This page contains the original text of Act 5, Scene 4 of Macbeth. Shakespeare’s complete original Macbeth text is extremely long, so we’ve split the text into one scene per page. All Acts and scenes are listed on the Macbeth text page, or linked to from the bottom of this page.
Act 5, Scene 4. Country near Birnam wood.
Drum and colours. Enter MALCOLM, SIWARD and YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and Soldiers, marching
MALCOLM
Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
That chambers will be safe.
MENTEITH
We doubt it nothing.
SIWARD
What wood is this before us?
MENTEITH
The wood of Birnam.
MALCOLM
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
It shall be done.
SIWARD
We learn no other but the confident tyrant
Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
Our setting down before ‘t.
MALCOLM
‘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
Let our just censures
Attend the true event, and put we on
Industrious soldiership.
SIWARD
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Read more scenes from Macbeth:
| Macbeth in modern English |
| |
Orignal Macbeth text |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 1 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 1 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 2 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 2 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 3 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 3 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 4 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 4 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 5 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 5 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 6 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 6 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 1, Scene 7 |
|
| |
|
| Modern Macbeth Act 2, Scene 1 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 2, Scene 1 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 2, Scene 2 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 2, Scene 2 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 2, Scene 3 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 2, Scene 3 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 2, Scene 4 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 2, Scene 4 |
|
| |
|
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 1 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 1 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 2 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 2 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 3 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 3 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 4 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 4 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 5 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 5 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 3, Scene 6 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 3, Scene 6 |
|
| |
|
| Modern Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 4, Scene 1 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 4, Scene 2 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 4, Scene 2 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 4, Scene 3 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 4, Scene 3 |
|
| |
|
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 1 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 1 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 2 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 2 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 3 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 3 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 4 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 4 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 5 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 5 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 6 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 6 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 7 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 7 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 8 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 8 |
| Modern Macbeth Act 5, Scene 9 |
| |
Macbeth text Act 5, Scene 9 |
Read all of Shakespeare’s plays translated to modern English >>
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!