Macbeth act 1, scene 4 translation

 

Macbeth act 1, scene 4 translation

Here is a modern English translation of Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4, breaking down the dialogue and key actions.

Act 1, Scene 4 Translation

(A fanfare plays. KING DUNCAN, LENNOX, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, and ATTENDANTS enter.)

DUNCAN:
Has the execution of the former Thane of Cawdor been carried out? Haven't the commissioners in charge returned yet?

MALCOLM:
My lord, they aren't back yet. But I spoke with someone who saw him die. He reported that Cawdor confessed his treasons very openly, begged for your Highness's pardon, and expressed deep repentance. Nothing in his life became him like the way he left it. He died as if he had rehearsed how to throw away his most precious possession (his life) as if it were a worthless trifle.

DUNCAN:
There's no skill that lets you see what a man is thinking by looking at his face. He was a man I trusted absolutely.

(MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS enter.)

Ah, worthiest cousin! The guilt of my ingratitude was just weighing on me. You have done so much, so far ahead of me, that even the fastest wing of reward is too slow to catch up. I wish you had deserved less, so that my thanks and payment could have matched your deeds! All I can say is: I owe you more than everything I have.

MACBETH:
The service and loyalty I owe you is its own reward. Your Highness's role is to accept our duties. Our duties are, like children and servants to your throne and state, merely doing everything we should to safeguard your love and honor.

DUNCAN:
You are welcome here. I have begun to plant you [in honor and rank] and will work to make you grow to fullness. — Noble Banquo, you deserve no less and must be recognized for it. Let me embrace you and hold you to my heart.

BANQUO:
If I prosper there, the harvest is yours, my king.

DUNCAN:
My abundant joys, overflowing, seek to hide themselves in tears of happiness. — Sons, relatives, lords, and you who are closest to me, know this: I will establish my kingdom upon my eldest son, Malcolm, whom I now name the Prince of Cumberland. This honor must not be given to him alone; signs of nobility, like stars, will shine on all who deserve them. — Now, let us go to your castle at Inverness, Macbeth, to bind us closer to you.

MACBETH:
Any effort not spent in your service is wasted labor. I will ride ahead myself as the messenger and make my wife joyful with the news of your approach. So I humbly take my leave.

DUNCAN:
My worthy Cawdor.

MACBETH (to himself, an aside):
The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step I must either stumble over or leap past, because it blocks my path. Stars, hide your light! Don't let anyone see my dark and deep desires. Let the eye be blind to what the hand does, yet let that thing happen which the eye would be afraid to see when it's done.

(MACBETH exits.)

DUNCAN:
Truly, worthy Banquo. He is every bit as valiant as they say, and hearing him praised feeds me—it's a banquet! Let's follow him, since his care has gone ahead to prepare our welcome. He is a kinsman without equal.

(A fanfare plays. They all exit.)

Key Points in Plain English:

  1. Cawdor's Death: Malcolm reports that the executed traitor, the former Thane of Cawdor, died repentant and nobly. Duncan laments that you can't tell a man's character from his face, highlighting the play's theme of appearance vs. reality.
  2. Duncan's Praise: Duncan heaps excessive praise and gratitude on Macbeth, calling him "worthiest cousin" and saying he owes him more than he can ever repay. This makes Duncan's future murder feel even more horrific.
  3. Macbeth's Deception: Macbeth responds with perfect, humble loyalty, saying his service is its own reward. This is public hypocrisy, hiding his true thoughts.
  4. The Crucial Announcement: Duncan names his son, Malcolm, as his heir ("Prince of Cumberland"). This is a major obstacle to Macbeth's newfound ambition to be king, as the crown will now pass directly to Malcolm.
  5. Macbeth's Soliloquy (Aside):

o   He instantly sees Malcolm as a "step" he must "o'erleap."

o   He asks the stars to hide their light so no one can see his "black and deep desires"—his first clear admission of murderous intent.

o   The line "Let not light see my black and deep desires" is a turning point. Light symbolizes truth, goodness, and God's eye; darkness symbolizes evil and concealment.

o   The final couplet is a famous expression of his inner conflict: he wants to be blind to his own actions ("The eye wink at the hand"), but is already resolved to commit the deed he fears to see.

 

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