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"in deed"
Wordplay
Act 3,
Scene 4
Lines 145-147

An explanation of the wordplay on “in deed” in Act 3, Scene 4 of myShakespeare’s Macbeth.

Macbeth

Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse
Is the initiate fear that wants hard use.
We are yet but young in deed.
[Exit]

The scene ends with a brief bit of wordplay. If you’re an audience member, without the text in front of you, “in deed” sounds like “indeed,” or certainly. But with the text, “indeed” could mean in practice, as in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are “young in deed” or inexperienced at murder.