Credits to the original designer of the photo. It's brilliant.
As I had a late lunch, a plan began to brew. To speed things up, any translation I deem either too difficult or too minor will be given by me to my student. Plus some notes.I still want to explain in class but I will leave gaps in translation for him to figure out.
He's gotta try to understand Shakespeare's English sooner rather than later.
And I foresaw this taking up a lot of time (and it's so pivotal in the play), which is the beauty of ~ homework ~
This is the rest of scene 3. Very important turning point for somebody.
Your job is to try translating the lines I’ve left blank. I bolded one as an example
| Play | Translation | Some Notes | |||||||||||||||
MACBETHStay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of Glamis.But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives,A prosperous gentleman, and to be king75Stands not within the prospect of belief,No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence You owe this strange intelligence, or why Upon this blasted heath you stop our way With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you. WITCHES VANISH BANQUO 80The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them. Whither are they vanished? MACBETH Into the air, and what seemed corporal Melted, as breath into the wind. Would they had stayed. BANQUO Were such things here as we do speak about? 85Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? MACBETH Your children shall be kings. BANQUO You shall be king. MACBETH And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so? BANQUO To the selfsame tune and words. Who’s here? ENTER ROSS AND ANGUS ROSS 90The king hath happily received, Macbeth, The news of thy success, and when he reads Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, His wonders and his praises do contend Which should be thine or his. Silenced with that, 95In viewing o'er the rest o' the selfsame day, He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make, Strange images of death. As thick as tale Can post with post, and every one did bear 100Thy praises in his kingdom’s great defense, And poured them down before him ANGUS We are sent To give thee from our royal master thanks, Only to herald thee into his sight, Not pay thee. .ROSS 105And, for an earnest of a greater honor, He bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor: In which addition, hail, most worthy thane, For it is thine. BANQUO What, can the devil speak true? MACBETH The thane of Cawdor lives. Why do you dress me 110In borrowed robes? ANGUS Who was the thane lives yet, But under heavy judgment bears that life Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was combined With those of Norway, or did line the rebel With hidden help and vantage, or that with both 115He labored in his country’s wrack, I know not; But treasons capital, confessed and proved, Have overthrown him. MACBETH Glamis, and thane of Cawdor! The greatest is behind. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Thanks for your pains. 120( to BANQUO) Do you not hope your children shall be kings, When those that gave the thane of Cawdor to me Promised no less to them? BANQUO That, trusted home, Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, Besides the thane of Cawdor. But ’tis strange. 125And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s In deepest consequence. (to ROSS and ANGUS)Cousins, a word, I pray you. BANQUO, ROSS, ANDANGUS MOVE TO ONE SIDE MACBETH 130(aside) Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme. (toROSS and ANGUS) I thank you, gentlemen. (aside) This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, 135Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? I am thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, 140Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man That function is smothered in surmise, 145And nothing is but what is not. BANQUO Look how our partner’s rapt. MACBETH (aside) If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir. BANQUO New honors come upon him, 150Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mold But with the aid of use. MACBETH (aside) Come what come may, Time and the hour runs through the roughest day BANQUO Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure. MACBETH 155Give me your favor. My dull brain was wrought With things forgotten. Kind gentlemen, your pains Are registered where every day I turn The leaf to read them. Let us toward the king. (aside to BANQUO) Think upon what hath chanced, and, at more time, 160The interim having weighed it, let us speak Our free hearts each to other. BANQUO Very gladly. MACBETH Till then, enough. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Come, friends. EXEUNT | MACBETHWait! ____________________ I already know I am the thane of Glamis because I inherited the position when my father, Sinel, died. But how can you call me the thane of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor is alive, and he’s a rich and powerful man. ____________________Tell me where you learned these strange things, and why you stop us at this desolate place with this prophetic greeting? Speak, I command you. THE WITCHES VANISH.BANQUOThe earth has bubbles, just like the water, and these creatures must have come from a bubble in the earth. ___________________MACBETHInto thin air. Their bodies melted like breath in the wind. I wish they had stayed!BANQUO Were these things we’re talking about really here? Or are we both on drugs? MACBETH Your children will be kings. BANQUO You will be the king. MACBETH And thane of Cawdor too. Isn’t that what they said? BANQUO ____________________ ROSS AND ANGUS ENTER ROSS ___________________ Whenever he hears the story of your exploits in the fight against the rebels, he becomes so amazed it makes him speechless. ____________________ you fought the rebels you also fought against the army of Norway, and that you weren’t the least bit afraid of death, even as you killed everyone around you. Messenger after messenger delivered news of ______________ ANGUS The king sent us _________ and to bring you to him. Your real reward won’t come from us. ROSS And to give you a taste of what’s in store for you, he told me to call you the thane of Cawdor. So hail, thane of Cawdor! That title belongs to you now. BANQUO (shocked) Can the devil tell the truth? MACBETH The thane of Cawdor is still alive. ____________________ ANGUS _________________, but he’s been sentenced to death, and _______________. I don’t know whether he fought on Norway’s side, or if he secretly aided the rebels, or if he fought with both of our enemies. But his treason, which has been proven, and to which he’s confessed, means he’s finished. MACBETH (to himself) It’s just like they said—now I’m the thane of Glamis and the thane of Cawdor. And the best part of what they predicted is still to come. (to ROSS and ANGUS) __________________ (speaking so that only BANQUO can hear) ____________________ BANQUO __________________ you might be on your way to becoming king, as well as thane of Cawdor. _________________. The agents of evil often tell us _________ in order to lead us to our destruction. They earn our _________________, but then they betray us when it will damage us the most. (to ROSS andANGUS) Gentlemen, I’d like to have a word with you, please. ROSS, ANGUS, AND BANQUOMOVE TO ONE SIDE. MACBETH (to himself) So far the witches ___________________ (to ROSS and ANGUS)Thank you, gentlemen. (to himself) This supernatural temptation doesn’t seem like ____________________ If it’s a bad thing, why was I promised a promotion that turned out to be true? Now I’m the thane of Cawdor, just like they said I would be. But if this is a good thing, why do I find myself thinking about murdering King Duncan, ___________________? The dangers that actually threaten me here and now frighten me less than the horrible things I’m imagining. Even though it’s just a fantasy so far, the mere thought of ____________________. My ability to act is stifled by my thoughts and speculations, and the only things that matter to me are things that don’t really exist. BANQUO Look at Macbeth—he’s ____________________ MACBETH (to himself)______________, perhaps fate will just make it happen and I won’t have to do anything. BANQUO Macbeth is not used to his new titles. They’re like new clothes: they don’t fit until you break them in over time. MACBETH (to himself) One way or another,_____________. BANQUO Good Macbeth, we’re ready when you are. MACBETH I beg your pardon; __________________. Kind gentlemen, I won’t forget the trouble you’ve taken for me whenever I think of this day. Let’s go to the king. (speaking so that only BANQUO can hear) ____________________, _______________, let’s talk. BANQUO Absolutely. MACBETH Until then, we’ve said enough. (to ROSS and ANGUS) Let’s go, my friends. ________ | The earth hath bubbles ie | Like bubbles pop suddenly into thin air, so too do the three witches suddenly vanish. | Strange images of death | i.e., the contorted bodies of Macbeth's victims. | trusted home, ie completely trusted. | In deepest consequence, ie in matters of the greatest importance. unfix my hair, ie make my hair stand up in fright. Against the use of nature, ie unnaturally. Present fears i.e., immediate fears of being killed in battle. |
