Original: Macduff, this noble passion,
Modern: Macduff, this honorable anger,

Original: Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Modern: Born from your honesty, has completely removed from my heart

Original: Wiped the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts
Modern: All my dark doubts, and convinced my mind

Original: To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth
Modern: Of your goodness and honor. That devil Macbeth

Original: By many of these trains hath sought to win me
Modern: Has used many tricks like this to try to win me over

Original: Into his power, and modest wisdom plucks me
Modern: To his side, and careful wisdom pulls me back

Original: From over-credulous haste: but God above
Modern: From trusting too quickly: but may God above

Original: Deal between thee and me! for even now
Modern: Judge between you and me! because right now

Original: I put myself to thy direction, and
Modern: I place myself under your leadership, and

Original: Unspeak mine own detraction, here abjure
Modern: Take back all the bad things I said about myself, here I reject

Original: The taints and blames I laid upon myself,
Modern: The sins and faults I accused myself of having,

Original: For strangers to my nature. I am yet
Modern: Because they’re not part of who I really am. I am still

Original: Unknown to woman, never was forsworn,
Modern: A virgin, have never broken an oath,

Original: Scarcely have coveted what was mine own,
Modern: Have barely even wanted things that belonged to me,

Original: At no time broke my faith, would not betray
Modern: Have never broken my word, and wouldn’t betray

Original: The devil to his fellow and delight
Modern: Even the devil to another devil, and I take joy

Original: No less in truth than life: my first false speaking
Modern: In truth as much as in life itself: my first lie

Original: Was this upon myself: what I am truly,
Modern: Was what I just said about myself: who I really am

Original: Is thine and my poor country’s to command:
Modern: Is yours and our suffering country’s to use:

Original: Whither indeed, before thy here-approach,
Modern: In fact, before you came here,

Original: Old Siward, with ten thousand warlike men,
Modern: Old Siward, with ten thousand soldiers,

Original: Already at a point, was setting forth.
Modern: Already prepared for battle, was about to march out.

Original: Now we’ll together; and the chance of goodness
Modern: Now we’ll go together; and may our chances of success

Original: Be like our warranted quarrel!
Modern: Match our justified cause for war!

In Act IV, Scene iii of Macbeth, Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty and true intentions by falsely portraying himself as morally corrupt and unfit to rule Scotland. Malcolm claims he possesses excessive lust, greed, and other vices that would make him a worse king than Macbeth. Macduff initially tries to rationalize these flaws, suggesting that Scotland has enough willing women and wealth to satisfy Malcolm’s supposed appetites. However, when Malcolm declares he has no virtues whatsoever and would destroy all peace and unity in Scotland, Macduff finally despairs and laments that Scotland is doomed to suffer under tyranny forever.

Satisfied by Macduff’s genuine grief for Scotland, Malcolm reveals that his confession was false and that he was merely testing Macduff’s trustworthiness. Malcolm explains that he is actually virtuous and chaste, having never been with a woman or broken an oath. The two men reconcile, and Malcolm announces that ten thousand English soldiers led by Siward are ready to march against Macbeth. Ross then arrives with tragic news for Macduff: Macbeth has murdered his wife and children. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Macduff vows to personally confront Macbeth in battle, while Malcolm encourages him to channel his sorrow into the fight to reclaim Scotland from the tyrant’s rule.

Macbeth: Plot Summary

Macbeth, a Scottish general and Thane of Glamis, encounters three witches on a heath following a victorious battle against rebels and Norwegian invaders. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland, and that his companion Banquo’s descendants will inherit the throne. When King Duncan almost immediately grants Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth begins to contemplate the possibility of fulfilling the rest of the prophecy. Urged on by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan in his sleep while the king is a guest at their castle. Macbeth frames Duncan’s chamberlains for the murder, and Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee the country out of fear for their own lives, which causes them to fall under suspicion for their father’s death. Macbeth is crowned King of Scotland.

As king, Macbeth grows increasingly paranoid and ruthless. Troubled by the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings, he arranges for Banquo and his son Fleance to be murdered. Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes. At a royal banquet, Macbeth is visited by Banquo’s ghost, causing him to behave erratically in front of his assembled nobles. Lady Macbeth attempts to cover for her husband, but the dinner dissolves in confusion. Macbeth returns to the witches, who present him with new prophecies warning him to beware of Macduff, the Thane of Fife, but assuring him that no man born of woman can harm him, and that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood marches to Dunsinane Hill. Taking comfort in what seem to be impossible conditions, Macbeth orders the massacre of Macduff’s castle, killing his wife and children.

Macduff has traveled to England to join Malcolm, Duncan’s son, and together they raise an army against Macbeth. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth, tormented by guilt, descends into madness and ultimately dies, reportedly by her own hand. Malcolm’s army cuts down branches from Birnam Wood to use as camouflage as they march on Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinane, fulfilling one of the witches’ prophecies. In the ensuing battle, Macbeth encounters Macduff, who reveals that he was delivered by caesarean section and was therefore not, in the traditional sense, born of woman. Macduff kills Macbeth in combat. Malcolm is proclaimed the rightful King of Scotland and order is restored to the kingdom.