for other plays in shortened form or scenes from Shakespeare, see:
King
Lear Act 1.
Hamlet
Act 1
Romeo
and Juliet Balcony scene.
Macbeth:
murder of Duncan
Richard
III Murder of Clarence
Richard
II Murder scene in prison.
MACBETH
In
the following murder scene from Macbeth there is an initial speech by
Macbeth alone. In this cut version it is 19 lines.
Twenty
lines for a student to learn is a realistic length . In the summer we have
found that competent students of 14 -16 years of age can learn in
relatively short time, parts of 40 lines. In a scene such as this, you
could give the initial soliloquy to one actor and then split the scene
between two sets of actors for the parts of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, so
that each pair would only have 20 lines each to learn. You could, as we
have done in the past have a "costume" that sufficiently
disguises the actors so that this sharing out of roles will be not so
apparent on the video that you might make of the performance.
Act II scene I
Macb. (to
servant)
Go
bid thy mistress, when my drink is ready,
She
strike upon the bell. Get thee to bed. (exit
servant)
Is
this a dagger that I see before me?
The
handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee:-
I
have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art
thou
not, fatal vision, sensible
To
feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A
dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding
from
the heat oppressed brain?
..............................I
see thee still;
And
on thy blade, and dudgeon, gouts of blood,
Which
was not so before-There’s no such thing
It
is the bloody business which informs
Thus
to mine eyes--Now o’er the one half world
Nature
seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The
curtained sleep........ (a bell rings)
............while
I threathreat he lives;
....I
go, and it is done: the bell invites me.
Hear
it not Duncan; for it is a knell
That
summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell.
19 lines
Act
II scene I
Richiedere; signora, padrona,
colpire; campana; = go
to bed
pugnale
maniglia;
afferrare
= Are you
vista
Provenire; calore; opprimere
lama, manico;
goccia (di sangue)
=
over
malvagio; abusare
curtain = tenda
minacciare
campana a morto
convocare
Scene
II. (enter lady Macbrth.
Lady
M. That
which hath made them drunk hath made me bold:
What
hath quenched them hath given me fire.-Hark!
Peace!
It
was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman,
Which
gives the stern’st goodnight. He is about it.
The
doors are open; and the surfeited grooms
Do
mock their charge with snores: I have drugged
their possets,
That
Death and Nature do contend about them,
Whether
they live or die.
Macb (within)
Who’s there?
Lady M. Alack!
I am afraid they have awak’d,
And
‘tis not done.......I laid the daggers ready;
He
could not miss ‘em.-Had he not resembled
My
father as he slept, I had done’t. My husband!
(enter Macbeth)
temerario
estinguere
stridere, gridare; campanaro
il piu' severo
sazio; stalliere
schernire; incarico; il russare; drogare;
bevanda calda
porre
evitare (di vedere); rassomigliare
=
would have done it.
Macb. I
have done the deed-Didst thou not hear a noise?
Lady M. I
heard the owl scream, and the crickets cry.
Did
not you speak?
Mac. When?
Lady M. Now.
Mac. As
I descended?
Lady M. Ay.
Macb. Hark!
Who
lies in the second chamber?
Lady M. Donalbain.
Macb. This
is a sorry sight.
Lady M. A
foolish thought to say a sorry sight.
Macb. There’s
one did laugh in’s sleep, and one cried,
"Murther!"
That
they did wake each other: I stood and heard them;
But
they did say their prayers, and address’d them
Again
to sleep.
Atto, gesto
gridare; gridare, piangere
triste
= murder
svegliare
= disporsi
Lady
M. There are two lodged together.
Macb. One
cried, God bless us!" and, "Amen" the other,
As
they had seen me with these hangman’s hands.
List’ning
their fear, I could not say, "Amen",
When
they did say, "God bless us".
Lady M. Consider
it not so deeply
Macb. But
wherefore could not I pronounce "Amen",
I
had most need of blessing, and "Amen"
Stuck in my throat.
Lady M. These
deeds must not be thought
After
these ways: so, it will make us mad.
Macb. Methought,
I heard a voice cry, "Sleep no more!
Macbeth
does murder sleep,"-the innocent sleep;
Sleep
that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care,
The
death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great Nature’s second
course,
Chief
nourisher in life’s feast;-
=
two people who sleep together
boia
profondamente
=
for what reason
benedizione
bloccarsi
=
I thought (mi parve)
= rammendare; stracciato; preoccupazione
infiammato; fatica
balsamo
to nourish = nutrire; festa
Lady M. What
do you mean?
Macb. Still
it cried, "Sleep no more!" to all the house;
‘Glamis
hath murdered Sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall
sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more!"
Lady M. ........Why
worthy Thane,
You
do unbend your strength, to think
So
brainsickly things. Go, get some water,
And
wash this filthy witness from your hand.
Why
did you bring these daggers from the place?
They
must lie there: go, carry them, and smear
The
sleepy grooms with blood.
Macb. I’ll
go no more:
I
am afraid to think what I have done;
Look
on’t it again I dare not.
Lady M. .Give
me the daggers. The sleeping, and the dead,
Are
but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood
That
fears a painted devil (exit. Knocking heard)
valoroso; pari, 'lord' (anglosassone)
=
to Weaken; forza
= da cervello malato, malaticcio
sporco; testimone
Spalmare
Stalliere
osare
soltanto
diavolo
Macb. Whence
is that knocking?
How
is’t with me, when every noise appals me?
What
hands are here? Ha! they pluck out mine eyes.
Will
all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean
from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The
multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making
the green one red.
(reenter
Lady M.)
Lady M. My
hands are of your colour; but I shame
To
wear a heart so white.(knocking) I hear a knocking
At
the south entry: retire we to our chamber.
A
little water clears us of this deed:
How
easy is it then!.......Be not lost
So
poorly in your thoughts.
Lady
Macbeth 39 lines.
Macbeth
36 lines
bussare
Terrorizzare
strappare, cavare
incarnatino; vermiglio
vergognarsi
ritirarsi
liberare, discolpare
King Lear Act 1.
Hamlet
Act 1
Romeo and Juliet Balcony scene. Macbeth:
murder of Duncan
Richard
III Murder of Clarence
Richard II Murder scene in prison
