A porter hears knocking at the gate of Macbeth’s castle. It’s Macduff and Lennox, who have come to rouse Duncan. Macbeth arrives and tells them the king is still sleeping. Macduff heads off to wake the king, and promptly returns, screaming bloody murder. He wakes up the whole castle, including Lady Macbeth, who pretends to be shocked and horrified at the news. As planned, everyone suspects Duncan’s servants. Macbeth has gone to see the murder scene for himself, and when he comes back, he tells everyone that he’s killed the servants in a rather swift act of vengeance. Macduff is about to challenge Macbeth on his rash actions when Lady Macbeth fakes a fainting spell and distracts the men. Meanwhile, a horrified Malcolm and Donalbain make plans to flee Scotland. After all, if Duncan is dead, they’re in grave danger.
Porter
Here’s a lot of knocking. If a man were porter of the gate to Hell, he’d have a lot of key-turning to do.
Knock, knock, knock! Who is it, in the devil’s name? Oh, here’s a farmer who hoarded goods, and then hanged himself when the market fell. Come right in. Make sure you have enough handkerchiefs, you’re going to get sweaty in here.
Knock, knock! Who's there, in the other devil's name? By God, here’s a smooth talker, who could swear under oath to both sides of an argument at the same time. Although he committed treason for God’s sake, he couldn’t talk his way into heaven. Come on in, smooth talker.
Knock, knock, knock! Who's this? Well, here’s an English tailor sent to hell for skimping on fabric for some fancy clothes: come on in, tailor; it’s hot enough to hear your iron in here!
Knock, knock; it never stops! Who are you? But this place is too cold for Hell. I won’t be the devil’s porter any longer. I think I would have let in someone from just about every profession that takes the high road to Hell.
I’m coming, I’m coming! Please, remember a tip for the porter.
Macduff
Did you go to bed so late, friend, that you slept in till now?
Porter
Honestly, sir, we were partying until after the roosters started crowing in the morning. And drinking, sir, is known to bring about three things.
Macduff
What three things does drinking bring about?
Porter
Well, sir, a red nose, sleeping, and urine. But when it comes to sex, sir, it provokes and it unprovokes. It gives you the desire, but it takes away your ability to perform. Therefore, you might say that drinking deceives you about sex. It makes you want to do it, but it messes with you so that you can’t. It turns you on, and then it turns you off. It gets you excited, then it discourages you. It gets you hard, and then makes you soft again. In conclusion, it tricks you into sleep, and when it deceives you, it leaves you.
Macduff
I believe drinking did all of that to you last night.
Porter
Yes it did, sir, it had me by the throat with its lie, but I got back at it for that. And I think I was too strong for it, because even though it took my legs out from under me, I managed to toss it off.
Macduff
Is your master up yet?
Our knocking woke him up; here he comes.
Lennox
Good morning, noble sir.
Macbeth
Good morning to you both.
Macduff
Is the king up yet, worthy lord?
Macbeth
Not yet.
Macduff
He ordered me to wake him up early. I almost missed the time.
Macbeth
I'll bring you to him.
Macduff
I know you are glad to take this trouble, but still it’s trouble for you.
Macbeth
Any trouble that you enjoy cures the pains it causes. This is the door.
Macduff
I’ll be bold and go in to wake him, since it’s my job.
Lennox
Is the king leaving today?
Macbeth
He is. Well, that’s what he said he planned to do.
Lennox
Last night was crazy. Our chimneys were blown down at the place where we were sleeping. People are saying they heard wailing and strange, deathly screams, and terrifying voices predicting utter catastrophe and disorder to come. An owl hooted all night long. Some people say the earth shook, as if it had a fever.
Macbeth
It was a rough night.
Lennox
In my short memory, I can’t think of another night like it.
Macduff
Oh horror, horror, horror! There are no words to describe or even imagine what I’ve just seen!
Macbeth & Lennox
What's the matter?
Macduff
Destruction itself has created his best piece of work! A sacrilegious murderer has opened up the Lord’s temple and stolen the life within!
Macbeth
What did you just say? Its life?
Lennox
Do you mean His Majesty?
Macduff
Go in the bedroom. The scene will blind you, as if you looked upon Medusa. Don’t make me describe it. Look, and then you can speak for yourselves.
Wake up, wake up! Sound the alarm. Murder! Treason! Banquo and Donalbain! Malcolm! Wake up! Shake yourself out of sleep, which just looks like death, and look at death itself. Get up, get up, and see what doomsday looks like! Malcolm! Banquo! Get out of your grave-like beds like spirits of the dead will do on judgment day, so that you might witness this terrible sight. Ring the bell.
Lady Macbeth
What's going on? Why is such a hideous sound waking up everyone who’s asleep in this house? Tell me, speak.
Macduff
Oh gentle lady, what I have to say isn’t fit for your ears. Just saying it to a woman would kill her.
Oh Banquo, Banquo, our royal master has been murdered!
Lady Macbeth
Oh no! Oh God. Here, in our house?
Banquo
It would be horrible no matter where it happened. Dear Macduff, I beg you, tell us you were lying, tell us it isn’t true!
Macbeth
If I had died an hour before this happened, I would have lived in a golden age. Now, after this, life can have no meaning anymore. Everything is just a joke. Virtue and honor themselves have been wiped out. The wine of life is poured out, and only the dregs are left.
Donalbain
What’s the matter?
Macbeth
You are, and you don’t know it. The spring where your blood comes from has been stopped. The very source of it has stopped.
Macduff
Your royal father has been murdered.
Malcolm
What? By whom?
Lennox
It appears that the servants in his chamber did it. Their hands and faces were smeared with blood. So were their daggers, which we found on their pillows unwiped. They stared at us in confusion. No one's life should have been entrusted to them.
Macbeth
Oh, I regret that I killed them in my fury.
Macduff
What did you do that for?
Macbeth
Who on earth can be rational and bewildered, calm and furious, loyal and impartial, all at once? No man can do that! My love for the King inspired a violent rage that raced ahead of my reason. Duncan lay there, his royal blood covering his silver skin, and his gashes looked like holes in a castle wall, letting the enemy enter, allowing wasteful death to enter his body. And there were the murderers, dripping with the colors of their bloody profession, their daggers indecently covered with gore. How could anyone with a loving heart and the courage to act on it restrain himself from killing them?
Lady Macbeth
Help me, please!
Macduff
Someone take care of the lady!
Malcolm
[Aside to Donalbain] Why are we keeping quiet when we are his sons and have the most at stake here?
Donalbain
[Aside to Malcolm] What can we say here, where a similar fate could be lying in ambush, and might rush out at any moment and seize us? Let 's get away from here; this is not yet the time to mourn.
Malcolm
[Aside to Donalbain] Nor is it the time for us to take our revenge.
Banquo
Someone take care of the lady!
And once we’ve dressed, let’s meet and discuss this bloody crime further, to see what we can learn. We’re shaken now by fears and doubts. But I put myself in God’s hands, and with his help I’ll oppose the secret plot behind this treasonous murder.
Macduff
And so will I.
All
So will all of us.
Macbeth
Let’s dress and get ready quickly, and then all meet in the hall.
All
Sounds good.
Malcolm
What are you going to do? Let's not meet with them. Grief is an easy thing for liars to fake. I’ll go to England.
Donalbain
And I’ll go to Ireland. We’ll be safer if we are separated. Wherever we go, there will be daggers hiding behind men’s smiles. The more closely related we are to Duncan, the closer we are to being victims of murder.
Malcolm
The arrow of danger may have been shot, but it hasn’t hit us yet. The safest thing to do is get out of its way. So, let’s get our horses. No polite or formal good-byes, we’ll just leave immediately. We’re justified in stealing ourselves away since there’s no kindness left here.
