Macbeth: Act 5, Scene 4 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 4 of Macbeth from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Drum and Colors. Enter Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, Siward’s son, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Soldiers, marching. MALCOLM Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe. MENTEITH We doubt it nothing. SIWARD What wood is this before us? MENTEITH The Wood of Birnam. 5	More people meet, specifically Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, and Ross. Does anyone have a mnemonic for that? (Here you go: My Silly Mother Makes Cakes And Lemon Ravioli.)
MALCOLM Let every soldier hew him down a bough And bear ’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host and make discovery Err in report of us. SOLDIER It shall be done. 10 SIWARD We learn no other but the confident tyrant Keeps still in Dunsinane and will endure Our setting down before ’t.	They hatch a plan: the soldiers will cut down branches to hide themselves under during the march to Dunsinane. Hm. That sounds a lot like the woods of Birnam are about to be on the move.
MALCOLM ’Tis his main hope; For, where there is advantage to be given, 15 Both more and less have given him the revolt, And none serve with him but constrainèd things Whose hearts are absent too. MACDUFF Let our just censures Attend the true event, and put we on 20 Industrious soldiership. SIWARD The time approaches That will with due decision make us know What we shall say we have and what we owe. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate, 25 But certain issue strokes must arbitrate; Towards which, advance the war. They exit marching.	Word is that many of Macbeth's men have deserted him, and it's clear that those still siding with Macbeth don't believe in the cause. Macduff says it's time for them to go fight like tough soldiers, and Siward agrees it's time for action. They won't really know what Macbeth has for numbers till they get there.