SCENE 4: COUNTRY NEAR BIRNAM WOOD.

[Drum and colours. Enter MALCOLM, SIWARD and YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and Soldiers, marching]

MALCOLM

Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand

My countrymen, I hope it won’t be long

That chambers will be safe.

Till we’re safe in our bedrooms.

MENTEITH

We doubt it nothing.

We don’t doubt it.

SIWARD

What wood is this before us?

What wood is this in front of us?

MENTEITH

The wood of Birnam.

It’s Birnam.

MALCOLM

Let every soldier hew him down a bough

Have every soldier chop himself a branch down,

And bear't before him: thereby shall we shadow

And hold it out in front of him, disguising

The numbers of our host and make discovery

Our numbers so that their reconnaissance

Err in report of us.

Is wrong about us.

SOLDIERS

It shall be done.

We will get it done.

SIWARD

We learn no other but the confident tyrant

We don’t know much except the cocky tyrant

Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure

Is still in Dunsinane, set in his castle,

Our setting down before't.

Awaiting our attack.

MALCOLM

'Tis his main hope:

That is his best chance,

For where there is advantage to be given,

For, when there is an opportunity

Both more and less have given him the revolt,

To leave him, soldiers of all rank revolt,

And none serve with him but constrained things

And those that serve him now are forced to do so,

Whose hearts are absent too.

Although their hearts aren’t in it.

MACDUFF

Let our just censures

Hold off judging

Attend the true event, and put we on

Until we know the truth, and let’s prepare

Industrious soldiership.

To fight intensely.

SIWARD

The time approaches

Now, the time’s approaching

That will with due decision make us know

That we will come to know of what is true

What we shall say we have and what we owe.

By what we’ve won and what is left to do.

Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate,

The hopes we have are merely speculation,

But certain issue strokes must arbitrate:

But once we fight, there’s no negotiation.

Towards which advance the war.

So, let’s head off to war.

[Exeunt, marching]