Macbeth [The Scottish Play] by William Shakespeare Project Gutenberg translation, adapted and abridged. Footnotes from Barnes & Noble translation. For the CCS Theatre production of Macbeth, October 29–31, 2021. Scene Breakdown ACT I I.1. An open place. First Witch, Second Witch, Third Witch I.2. A camp near Forres. Duncan, Malcolm, Captain, Donalbain, Lennox, Ross, Angus, [Attendants] I.3. A heath. First Witch, Second Witch, Third Witch, Macbeth, Banquo, Ross, Angus I.4. Forres. A room in the Palace. Duncan, Malcolm, Macbeth, Banquo, Donalbain, Lennox, Ross, Angus [Attendants] I.5. Inverness. A room in Macbeth’s Castle. Lady Macbeth, Messenger, Macbeth I.6. The same. Before the Castle. Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, Lennox, Macduff, Ross, Angus, Lady Macbeth, [Attendants] I.7. The same. A lobby in the Castle. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth. ACT II II.1. Inverness. Court within the Castle. Banquo, Fleance, Macbeth, [Servant] II.2. The same. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth II.3. The same. TRIMMED. Macduff, Lennox, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Malcolm, Donalbain II.4. The same. Without the Castle. TRIMMED. Ross, Macduff ACT III III.1. Forres. A Room in the Palace. Banquo, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Ross, Lennox, First Murderer, Second Murderer, Servant, [Attendants] III.2. The same. Another Room in the Palace. Lady Macbeth, Servant, Macbeth III.3. The same. A park or lawn, with a gate leading to the Palace. 1 First Murderer, Second Murderer, Third Murderer, Banquo, Fleance III.4. The same. A room of state in the Palace. Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, First Murderer, Banquo (Ghost), Lennox, Ross, Lords III.5. The heath. CUT FOR TIME. III.6. Forres. A room in the palace. CUT FOR TIME. ACT IV IV.1. A dark cave. In the middle, a Cauldron boiling. First Witch, Second Witch, Third Witch, Macbeth, First Apparition, Second Apparition, Third Apparition, [Eight Kings], [Banquo], Lennox IV.2. Fife. A room in Macduff’s castle. Lady Macduff, Ross, Son, Second Murderer, Messenger, [First/Third Murderer] IV.3. England. Before the King’s Palace. TRIMMED. Malcolm, Macduff, Ross ACT V V.1. Dunsinane. A room in the Castle. Doctor, Gentlewoman, Lady Macbeth V.2. The Country near Dunsinane. Meneith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, [Soldiers] V.3. Dunsinane. A room in the Castle. Macbeth, Servant, Seyton, Doctor V.4. Country near Dunsinane: a Wood in view. Malcolm, Macduff, Menieth, Caithness, Angus, Siward, [Ross], [Lennox], Soldiers V.5. Dunsinane. Within the castle. Macbeth, Seyton, Messenger, [Soldiers] V.6. The same. A plain before the Castle. CUT FOR TIME. V.7. The same. Another part of the plain. TRIMMED. Macduff, Siward, Malcolm V.8. The same. Another part of the field. Macbeth, Macduff, Malcolm, Siward, Ross, Thanes, Soldiers A Note on Stage Directions Aside: when a character is speaking aside, they are not talking directly to anyone in the scene. They are speaking directly to the audience, usually revealing their secret inner thoughts. Enter: any parties listed enter the scene. There is no secondary word for entrances. Exit: one person exits a scene. Exeunt: all people remaining onstage exit the scene. Hautboys: wooden double-reeded instruments, similar to a modern oboe. These are used between scenes (will be an SFX cue) Within: offstage. In Shakespeare’s day, they did not have offstage wings but they did have an indoor offstage area. 2 Characters MACBETH––Macbeth is a warrior who became the Thane of Cawdor and then Glanis before becoming King of Scotland. He kills King Duncan after three witches informed him he would become the king. After becoming king he hires murderers to kill Banquo and anyone else that get in the way of his regime. Maddened by his own ambition, Macbeth goes back to the witches and learns that “no man born of woman” can kill him and that he will not die until “Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane.” Macbeth is murdered by Macduff at the very end of the play. LADY MACBETH––Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife. She hears of her husband becoming Thane of Cawdor and the witches’ prophecy and suggests that he kill King Duncan in order to be king. She sees how this decision changes her husband, and she begins to go mad herself. Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking and tries to clean a spot of blood she believes is on her robe before dying of guilt offstage. KING DUNCAN––The King of Scotland who appointed Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor. Duncan has two sons (Donalbain and Malcolm) who outlive him. When visiting Macbeth’s castle with his sons, he is murdered by Macbeth. DONALBAIN––Prince of Scotland, son of Duncan. After his father’s murder, Donalbain flees to Ireland. May play the Doctor. MALCOLM––Prince of Cumberland (Scotland), son of Duncan. Malcolm is the direct heir to the Scottish throne. After his father’s murder, Malcolm flees to England. BANQUO––Banquo is a Scottish thane and a friend of Macbeth’s. His son, Fleance, is included in the witches’ prophecy as a future king of Scotland. After Macbeth becomes king, he hires a band of murderers to kill Banquo and his son and Banquo is successfully murdered. He reappears as a ghost at one of Macbeth’s feasts, driving him further into madness. FLEANCE––Banquo’s son. He flees when the murderers try to kill him and his father. May play Macduff’s Son. ROSS––A Scottish thane. ANGUS––A Scottish thane. CAITHNESS––A Scottish thane. May play the Captain/servant/lord. MENEITH––A Scottish Thane. May play servant/messenger/lord. MACDUFF––Thane of Fife. Macduff kills Macbeth at the end of the play because he is “not of woman born.” LADY MACDUFF––Macduff’s wife. She and all of Macduff’s children (we only hear from his son) are killed when Macbeth hires murderers to come to their home. May play a servant/ noblewoman. THREE WITCHES––“The Three Weird Sisters.” These witches predict great things that will happen to and for Macbeth as well as his eventual downfall. The performers playing the witches will, in the CCS Theatre production, also play the Murderers and warriors in Scotland’s army on Macbeth’s side. SIWARD––Siward is Earl of Northumberland. His son, called Young Siward, is a cut character who was killed by Macbeth. May play a servant/lord/soldier. SEYTON––An officer serving Macbeth. May play a servant/lord/soldier. HECATE––Hecate is the head witch or queen of the witches depending upon translation. Some historians speculate that Hecate was added in later productions and may not have been included in Shakespeare’s first productions of Macbeth. Hecate is a cut character in the CCS Theatre production of Macbeth, and scenes are trimmed or cut that included her. 3 About Shakespearean English The English used in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth may be a little difficult to understand at first glance. He wrote predominantly in iambic pentameter, which made lines sound more like music than regular conversation. In addition, Shakespeare used some words that we do not use in everyday life (such as “thy”, “thee”, “thou”, etc.). With some of these words, they will be defined as footnotes for the scene. But for some of the words and abbreviations that appear frequently in the script, they are explained below. Th’ “the” fac’d, compell’d, etc. “faced”, “compelled” these abbreviations just remove the “e” to help solidify iambic pentameter I’ “in” (sometimes seen as i’ th’) ’tis “it is” ‘twas “it was” alarum “alarm” (three syllables) or “symbol to arms” anon “soon” or “shortly” pr'ythee “pray thee” ‘t “it” (usually combined with other words) thy “your” thee “you”, singular object of a verb or preposition thou “you”, singular subject of a verb thane A man who held land granted by a king or leige military nobleman, typically ranked between freeman and hereditary nobleman. In Scotland specifically, he was often the chief of a clan. “kinsman”, generally a friendly term cousin “listen carefully” mark “lord” by your leave “with your permission” withal “with” wherefore “why” fie a reproachful explanation 4 ACT I Scene 1 An open place. Thunder and lightning. Enter three WITCHES. FIRST WITCH When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain? SECOND WITCH When the hurly-burly’s done, when the battle’s lost and won. THIRD WITCH That will be ere the set of sun. FIRST WITCH Where the place? SECOND WITCH Upon the heath. THIRD WITCH There to meet with Macbeth. FIRST WITCH I come, Graymalkin1! SECOND WITCH Paddock2 calls. THIRD WITCH Anon. ALL Fair is foul, and foul is fair: hover through the fog and filthy air. Exeunt. 1 common name for a domestic cat, referred to by witches as familiars. 2 a toad or frog, referred to by witches as familiars. 5 Scene 2 A camp near Forres. Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with ATTENDANTS, meeting a bleeding CAPTAIN. DUNCAN What bloody man is that? He can report, as seemeth by his plight3, of the revolt the newest state. MALCOLM This is the sergeant who, like a good and hardy soldier, fought ‘against my captivity–Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil4 as thou didst leave it. CAPTAIN Doubtful it stood; as two spent swimmers that do cling together and choke their art. The merciless Macdonald (worthy to be a rebel, for to that the multiplying villains of nature do swarm upon him) from the Wester Isles Of kerns and gallowglasses5 is supplied; and Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, show’d like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak; for brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like Valor’s minion, carved out his passage, till he fac’d the slave6; which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chops7, and fix’d his head upon our battlements.