Page 58 - Macbeth Modern Translation

This was a crisis and it would be solved one way or another. It made no
difference how it ended: he had lived too long. His career had turned into a
dry, withered scrap like a leaf about to fall. All the things that one should
enjoy in old age – honour, love, respect, friends -he wouldn’t have now.
Instead he’d have curses – perhaps not spoken aloud, but heartfelt – lip-
service – mere air -which he would rather do without.

‘Seyton!’

His ensign appeared. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘What’s the latest?’

‘They’re close.’

‘I’ll fight until my flesh has been hacked off my bones. Give me my armour.’

‘You don’t need it yet,’ said Seyton.

‘I want to put it on. Go and get it. Send more horses out. Search the
countryside: hang anyone who talks of defeat. And get my armour.’

Seyton left and Macbeth turned to the doctor. ‘How’s your patient, doctor?’

‘Not sick as much as troubled with incessant fantasies that stop her from
sleeping.’

‘Well cure her of that, then.’

The doctor shook his head.

‘Can’t you treat a sick mind? Remove a terrible experience from the
memory? Rub out the troubles printed on the mind and cover over the terror
of a guilty heart with some pain-killing drug?’

‘That’s something the patient must do himself.’

Macbeth stared at the doctor for a moment then he made a dismissive
gesture. ‘Throw medicine to the dogs! I don’t need it.’

Seyton came in, followed by two servants carrying Macbeth’s armour.

‘Come, put it on. Where’s my commander’s baton?’ He pointed at the
doctor. ‘Doctor, the thanes are fleeing from me.’ He turned back to Seyton.
‘Come on, hurry. If, Doctor, you could analyse a sample of my country’s
water and diagnose her disease, then bring it back to perfect health, I would
applaud you to the rafters and the echo of that would applaud again

He snarled at the servants: they had positioned one of the pieces incorrectly.
‘Pull it off: go on, pull it off. Doctor, what rhubarb or senna or other purgative
drug would purge these English.’

Page | 58