Macbeth Film Adaptation
Menu
re-write
Act 5, Scene 7
Trumpets and the noise of battle. MACBETH enters.
Macbeth
I am trapped in this castle. I have to stay and fight, like a bear. Where is this man who wasn’t born from a woman? He is the only man I am afraid of.
YOUNG SIWARD enters.
Young Siward
Who are you?
Macbeth
You will become afraid after hearing it.
Young Siward
I wouldn’t even if you were the worst demon from hell.
Macbeth
I am Macbeth.
Young Siward
The devil himself couldn’t say a name I hate more.
Macbeth
No, and the devil’s name isn’t as frightening.
Young Siward
You are a liar and a disgusting tyrant. I will prove to you that I’m not scared with my sword.
They fight and YOUNG SIWARD is killed.
Macbeth
You were born from a woman, and so swords don’t frighten. I laugh at any weapon used by a man who was born from a woman.
MACBETH exits.
Trumpets and battle sounds. MACDUFF enters.
Macduff
The noise is coming from over there. Tyrant, show your face! If I don’t kill you and someone else does, then the ghosts of my wife and children will haunt me forever.I can’t be bothered to fight these lame soldiers, who only fight for money. I either fight you, Macbeth, or put down my sword unused. You must be over there. With all the noise, it sounds like one of the top men is being announced. I wish to find him! I ask for nothing more.
MACDUFF exits. More battle noises.
MALCOLM and OLD SIWARD enter.
Old Siward
Come this way, my lord. The castle has given up without a fight. Macbeth’s soldiers are fighting for both sides now. Our nobleman are fighting bravely. You are almost victorious, and there is not much left to do.
Malcolm
Our enemies are fighting as if they trying not to hurt us.
Old Siward
Sir, enter the castle.
They exit. Battle noises continue.
MACBETH enters.
Act 5 Scene 8
Macbeth
Why should I commit suicide like an ancient Roman? As long as my enemies are alive, I would rather see them wounded by my sword instead of me.
MACDUFF enters.
Macduff
Turn around, you dog from hell, turn around!
Macbeth
I have only been avoiding you. But you must go now. I am already guilty of killing your entire family.
Macduff
I have nothing to say to you. My sword will do the talking for me. You are too evil for words!
They fight.
Macbeth
You’re wasting your time trying to wound me. You might as well try to stab the air with your sword. Go fight with someone you can actually harm. I lead a charmed life, which can’t be ended by anyone born from a woman.
Macduff
You can forget about your charm. The evil spirit you serve can tell you I was not born of woman. They cut me out of my mother’s womb before she could give birth.
Macbeth
Curse you for telling me this. I am so frightened my courage is gone. I don’t believe those evil creatures anymore. They tricked me with their riddles, raising my hopes and then destroying them. I will not fight you.
Macduff
Then surrender, coward, and we’ll put you in a freak show, just like they do with deformed animals. We’ll put a picture of you on a sign, with the words “Come see the tyrant!”
Macbeth
I’m not going to surrender and have to kiss the ground in front of Malcolm, or be taunted by the common people. Even though Birnam Wood really did come to Dunsinane, and I’m fighting a man not born from a woman, I will fight to the end. I will put up my shield and battle you. Come on, let’s go at it, Macduff, and damn the first man who cries, ‘Stop! Enough!’
They exit fighting. Trumpets and battle noises. The trumpet of one army sounds a call to retreat. The other army’s trumpet sounds a call of victory. The victorious army enters, led by MACOLM, OLD SIWARD, ROSS, the other THANES, and soldiers, with a drummer and flag.
Malcolm
I wish everyone could have survived this battle.
Old Siward
In every battle, people will always be killed, but judging from the men I see around us, our great victory did not cost us very much.
Malcolm
Macduff is still missing, and so is your noble son.
Ross
My lord, your son has paid the price of being a solider: death. He only lived long enough to become a man, and as soon as he proved that he was a man by fighting like one, he died.
Old Siward
So he is dead?
Ross
Yes, and he has been carried off the field. Your grief should not be equal to his worth, because then your sorrow would never end.
Old Siward
Were his wounds on his front side?
Ross
Yes, on his front.
Old Siward
Well then, he is God’s soldier now! If I had as many sons as I have hairs on my head, I couldn’t hope that any of them would die more honorably than he did. And that’s all there is to it.
Malcolm
He is worth more mourning than that, and I will mourn for him.
Old Siward
He is worth no more than that. They tell me he died well, and settled his scores. With that, I hope God is with him! Here comes better news.
MACDUFF enters, carrying MACBETH’s head.
Macduff
Hail, king! Because that is what you are now. Look, here I have Macbeth’s cursed head. We are free from his tyranny. I see that the kingdom’s nobleman surround you, and they are thinking the same thing as me. I want them to join me in this loud cheer, Hail, King of Scotland!
All
Hail, King of Scotland!
Trumpets play.
Malcolm
It won’t be long before I reward each of you as you deserve. My thanes and kinsmen, I name you all earls, the first earls that Scotland has every had. We have a lot to do at the dawn of this new era. We must call home all of our exiled friends who fled from the grip of Macbeth’s tyranny, and we must bring to justice all the evil ministers of this dead murderer and his demon-like queen, who, rumor has it, committed suicide. This, and whatever else we are called to do by God, we will do at the right time and in the right place. So I thank you all, and I invite each and every one of you to come watch me be crowned king of Scotland at Scone.
Trumpets play. They all exit.
Trumpets and the noise of battle. MACBETH enters.
Macbeth
I am trapped in this castle. I have to stay and fight, like a bear. Where is this man who wasn’t born from a woman? He is the only man I am afraid of.
YOUNG SIWARD enters.
Young Siward
Who are you?
Macbeth
You will become afraid after hearing it.
Young Siward
I wouldn’t even if you were the worst demon from hell.
Macbeth
I am Macbeth.
Young Siward
The devil himself couldn’t say a name I hate more.
Macbeth
No, and the devil’s name isn’t as frightening.
Young Siward
You are a liar and a disgusting tyrant. I will prove to you that I’m not scared with my sword.
They fight and YOUNG SIWARD is killed.
Macbeth
You were born from a woman, and so swords don’t frighten. I laugh at any weapon used by a man who was born from a woman.
MACBETH exits.
Trumpets and battle sounds. MACDUFF enters.
Macduff
The noise is coming from over there. Tyrant, show your face! If I don’t kill you and someone else does, then the ghosts of my wife and children will haunt me forever.I can’t be bothered to fight these lame soldiers, who only fight for money. I either fight you, Macbeth, or put down my sword unused. You must be over there. With all the noise, it sounds like one of the top men is being announced. I wish to find him! I ask for nothing more.
MACDUFF exits. More battle noises.
MALCOLM and OLD SIWARD enter.
Old Siward
Come this way, my lord. The castle has given up without a fight. Macbeth’s soldiers are fighting for both sides now. Our nobleman are fighting bravely. You are almost victorious, and there is not much left to do.
Malcolm
Our enemies are fighting as if they trying not to hurt us.
Old Siward
Sir, enter the castle.
They exit. Battle noises continue.
MACBETH enters.
Act 5 Scene 8
Macbeth
Why should I commit suicide like an ancient Roman? As long as my enemies are alive, I would rather see them wounded by my sword instead of me.
MACDUFF enters.
Macduff
Turn around, you dog from hell, turn around!
Macbeth
I have only been avoiding you. But you must go now. I am already guilty of killing your entire family.
Macduff
I have nothing to say to you. My sword will do the talking for me. You are too evil for words!
They fight.
Macbeth
You’re wasting your time trying to wound me. You might as well try to stab the air with your sword. Go fight with someone you can actually harm. I lead a charmed life, which can’t be ended by anyone born from a woman.
Macduff
You can forget about your charm. The evil spirit you serve can tell you I was not born of woman. They cut me out of my mother’s womb before she could give birth.
Macbeth
Curse you for telling me this. I am so frightened my courage is gone. I don’t believe those evil creatures anymore. They tricked me with their riddles, raising my hopes and then destroying them. I will not fight you.
Macduff
Then surrender, coward, and we’ll put you in a freak show, just like they do with deformed animals. We’ll put a picture of you on a sign, with the words “Come see the tyrant!”
Macbeth
I’m not going to surrender and have to kiss the ground in front of Malcolm, or be taunted by the common people. Even though Birnam Wood really did come to Dunsinane, and I’m fighting a man not born from a woman, I will fight to the end. I will put up my shield and battle you. Come on, let’s go at it, Macduff, and damn the first man who cries, ‘Stop! Enough!’
They exit fighting. Trumpets and battle noises. The trumpet of one army sounds a call to retreat. The other army’s trumpet sounds a call of victory. The victorious army enters, led by MACOLM, OLD SIWARD, ROSS, the other THANES, and soldiers, with a drummer and flag.
Malcolm
I wish everyone could have survived this battle.
Old Siward
In every battle, people will always be killed, but judging from the men I see around us, our great victory did not cost us very much.
Malcolm
Macduff is still missing, and so is your noble son.
Ross
My lord, your son has paid the price of being a solider: death. He only lived long enough to become a man, and as soon as he proved that he was a man by fighting like one, he died.
Old Siward
So he is dead?
Ross
Yes, and he has been carried off the field. Your grief should not be equal to his worth, because then your sorrow would never end.
Old Siward
Were his wounds on his front side?
Ross
Yes, on his front.
Old Siward
Well then, he is God’s soldier now! If I had as many sons as I have hairs on my head, I couldn’t hope that any of them would die more honorably than he did. And that’s all there is to it.
Malcolm
He is worth more mourning than that, and I will mourn for him.
Old Siward
He is worth no more than that. They tell me he died well, and settled his scores. With that, I hope God is with him! Here comes better news.
MACDUFF enters, carrying MACBETH’s head.
Macduff
Hail, king! Because that is what you are now. Look, here I have Macbeth’s cursed head. We are free from his tyranny. I see that the kingdom’s nobleman surround you, and they are thinking the same thing as me. I want them to join me in this loud cheer, Hail, King of Scotland!
All
Hail, King of Scotland!
Trumpets play.
Malcolm
It won’t be long before I reward each of you as you deserve. My thanes and kinsmen, I name you all earls, the first earls that Scotland has every had. We have a lot to do at the dawn of this new era. We must call home all of our exiled friends who fled from the grip of Macbeth’s tyranny, and we must bring to justice all the evil ministers of this dead murderer and his demon-like queen, who, rumor has it, committed suicide. This, and whatever else we are called to do by God, we will do at the right time and in the right place. So I thank you all, and I invite each and every one of you to come watch me be crowned king of Scotland at Scone.
Trumpets play. They all exit.