Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 2 runs 76 lines of dialogue, spoken by 5 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 85 lines. This scene is part of Act 1 of Macbeth.
Full Dialogue
Duncan ♂
What bloody man is that? He can report,
As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
Malcolm ♂
This is the sergeant
Who like a good and hardy soldier fought
'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
Who like a good and hardy soldier fought
'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
Sergeant ♂
Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald–
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him–from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name–
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald–
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him–from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name–
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
Duncan ♂
O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!
Sergeant ♂
As whence the sun 'gins his reflection
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come
Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had with valour arm'd
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men
Began a fresh assault.
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come
Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had with valour arm'd
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men
Began a fresh assault.
Duncan ♂
Dismay'd not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
Sergeant ♂
Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
Duncan ♂
So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;
They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.
Who comes here?
They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.
Who comes here?
Malcolm ♂
The worthy thane of Ross.
Lennox ♂
What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look
That seems to speak things strange.
That seems to speak things strange.
Ross ♂
God save the king!
Duncan ♂
Whence camest thou, worthy thane?
Ross ♂
From Fife, great king;
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold. Norway himself,
With terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.
Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us.
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold. Norway himself,
With terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.
Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us.
Duncan ♂
Great happiness!
Ross ♂
That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
Duncan ♂
No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive
Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
Ross ♂
I'll see it done.
Duncan ♂
What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.
76 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant | 35 | 46.1% |
| Ross | 18 | 23.7% |
| Duncan | 15 | 19.7% |
| Malcolm | 6 | 7.9% |
| Lennox | 2 | 2.6% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 35 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 15 lines.
Total speakers on stage
5 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 1
This is Scene 2 of 7 in Act 1 of Macbeth.
Scene length vs. play average
At 76 lines, this scene is shorter than the Macbeth average scene in Macbeth (~85 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 1 Scene 1 · Next: Act 1 Scene 3
About Act 1 Scene 2 of Macbeth
Who carries Act 1 Scene 2 of Macbeth?
Sergeant, with 35 lines — about 46% of the scene.
Is the scene a dialogue or a solo?
With 5 speakers and the lead holding 46% of the lines, this scene is a balanced multi-voice exchange.