anyway. Send out more cavalry. Search the entire country. Hang anyone
talking of fear. Give me my armor.
[Macbeth turns to the doctor]

How does your patient, doctor?

Doctor
Not so sick, my lord,
As she is troubled with thick-coming fancies
That keep her from her rest.
She is not physically sick, my lord. But she is troubled with constant visions that keep her
from sleeping.

Macbeth
Cure her of that.
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,
Cure her of that. Can’t you heal a diseased mind?
Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow,
Remove from her mind the memory of sorrow?
Raze out the written troubles of the brain,
And with some sweet oblivious antidote
Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
Which weighs upon the heart?
Eliminate the troubling thoughts from her brain, and use some sweet medicine to clean
her chest of that awful stuff that weighs upon her heart?

Doctor
Therein the patient
Must minister to himself.
For that kind of relief, the patient must heal herself.

Macbeth
Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it.
Medicine is for the dogs. I will have nothing to do with it.
Come, put mine armor on; give me my staff.
Seyton, send out.
[To SEYTON] Come, put on my armor. Give me my lance. Seyton, send out the soldiers.
Doctor, the thanes fly from me.
[To the DOCTOR] Doctor, the thanes run from me.

Come, sir, dispatch.

[To SEYTON] Come on, sir, hurry up.

If thou couldst, doctor, cast

The water of my land, find her disease,
And purge it to a sound and pristine health,
I would applaud thee to the very echo,
That should applaud again.
[To the DOCTOR] Doctor, if you could please examine my country's urine, diagnose what
ails it, and bring my country back to health, I will applaud you so loudly that you will hear it
echo back from the end of the world.

— Pull't off, I say. —

[To SEYTON] Pull it off, I tell you.

What rhubarb, cyme, or what purgative drug

Would scour these English hence?
Hear'st thou of them?
[To the DOCTOR] What drug would purge the English from this country? Have you heard
of any?

Doctor
Ay, my good lord; your royal preparation
Makes us hear something.
Yes, my good lord. Your war preparations sounds like such a drug.
Macbeth
Bring it after me.
I will not be afraid of death and bane
Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane.
[To SEYTON] Follow me with the armor. I will not be afraid of death and destruction until
Birnam Forest comes to Dunsinane.

Doctor
[Aside] Were I, from Dunsinane away and clear;
Profit again should hardly draw me here.
[To himself] If I were only far away and free from Dunsinane, no amount of money could
bring me back.

[Exit]