Page 60 - Macbeth Modern Translation

Macbeth Modern Translation: Act 5, Scene 5

‘Hang our banners on the outer walls,’ said Macbeth.

Seyton snapped his fingers and the soldiers moved about the dark
battlements, hoisting the flags and banners.

‘They’re still coming,’ said Macbeth. ‘ Our fortifications will make a mockery
of any siege. Let them sit there until disease and famine destroys them. If they
hadn’t been reinforced by my people we’d have met them face to face
and pushed them back to England.’

A long mournful wail went up somewhere inside the castle.

‘What’s that noise?’ said Macbeth.

‘The cry of women, my Lord.’

Seyton went to find out why they were crying. Macbeth stared over the
battlements to the darkness in front of him. He had almost forgotten what
fear was like. There was a time when he would have shuddered to hear such
shrieks in the night and his scalp would have crawled as though it had life in
it. He had indulged in so much horror that nothing could disturb him any
more.

‘What was that about?’ said Macbeth when Seyton returned.

‘The Queen is dead my Lord.’

‘She should have died later. This isn’t the time.’

How the days stretched out – each one the same as the one before, and
they would continue to do so, tediously, until the end of history. And every
day we have lived has been the last day of some other fool’s life, each day a
dot of candle-light showing him the way to his death-bed. Blow the short
candle out: life was no more than a walking shadow – a poor actor – who
goes through all the emotions in one hour on the stage and then bows out. It

was a story told by an idiot, full of noise and passion, but meaningless.

It was getting light. A young soldier stood behind him, reluctant to deliver his
message.

‘Lost your tongue?’ said Macbeth. ‘ Come on. Out with it.’

‘My gracious Lord,’ said the soldier. ‘ I want to tell you what I think I saw but
don’t know how to say it.’

‘Well just say it.’

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