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SCENE IV
Forres. The palace.

Flourish. ¹ Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, and Attendants.

DUNCAN
Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not
Those in commission yet return'd? ²

MALCOLM
My liege,
They are not yet come back. But I have spoke
With one that saw him die: who did report
That very frankly he confess'd his treasons,
Implored your highness' pardon and set forth
A deep repentance: nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it; he died
As one that had been studied in his death ³
To throw away the dearest thing he owed, ⁴
As 'twere a careless trifle.

DUNCAN
There's no art
To find the mind's construction in the face: ⁵
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.

Enter MACBETH, BANQUO, ROSS, and ANGUS

O worthiest cousin! ⁶
The sin of my ingratitude even now
Was heavy on me: thou art so far before
That swiftest wing of recompense is slow
To overtake thee. ⁷ Would thou hadst less deserved,
That the proportion both of thanks and payment
Might have been mine! only I have left to say,
More is thy due than more than all can pay.

MACBETH
The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness' part
Is to receive our duties; and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe toward your love and honour.

DUNCAN
Welcome hither:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
And hold thee to my heart. ⁸

BANQUO
There if I grow,
The harvest is your own.

DUNCAN
My plenteous joys,
Wanton in fulness, seek to hide themselves
In drops of sorrow. ⁹ Sons, kinsmen, thanes,
And you whose places are the nearest, know
We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; ¹⁰ which honour must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. ¹¹ From hence to Inverness, ¹²
And bind us further to you.

MACBETH
The rest is labour, which is not used for you:
I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach;
So humbly take my leave. ¹³

DUNCAN
My worthy Cawdor!

MACBETH
[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

Exit

DUNCAN
True, worthy Banquo; he is full so valiant,
And in his commendations I am fed;
It is a banquet to me. Let's after him,
Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome:
It is a peerless kinsman.

Flourish. Exeunt

FOOTNOTES

¹ fanfare of trumpets (reserved for the entrance of the king).
² Have those charged with the task of executing the sitting Thane of Cawdor returned yet?
³ by "studied" he means well prepared for his death, like an actor who has memorized every line
⁴ owed = owned
⁵ One cannot tell the true nature of a man just by looking at his face. Notice the dramatic irony of Duncan's words as he speaks of the traitorous Cawdor, just as the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth, walks in to greet him. This is ironic because Macbeth will become Duncan's ultimate betrayer.
⁶ King Duncan is Macbeth's cousin.
⁷ I wish you had deserved less, so that my inadequate payment would have been on par with your merits.
⁸ This metaphor for growth is similar to passages found in the Bible. Shakespeare emphasizes Duncan's status as a divinely appointed king throughout the play. Duncan's goodness is necessary to enhance Macbeth's feelings of guilt and remorse.
⁹ His unrestrained/gratuitous joy hides itself in joyful tears.
¹⁰ Duncan announces that his son, Malcolm, will become the Prince of Cumberland in Scotland - so Malcolm is now next in line to the throne.
¹¹ Duncan adds that Malcolm's higher title doesn't only adorn ('invest') Malcolm; other men who have served him well will also receive higher titles.
¹² Inverness was a town northwest of Edinburgh and of Macbeth's castle.
¹³ Macbeth says he will be the harbinger, i.e., the officer in charge of finding lodgings for a king. Note that Macbeth offers his own castle as Duncan's resting place for the night.

SUMMARY

At the king's palace, Duncan hears reports of the thane of Cawdor's execution from his son Malcolm. Malcolm says the thane died nobly, confessing and repenting his crimes. Macbeth and Banquo enter with Ross and Angus. Duncan thanks the two generals profusely for their heroism in the battle, and they profess their loyalty and gratitude toward Duncan. Duncan announces his intention to name Malcolm the heir to his throne - the Prince of Cumberland. Macbeth declares his joy but notes to himself that Malcolm now stands between him and the crown. Plans are made for Duncan to dine at Macbeth's castle that evening, and Macbeth leaves of the royal party to inform his wife of the king's arrival.