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Macbeth

Act IV, Scene 2

Fife. Macduff's castle.
 
[Enter LADY MACDUFF, her Son, and ROSS]
 
LADY MACDUFF
        ,             ,         ,         ,          ,
      What had | he done,| to make | him fly | the land?
 
ROSS
            ,          ,         ,
      You must | have pa|tience mad|am.
 
LADY MACDUFF
                                        ,         ,
                                       He | had none:
             ,          ,          ,         ,      2    ,
      His flight | was mad|ness: when | our ac|tions do not,
            ,          ,         ,
      Our fears | do make | us trait|ors.
 
ROSS
                                           ,          ,
                                          You | know not
       ,            ,         ,        ,         ,
      Whether | it was | his wis|dom, or | his fear.
 
LADY MACDUFF
       ,            ,           ,         ,           ,
      Wisdom?| To leave | his wife,| to leave | his babes,
           ,         ,         ,       ,       ,
      His man|sion, and | his tit|les in | a place
              ,          ,          ,         ,         ,
      From whence | himself | does fly?| He loves | us not,
           ,          ,         ,                 ,    ,
      He wants | the na|tural touch.| for the / poor wren
             ,        ,    ,         ,            ,
      (The most | dimin|utive | of birds)| will fight,
            ,       ,             ,        ,          ,
      Her young | ones in | her nest,| against | the owl:
       ,             ,         ,        ,         ,
      All is | the fear,| and noth|ing is | the love;
          ,       ,        ,         ,           ,
      As lit|tle is | the wis|dom, where | the flight
           ,        ,          ,      2
      So runs | against | all reas|on.
 
ROSS
                                           ,        ,
                                       My dear|est coz,
          ,           ,           ,     ,     2        ,
      I pray | you school | yourself.| But for your | husband,
        2    ,        ,       ,                ,    ,
      He is nob|le, wise,| judi|cious, and / best knows
            ,      2       x         ,          ,           ,        ->
      The fits | of the season.| I dare | not speak | much furth|er,
       ,      ,      2        ,            ,        ,
      But | cruel are the | times, when | we are | traitors
           ,         ,          ,         2     ,     ,
      And do | not know | ourselves:| when we hold | rumor
             ,         ,          ,          ,         ,
      From what | we fear,| yet know | not what | we fear,
            ,       ,        ,         ,   2    ,
      But float | upon | a wild | and vi|olent sea
            ,          ,        ,         ,         ,
      Each^way,| and move.| I take | my leave | of you:
             ,         ,          ,         ,       ,
      Shall not | be long | but I'll | be here | again:
         ,     2        ,            ,           ,          ,
      Things at the | worst will | cease, or | else climb^|upward,
           ,           ,        ,         ,      ,      ->
      To what | they were | before.| My pret|ty cou||sin,
       ,       2  ,
      Bles|sing upon | you.
 
LADY MACDUFF
                              ,       2    ,
                             fath|ered he is.
      <-     ,           ,        ,  ->
        And yet || he's fath|erless.
 
ROSS
       2    ,     ,        ,             T   T   T       o ->
      I am so | much a | fool, should || I stay long|er
           ,         ,         ,           ,        ,       o ->
      It would | be my || disgrace,| and your | discom|fort,
          ,          ,          ,
      I take || my leave | at once.
 
[Exit]
 
LADY MACDUFF
                                     ,             ,          ,
                                    Sirrah,| your fath|er's dead,
            ,                ,  ,     ,               ,
      And what | will you / do now?| How will | you live?
 
SON
           ,         ,
      As birds | do moth|er.
 
LADY MACDUFF
                               ,           ,           ,
                             What | with worms,| and flies?
 
SON
             ,       ,        ,         ,        ,
      With what | I get | I mean,| and so | do they.
 
LADY MACDUFF
              ,              ,       ,         ,          ,
      Poor* bird,
Thou'dst nev|er fear | the net,| nor lime,
           ,    ,      2       ,
      The pit|fall, nor the | gin.
 
SON
                                           ,        ,
                                  Why | should I,| mother?
        T    T     T     ,         ,        oo
      Poor birds they | are not | set for:|
          ,     2    ,      ,         ,          ,
      My fath|er is not | dead for | all your | saying.
 
LADY MACDUFF
       ,     2       ,           ,          ,    2     ,
      Yes, he is | dead:
How | wilt thou | do for a | father?
 
SON
       ,              ,     ,          ,
      Nay how | will you | do for | a hus|band?
 
LADY MACDUFF
      <-  ,     ,        ,         ,   2     ,      ,
         Why || I can | buy me | twenty at | any | market.
 
SON
                   ,             ,      ,
      Then you'll buy | 'em to sell |again.
 
LADY MACDUFF
              ,            ,         ,
      Thou speakst | with all | thy wit,  (tri with prev)
           ,         ,           ,       ,           ,
      And yet | in faith | with wit | enough | for thee.
 
SON
         2    ,     2   ,         ,
      Was my fath|er a tra|itor, moth|er?
 
LADY MACDUFF
                                           ,        2    ,
                                          Aye,| that he was.
 
SON
        ,    2      ,
      What is a | traitor?
 
LADY MACDUFF
                                ,            ,           ,
                           Why one | that swears,| and lies.
 
SON
           ,    ,    ,                ,       oo
      And be | all trai/tors, that | do so.|
 
LADY MACDUFF
       ,       ,           ,        ,       ,
      Every | one that | does so,| is a | traitor,
            ,          ,
      And must | be hanged.  (match pattern of next)
 
SON
            ,          ,          ,            ,          ,
      And must | they all | be hanged,| that swear | and lie?
 
LADY MACDUFF
       ,      ___
      Every | one.   (match pattern of prev)
 
SON
       ,           ,
      Who must | hang them?
 
LADY MACDUFF
                             ,          ,       ___
                            Why, the | honest | men.
 
SON
Then the liars and swearers are fools: for there are liars and swearers enow, to beat the honest men, and hang up them.
 
LADY MACDUFF
       T   T    T      ,           ,
      Now God help | thee, poor*| monkey:
           ,      ,          ,    2     ,
      But how | wilt thou | do for a | father?   (tetrameter with prev)
 
SON
If he were dead, you'd weep for him: if you would not, it were a good sign, that I should quickly have a new father.
 
LADY MACDUFF
Poor prattler, how thou talkst?
 
[Enter a Messenger]
 
MESSENGER
        T    .    T    T       ,        ,         ,
      Bless you fair dame:| I am | not to | you known,
         ,     2         ,         ,      ,       ,
      Though in your | state of | honor,| I am | perfect;
          ,           ,        ,         ,           ,      ->
      I doubt | some dang|er does | approach | you near||ly.
       ,      2       ,        ,       ,         ,
      If | you will take | a home|ly man's | advice,
       ,         ,            ,                ,        ,
      Be not | found here:| hence with | your lit|tle ones
            ,           ,         ,      2    ,     ,
      To fright | you thus.| Methinks | I am too | savage:
          ,     ,         ,            ,   ,
      To do | worse to | you, were | fell cru/elty,
           2    ,      ,          ,          x         ,
      Which is too | nigh your | person.| Heaven pre|serve you,
          ,       ,        ,
      I dare | abide | no long|er.
 
[Exit]
 
LADY MACDUFF
                                    ,      3      3   ,
                                   Wheth|er should I fly?
       2       ,         ,        ,      ,       ,
      I have done | no harm.| But I | remem|ber now
         ,     2       ,        ,       ,             ,
      I am | in this earth|ly world:| where to | do harm
          ,      ,     ,      2     ,      ,
      Is of|ten lau|dable,| to do good | sometime
          ,       ,          ,       ,        2   ,
      Account|ed dang|erous fol|ly. Why | then (alas)
         ,        ,         ,     ,       ,
      Do I | put up | that wom|anly | defense,
          ,     2       ,         ,      ,     2         ,
      To say | I have done | no harm?
What are these | faces?
 
[Enter Murderers]
 
FIRST MURDERER
        ,              ,
      Where is | your hus|band?  \\
 
LADY MACDUFF
          ,     .  T   T    T       ,      ,
      I hope | in no place so | unsanc|tified,
              ,         ,            ,
      Where such | as thou | mayst find | him.
 
FIRST MURDERER
      <-  ,        ,       ->
        He's | a trai||tor.
 
SON
        ,      ,            T    T     Tx      oo
      Thou | liest thou | shag-eared villain.|
 
FIRST MURDERER
        ,         T     T    T         ,     ,
      What you | egg?
Young fry | of treach|ery?
 
[Stabbing him]
 
SON
       ,          ,         ,
      He has | killed me | mother,
       ,     ,        ,
      Run a|way I | pray you.  (tri with prev)
 
[Dies. Exit LADY MACDUFF, crying 'Murder!' Exeunt Murderers, following her]

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