MACBETH by W. Shakespeare
Two Scottish generals, MACBETH, the Thane (šlechtic) of Glamis, and BANQUO, while riding
home after a victorious battle against an army of rebels, are met by three witches. Macbeth
asked who they were and what they wanted.The first witch cried out to him in
answer,“Welcome, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis! The second witch said,“Welcome, Macbeth, Thane
of Cawdor!“ And the third surprised him most of all when she hailed (pozdravit) him with the
following words:“Hail, Macbeth! That shall be king hereafter!“
Then the witches hailed Banquo saying mysterious words to him: „Lesser than Macbeth, and
greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Your children shall be kings though you shall not!“
Not long after this, two lords arrived from KING DUNCAN telling Macbeth that the king
congratulated him and had made him Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth was greatly surprised at
hearing these words as they coincided (shodovat se) with what he had just heard from the
mouths of the witches. The strange coincidence (shoda) between the witches´ prophecy
(proroctví) and its immediate (okamžitý) fulfilling set Macbeth wondering (být zvědav) if the
rest of what they had said would also come true. (uskutečnit se) Would Banquo´s children
become kings ? Would Macbeth become king ?
Macbeth´s wife, LADY MACBETH, was unusually ambitious and strong-willed (vůle) woman.
Knowing her husband to be a man of high principles, she made up her mind (rozhodnout se) to
influence him and to make him murder the king. While the king was a guest at their castle, she
prepared a murder. Macbeth promised her wife to commit (spáchat) the murder, but his mind
was not calm. He felt it was against his moral principles. Moreover (navíc) the King was his close
friend and blood relation. Besides he was his guest, and a host should always protect his guests.
But the temptation (pokušení) was too strong. When all the guests had gone to bed, Macbeth,
with the dagger (dýka) in his hand, crept through the darkness and killed Duncan with one blow.
(rána)
In the morning the murder was discovered by two of Duncan´s noblemen, (šlechtic)
MACDUFF and LENNOX. As soon as Macbeth was told of the murder, he went to the King´s
room and killed the two servants with their own knives pretending (předstírat) to perform
justice (vykonat spravedlnost) over the alleged (údajný) murderers of the King. But Duncan´s
two sons, MALCOLM and DONALBAIN, suspected (podezírat) Macbeth, for they did not think
it likely (pravděpodobný) that the King´s servants would have murdered their master. Being
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afraid that they might lose their lives too, they ran away, one to England and the other to
Ireland.
As Macbeth was the nearest relation to the dead King, he was proclaimed King at once. And
so the words of the witches came true once more. But he did not feel safe now that he was
King, he felt his position unsure. Most of all he was afraid of Banquo.
He arranged (uspořádat) for a dinner and invited were also Banquo and his son FLEANCE.
Macbeth, however, hired two assassins to murder them while they were returning to the castle.
They succeeded in killing the father but Fleance managed to escape to England. ( Later some of
his descendants (potomek) became Kings of Scotland and so the witches´ prophecy came true)
The feast (slavnost) started but Banquo and Fleance did not turn up. (objevit se) Suddenly
Macbeth jumped from his seat, shaking with fear (strach, bát se) for Banquo´s ghost appeared
before him. After some time the ghost disappeared and Macbeth, whose boldness (smělost)
returned, drank to the health of all his guests including Banquo, saying „To our dear friend
Banquo, whom we miss. We wish that he were here.“
Upon these words the ghost appeared again, and Macbeth was overcome (zmocnit se) with
fear, crying out in a loud voice for it to go away.
Macbeth was now ready to kill anyone who stood in his way. He feared very much what would
come next. Therefore he went to see the witches for the second time to ask the advice. They
warned him against Macduff, but nevertheless (nicméně) encouraged him to go on by telling him
that „none of woman born“ can harm (ublížit) him, and that no one will defeat him „till Birnam
forest come to Dunsinane“. These words brought great relief (úleva) to Macbeth. What he
heard made him believe that he need not be afraid of his enemies for no one had ever seen a
wood walk by itself.
As far as Macduff was concerned, (týkat se) Macbeth made up his mind to kill him. As
Macduff ran away to England to help in collecting an army to fight Macbeth , his wife and
children were murdered by order (rozkaz)of Macbeth. Many nobles began to hate Macbeth and
joined the army of Macduff and Malcolm which was being formed.
Macbeth and his wife lost peace of their minds. The Queen´s sleep was filled with terrible
dreams. Her servants found her walking about the castle in her sleep, talking strangely.
In the meantime (mezitím) Macbeth could not collect an army large enough to fight his
enemies. He knew that he had lost his people´s support. His mind was split. He did not care
much whether (zda) he lived or died; he just waited in his castle for his enemies to attack him.
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The Queen died and people said she had killed herself. Macbeth was now alone, he had not a
real friend left and his situation was desperate. (zoufalý)
Then a messenger came to him saying that he had seen Birnam wood move. Macbeth went out
to meet his enemies who were getting ready for an attack. Now he saw that the messenger was
right- the wood of Birnam was really moving towards the castle. Malcolm gave orders to cut
down branches of the trees and carry them forward in front of the marching troops, (vojenský
oddíl) so as to hide their real number. It was the movement of these branches in the distance
that made the messenger think that Birnam wood was moving.
Macbeth fought with all his strength and courage. He believed in the second ghost´s words,
i.e. that no one of ordinary human birth could kill him. Macduff, who wished to revenge the
murder of his wife and children, wanted to fight Macbeth himself. A fierce (nelítostný) fight
began. Macbeth laughed and shouted to Macduff that he was wasting his blows, for no man of
ordinary human birth could kill him. But he was greatly shocked when he heard Macduff´s
answer saying that he had not be born in an ordainary way but he had to be cut from his
mother´s womb. (děloha)
Hearing this, courage left Macbeth. He knew that it was no use (nemít smysl) fighting
against that man. In the fierce fight that followed, Macbeth was killed by Macduff. Malcolm
then becomes the King of Scotland.
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