© Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All rights reserved.NOTESAcquaint you with the perfect spy o’ th’ time,
The moment on ’t;^40 for ’t must be done tonight,
And something^41 from the palace: always thought^42
That I require a clearness:^43 and with him—
To leave no rubs^44 nor botches in the work—
Fleance his son, that keeps him company,
Whose absence is no less material to me
Than is his father’s, must embrace the fate
Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart:^45
I’ll come to you anon.
Murderers. We are resolved, my lord.
Macbeth. I’ll call upon you straight.^46 Abide within.
It is concluded: Banquo, thy soul’s flight.
If it find heaven, must find it out tonight.⌘ ⌘ ⌘Scene ii • The palace.
[Enter Lady Macbeth and a Servant.]
Lady Macbeth. Is Banquo gone from court?
Servant. Ay, madam, but returns again tonight.
Lady Macbeth. Say to the King, I would attend his leisure
For a few words.
Servant. Madam, I will.
Lady Macbeth. Nought’s had, all’s spent.
Where our desire is got without content:
’Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.
[Enter Macbeth.]
How now. my lord! Why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making,
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without all remedy
Should be without regard: what’s done is done.
Macbeth. We have scotched^1 the snake, not killed it:
She’ll close^2 and be herself, whilst our poor malice
Remains in danger of her former tooth.^3
But let the frame of things disjoint,^4 both the worlds^5 suffer,
Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep
In the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly: better be with the dead,
Whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace,
Than on the torture of the mind to lie130- the perfect... on ’t exact
information of the exact time. - something some distance.
- thought remembered.
- clearness freedom from
suspicion. - rubs flaws.
- Resolve yourselves apart Make
your own decision.
135140 46. straight immediately.510- scotched wounded.
- close heal.
- in... tooth in as much danger
as before. - frame of things disjoint
universe collapse. - both the worlds heaven and
earth.
malice (MAL ihs) n. desire to hurt
another person
1520CLOSE READ
ANNOTATE: Mark the rhyming
words in lines 4–7.
QUESTION: Why does
Shakespeare have Lady Macbeth
speak in rhyming verse rather
than in blank verse?
CONCLUDE: What is the effect of
the use of rhyme in this speech?The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act III 301LIT17_SE12_U03_A3_WC.indd 301 20/03/16 1:55 AMCLOSE READ
Remind students that Shakespeare’s dramas often
have a combination of blank verse and rhyme.
Each has its own special effect. You may wish
to model the Close Read using the following
think-aloud format. Possible responses to
questions on the student page are included. You
may also want to print copies of the Close-Read
Guide: Fiction for students to use.
ANNOTATE: I know that Shakespeare usually
uses rhymes to end a scene, but this question
only asks about particular words in Lady
Macbeth’s speech, beginning on line 4 in the
scene. As I read the four lines, I highlight the last
word in each.
QUESTION: I notice that the lines are couplets:
lines 4 and 5 rhyme, and lines 6 and 7 rhyme.CONCLUDE: I think Shakespeare used rhyme
here to show a turning point in Lady Macbeth’s
character. She was more or less in charge when
Duncan was killed, but now Macbeth is making
the decisions and things are beginning to go
wrong. She may be finding that she doesn’t want
to continue on a murderous path anymore.Whole-Class Learning 301
LIT17_TE12_U03_A3_WC.indd 301 4/9/16 12:17 PM