William Shakespeare: The Complete Works 2nd Edition

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5.1 Enter Poet and Painter

PAINTER As I took note of the place, it cannot be far where he abides.

POET What’s to be thought of him? Does the rumour hold for true that he’s so full of gold?

PAINTER Certain. Alcibiades reports it. Phrynia and Timandra had gold of him. He likewise enriched poor straggling soldiers with great quantity. ’Tis said he gave unto his steward a mighty sum.

POET Then this breaking of his has been but a try for his friends?

PAINTER Nothing else. You shall see him a palm in Athens again, and flourish with the highest. Therefore ’tis not amiss we tender our loves to him in this supposed distress of his. It will show honestly in us, and is very likely to load our purposes with what they travail for, if it be a just and true report that goes of his having.

POET What have you now to present unto him?

PAINTER Nothing at this time, but my visitation; only I will promise him an excellent piece.

POET I must serve him so too, tell him of an intent that’s coming toward him.

PAINTER Good as the best.

⌈Enter Timon from his cave, unobserved⌉

Promising is the very air o’th’ time; it opens the eyes of expectation. Performance is ever the duller for his act, and but in the plainer and simpler kind of people the deed of saying is quite out of use. To promise is most courtly and fashionable. Performance is a kind of will or testament which argues a great sickness in his judgement that makes it.

TIMON (aside) Excellent workman, thou canst not paint a man so bad as is thyself.

POET (to Painter) I am thinking what I shall say I have provided for him. It must be a personating of himself, a satire against the softness of prosperity, with a discovery of the infinite flatteries that follow youth and opulency.

TIMON (aside) Must thou needs stand for a villain in thine own work? Wilt thou whip thine own faults in other men? Do so; I have gold for thee.

POET (to Painter) Nay, let’s seek him. Then do we sin against our own estate When we may profit meet and come too late.

PAINTER True.

When the day serves, before black-cornered night,

Find what thou want’st by free and offered fight.

Come.

TIMON (aside)

I’ll meet you at the turn. What a god’s gold,

That he is worshipped in a baser temple

Than where swine feed!

‘Tis thou that rigg’st the barque and plough’st the foam,

Settlest admired reverence in a slave.

To thee be worship, and thy saints for aye

Be crowned with plagues, that thee alone obey.

Fit I meet them.

He comes forward to them

POET

Hail, worthy Timon!

PAINTER Our late noble master!

TIMON

Have I once lived to see two honest men?

POET

Sir, having often of your open bounty tasted,

Hearing you were retired, your friends fall’n off,

Whose thankless natures, O abhorred spirits,

Not all the whips of heaven are large enough—

What, to you,

Whose star-like nobleness gave life and infiuence

To their whole being! I am rapt, and cannot cover

The monstrous bulk of this ingratitude

With any size of words.

TIMON

Let it go naked; men may see’t the better.

You that are honest, by being what you are

Make them best seen and known.

PAINTER He and myself

Have travelled in the great show’r of your gifts,

And sweetly felt it.

TIMON Ay, you are honest men.

PAINTER

We are hither come to offer you our service.

TIMON

Most honest men. Why, how shall I requite you?

Can you eat roots and drink cold water? No.

POET and PAINTER

What we can do we’ll do to do you service.

TIMON

You’re honest men. You’ve heard that I have gold,

I am sure you have. Speak truth; you’re honest men.

PAINTER

So it is said, my noble lord, but therefor

Came not my friend nor I.

TIMON

Good honest men. (To Painter) Thou draw‘st a

counterfeit

Best in all Athens; thou’rt indeed the best;

Thou counterfeit’st most lively.

PAINTER

So so, my lord.

TIMON

E‘en so, sir, as I say. (To Poet) And for thy fiction,

Why, thy verse swells with stuff so fine and smooth

That thou art even natural in thine art.

But for all this, my honest-natured friends,

I must needs say you have a little fault.

Marry, ’tis not monstrous in you, neither wish I

You take much pains to mend.

POET and PAINTER

Beseech your honour

To make it known to us.

TIMON You’ll take it ill.

POET and PAINTER Most thankfully, my lord.

TIMON Will you indeed?

POET and PAINTER Doubt it not, worthy lord.

TIMON

There’s never a one of you but trusts a knave

That mightily deceives you.

POET and PAINTER Do we, my lord?

TIMON

Ay, and you hear him cog, see him dissemble,

Know his gross patchery, love him, feed him,

Keep in your bosom; yet remain assured

That he’s a made-up villain.

PAINTER I know none such, my lord.

POET Nor I.

TIMON

Look you, I love you well. I’ll give you gold,

Rid me these villains from your companies.

Hang them or stab them, drown them in a draught,

Confound them by some course, and come to me,

I’ll give you gold enough.

POET and PAINTER

Name them, my lord, let’s know them.

TIMON

You that way and you this—but two in company-

Each man apart, all single and alone,

Yet an arch-villain keeps him company.

⌈To Painter⌉ If where thou art two villains shall not be,

Come not near him. ⌈To Poet⌉ If thou wouldst not

reside

But where one villain is, then him abandon.

Hence; pack! ⌈Striking him⌉ There’s gold. You came

for gold, ye slaves.

⌈Striking Painter⌉ You have work for me; there’s

payment. Hence!

⌈Striking Poet⌉ You are an alchemist; make gold of that.

Out, rascal dogs! Exeunt ⌈Poet and Painter one way,

Timon into his cave⌉

5.2 Enter Flavius and two Senators

FLAVIUS

It is in vain that you would speak with Timon,

For he is set so only to himself

That nothing but himself which looks like man

Is friendly with him.

FIRST SENATOR

Bring us to his cave.

It is our part and promise to th’ Athenians

To speak with Timon.

SECOND SENATOR

At all times alike

Men are not still the same. ’Twas time and griefs

That framed him thus. Time with his fairer hand

Offering the fortunes of his former days,

The former man may make him. Bring us to him,

And chance it as it may.

FLAVIUS

Here is his cave.

(Calling) Peace and content be here! Lord Timon,

Timon,

Look out and speak to friends. Th’Athenians

By two of their most reverend senate greet thee.

Speak to them, noble Timon.

Enter Timon out of his cave

TIMON

Thou sun that comforts, burn! Speak and be hanged.

For each true word a blister, and each false

Be as a cantherizing to the root o’th’ tongue,

Consuming it with speaking.

FIRST SENATOR

Worthy Timon—

TIMON

Of none but such as you, and you of Timon.

FIRST SENATOR

The senators of Athens greet thee, Timon.

TIMON

I thank them, and would send them back the plague

Could I but catch it for them.

FIRST SENATOR

O, forget

What we are sorry for, ourselves in thee.

The senators with one consent of love

Entreat thee back to Athens, who have thought

On special dignities which vacant lie

For thy best use and wearing.

SECOND SENATOR

They confess

Toward thee forgetfulness too general-gross,

Which now the public body, which doth seldom

Play the recanter, feeling in itself

A lack of Timon’s aid, hath sense withal

Of it own fail, restraining aid to Timon;

And send forth us to make their sorrowed render,

Together with a recompense more fruitful

Than their offence can weigh down by the dram;

Ay, even such heaps and sums of love and wealth

As shall to thee blot out what wrongs were theirs,

And write in thee the figures of their love,

Ever to read them thine.

TIMON

You witch me in it,

Surprise me to the very brink of tears.

Lend me a fool’s heart and a woman’s eyes,

And I’ll beweep these comforts, worthy senators.

FIRST SENATOR

Therefore so please thee to return with us,

And of our Athens, thine and ours, to take

The captainship, thou shalt be met with thanks,

Allowed with absolute power, and thy good name

Live with authority. So soon we shall drive back

Of Alcibiades th’approaches wild,

Who, like a boar too savage, doth root up

His country’s peace.

SECOND SENATOR And shakes his threat’ning sword Against the walls of Athens.

FIRST SENATOR

Therefore, Timon—

TIMON

Well, sir, I will; therefore I will, sir, thus.

If Alcibiades kill my countrymen,

Let Alcibiades know this of Timon:

That Timon cares not. But if he sack fair Athens,

And take our goodly aged men by th’ beards,

Giving our holy virgins to the stain

Of contumelious, beastly, mad-brained war,

Then let him know, and tell him Timon speaks it

In pity of our aged and our youth,

I cannot choose but tell him that I care not;

And-let him take’t at worst—for their knives care

not

While you have throats to answer. For myself,

There’s not a whittle in th’ unruly camp

But I do prize it at my love before

The reverend’st throat in Athens. So I leave you

To the protection of the prosperous gods,

As thieves to keepers.

FLAVIUS (to Senators) Stay not; all’s in vain.

TIMON

Why, I was writing of my epitaph.

It will be seen tomorrow. My long sickness

Of health and living now begins to mend,

And nothing brings me all things. Go; live still.

Be Alcibiades your plague, you his,

And last so long enough.

FIRST SENATOR

We speak in vain.

TIMON

But yet I love my country, and am not

One that rejoices in the common wrack

As common bruit doth put it.

FIRST SENATOR

That’s well spoke.

TIMON

Commend me to my loving countrymen—

FIRST SENATOR

These words become your lips as they pass through

them.

SECOND SENATOR

And enter in our ears like great triumphers

In their applauding gates.

TIMON

Commend me to them,

And tell them that to ease them of their griefs,

Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, losses,

Their pangs of love, with other incident throes

That nature’s fragile vessel doth sustain

In life’s uncertain voyage, I will some kindness do them.

I’ll teach them to prevent wild Alcibiades’ wrath.

FIRST SENATOR (aside)

I like this well; he will return again.

TIMON

I have a tree which grows here in my close

That mine own use invites me to cut down,

And shortly must I fell it. Tell my friends,

Tell Athens, in the sequence of degree

From high to low throughout, that whoso please

To stop affliction, let him take his haste,

Come hither ere my tree hath felt the axe,

And hang himself. I pray you do my greeting.

FLAVIUS (to Senators)

Trouble him no further. Thus you still shall find him.

TIMON

Come not to me again, but say to Athens,

Timon hath made his everlasting mansion

Upon the beached verge of the salt flood,

Who once a day with his embossed froth

The turbulent surge shall cover. Thither come,

And let my gravestone be your oracle.

lips, let four words go by, and language end.

What is amiss, plague and infection mend.

Graves only be men’s works, and death their gain.

Sun, hide thy beams. Timon hath done his reign.

Exit ⌈into his cave⌉

FIRST SENATOR

His discontents are unremovably

Coupled to nature.

SECOND SENATOR

Our hope in him is dead. Let us return,

And strain what other means is left unto us

In our dear peril.

FIRST SENATOR

It requires swift foot.

Exeunt

5.3 Enter two other Senators, with a Messenger

⌈THIRD⌉ SENATOR

Thou hast painfully discovered. Are his files

As full as thy report?

MESSENGER

I have spoke the least.

Besides, his expedition promises

Present approach.

⌈FOURTH⌉ SENATOR

We stand much hazard if they bring not Timon.

MESSENGER

I met a courier, one mine ancient friend,

Whom, though in general part we were opposed,

Yet our old love made a particular force

And made us speak like friends. This man was riding

From Alcibiades to Timon’s cave

With letters of entreaty which imported

His fellowship i’th’ cause against your city,

In part for his sake moved.

Enter the other Senators

⌈THIRD⌉ SENATOR

Here come our brothers.

⌈FIRST⌉ SENATOR

No talk of Timon; nothing of him expect.

The enemy’s drum is heard, and fearful scouring

Doth choke the air with dust. In, and prepare.

Ours is the fall, I fear, our foe’s the snare. Exeunt

5.4 Enter a Soldier, in the woods, seeking Timon

SOLDIER

By all description, this should be the place.

Who’s here? Speak, ho! No answer?

⌈He discovers a gravestone⌉

What is this?

Dead, sure, and this his grave. What’s on this tomb

I cannot read. The character I’ll take with wax.

Our captain hath in every figure skill,

An aged interpreter, though young in days.

Before proud Athens he’s set down by this,

Whose fall the mark of his ambition is. Exit

5.5 Trumpets sound. Enter Alcibiades with his powers, before Athens

ALCIBIADES

Sound to this coward and lascivious town

Our terrible approach.

A parley sounds. The Senators appear upon the walls

Till now you have gone on and filled the time

With all licentious measure, making your wills

The scope of justice. Till now myself and such

As slept within the shadow of your power

Have wandered with our traversed arms, and breathed

Our sufferance vainly. Now the time is flush

When crouching marrow, in the bearer strong,

Cries of itself ‘No more’; now breathless wrong

Shall sit and pant in your great chairs of ease,

And pursy insolence shall break his wind

With fear and horrid flight.

FIRST SENATOR

Noble and young,

When thy first griefs were but a mere conceit,

Ere thou hadst power or we had cause of fear,

We sent to thee to give thy rages balm,

To wipe out our ingratitude with loves

Above their quantity.

SECOND SENATOR

So did we woo

Transformed Timon to our city’s love

By humble message and by promised means.

We were not all unkind, nor all deserve

The common stroke of war.

FIRST SENATOR

These walls of ours

Were not erected by their hands from whom

You have received your grief; nor are they such

That these great tow’rs, trophies, and schools should fall

For private faults in them.

SECOND SENATOR

Nor are they living

Who were the motives that you first went out.

Shame that they wanted cunning, in excess,

Hath broke their hearts. March, noble lord,

Into our city with thy banners spread.

By decimation and a tithed death,

If thy revenges hunger for that food

Which nature loathes, take thou the destined tenth,

And by the hazard of the spotted die

Let die the spotted.

FIRST SENATOR

All have not offended.

For those that were, it is not square to take,

On those that are, revenges. Crimes like lands

Are not inherited. Then, dear countryman,

Bring in thy ranks, but leave without thy rage.

Spare thy Athenian cradle and those kin

Which, in the bluster of thy wrath, must fall

With those that have offended. Like a shepherd

Approach the fold and cull th’infected forth,

But kill not all together.

SECOND SENATOR

What thou wilt,

Thou rather shalt enforce it with thy smile

Than hew to’t with thy sword.

FIRST SENATOR

Set but thy foot

Against our rampired gates and they shall ope,

So thou wilt send thy gentle heart before

To say thou’lt enter friendly.

SECOND SENATOR

Throw thy glove,

Or any token of thine honour else,

That thou wilt use the wars as thy redress,

And not as our confusion. All thy powers

Shall make their harbour in our town till we

Have sealed thy full desire.

ALCIBIADES ⌈throwing up a glove⌉

Then there’s my glove.

Descend, and open your uncharged ports.

Those enemies of Timon’s and mine own

Whom you yourselves shall set out for reproof

Fall, and no more; and to atone your fears

With my more noble meaning, not a man

Shall pass his quarter or offend the stream

Of regular justice in your city’s bounds

But shall be remedied to your public laws

At heaviest answer.

BOTH SENATORS ’Tis most nobly spoken.

ALCIBIADES Descend, and keep your words.

⌈Trumpets sound. Exeunt Senators from the walls.⌉

Enter Soldier, with a tablet of wax

SOLDIER

My noble general, Timon is dead,

Entombed upon the very hem o’th’ sea;

And on his gravestone this insculpture, which

With wax I brought away, whose soft impression

Interprets for my poor ignorance.

Alcibiades reads the epitaph

ALCIBIADES

‘Here lies a wretched corpse,

Of wretched soul bereft.

Seek not my name. A plague consume

You wicked caitiffs left!

Here lie I, Timon, who alive

All living men did hate.

Pass by and curse thy fill, but pass

And stay not here thy gait.’

These well express in thee thy latter spirits.

Though thou abhorred‘st in us our human griefs,

Scorned’st our brains’ flow and those our droplets which

From niggard nature fall, yet rich conceit

Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye

On thy low grave, on faults forgiven. Dead

Is noble Timon, of whose memory

Hereafter more.

⌈Enter Senators through the gates⌉

Bring me into your city,

And I will use the olive with my sword,

Make war breed peace, make peace stint war, make each

Prescribe to other as each other’s leech.

Let our drums strike.

⌈Drums.⌉ Exeunt ⌈through the gates⌉

MACBETH

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ADAPTED BY THOMAS MIDDLETON)

SHORTLY after James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne, in 1603, he gave his patronage to Shakespeare’s company; the Lord Chamberlain’s Men became the King’s Men, entering into a special relationship with their sovereign. Macbeth is the play of Shakespeare’s that most clearly reflects this relationship. James regarded the virtuous and noble Banquo, Macbeth’s comrade at the start of the action, as his direct ancestor; eight Stuart kings were said to have preceded James, just as, in the play, Banquo points to ‘a show of eight kings’ as his descendants (4.1.127.1-140); and in the play the English king (historically Edward the Confessor) is praised for the capacity, on which James also prided himself, to cure ’the king’s evil’ (scrofula). Macbeth is obviously a Jacobean play, composed probably in 1606.

But the first printed text, in the 1623 Folio, shows signs of having been adapted at a later date. It is exceptionally short by comparison with Shakespeare’s other tragedies; and it includes episodes which there is good reason to believe are not by Shakespeare. Most conspicuous are Act 3, Scene 5 and parts of Act 4, Scene I: 38.I-60 and 141-8.1. These episodes feature Hecate, who does not appear elsewhere in the play; they are composed largely in octosyllabic couplets in a style conspicuously different from the rest of the play; and they call for the performance of two songs that are found in The Witch, a play of uncertain date by Thomas Middleton. Probably Middleton himself adapted Shakespeare’s play some years after its first performance, adding these and more localized details, and cutting the play elsewhere. We do not attempt to excise passages most clearly written by Middleton, because the adapter’s hand almost certainly affected the text at other, less determinable points. The Folio text of Macbeth cites only the opening words of the songs; drawing on The Witch, we attempt a reconstruction of their staging in Macbeth.

Shakespeare took materials for his story from the account in Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicle of the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth (AD 1034-57). Occasionally (especially in the English episodes of Act 4, Scene 2) he closely followed Holinshed’s wording, but essentially the play’s structure is his own. He invented the framework of the three witches who tempted both Macbeth and Banquo with prophecies of greatness. His Macbeth is both more introspective and more intensely evil than the competent warrior-king portrayed by Holinshed; conversely, Shakespeare made Duncan, the king whom Macbeth murders, far more venerable and saintly. Some of the play’s features, notably the character of Lady Macbeth, originate in Holinshed’s account of the murder of an earlier Scottish king, Duff; he was killed in his castle at Forres by Donwald, who had been ‘set on’ by his wife.

Macbeth is an exciting story of witchcraft, murder, and retribution that can also be seen as a study in the philosophy and psychology of evil. The witches are not easily made credible in modern performances, and Shakespeare seems deliberately to have drained colour away from some parts of his composition in order to concentrate attention on Macbeth and his Lady. It is Macbeth’s neurotic self-absorption, his fear, his anger, and his despair, along with his wife’s steely determination, her invoking of the powers of evil, and her eventual revelation in sleep of her repressed humanity, that have given the play its long-proven power to fascinate readers and to challenge performers.

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY

KING DUNCAN of Scotland