TEXT:
MACBETH
There’s one did laugh in’s sleep,
And one cried 'Murder!', that they did wake each other:
I stood and heard them: But they did say their prayers,
And addressed them Again to sleep.
LADY MACBETH
There are two lodged together.
MACBETH
One cried 'God bless us!' and 'Amen' the other;
As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands.
Listening their fear, I could not say 'Amen,'
When they did say 'God bless us!'
LADY MACBETH
Consider it not so deeply.
MACBETH
But wherefore could not I pronounce 'Amen'?
I had most need of blessing, and 'Amen'
Stuck in my throat.
LADY MACBETH
These deeds must not be thought
After these ways; so, it will make us mad.
MACBETH
Methought I heard a voice cry “Sleep no more!
Macbeth does murder sleep!”, the innocent sleep,
Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care,
The death of each day’s life, sore labour’s bath,
Balm of hurt minds, great nature’s second course,
Chief nourisher in life’s feast…
LADY MACBETH
What do you mean?
MACBETH
Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house:
'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor
Shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.'
NOTES:
Hangmen
Public execution was very much a part of life in Shakespeare’s London. On a walk through the city, even if you didn’t see an actual execution in process, you would probably see severed heads - or other body parts - on public display. The executioner’s job was a grim one. Those lucky enough to have their heads cut off were spared the agony of other forms; the most grisly death was to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The victim would be hanged until they were almost dead, then emasculated, and then have their midsection cut open and their entrails pulled out. (Hence “drawn” - they were quite literally drawn out of the body.) Thereafter they were decapitated and the body was cut into four pieces. It is quite the nastiest form of execution possible. While one might think that hanging would be a bloodless death, the full details of this form of execution - usually reserved for high treason - explain why Macbeth looks so horrified at the blood on his “hangman’s hands”.
Hercules Furens
“The Mad Hercules” - Hercules Furens - is a play by Seneca. At its conclusion, the title character comes to his senses after an outburst of madness in which he murders his wife and children. It is only when he sees the blood on his hands that he realises what he has done. Although tempted to commit suicide, he instead moves to atone for his crimes. The echo here in Macbeth is interesting, since by contrast Macbeth takes no steps towards remorse or redress for what he has done.
Prayer
A significant amount of resesarch has been emerging in recent years about the function of prayer in Shakespeare’s plays - whether in its depiction on stage, or in moments like this wherein a character panics at being unable to pray at all. (See also Claudius in Hamlet, when his “thoughts remain below”.)
Insomnia
This portion of the play contains some of Shakespeare’s most famous descriptions of sleep - and lack thereof. For a piece of literary curiosity - utterly fictitious, but entertaining! - you can check out the fanciful “Shakespeare’s Insomnia - and The Causes Thereof”. It’s an 1886 piece written by Franklin H. Head. It’s available in full here.
Sleep No More
Punchdrunk, an English theatre company specialising in extraordinary immersive theatre events, created a version of Macbeth called Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel in New York. It premiered in 2011 and, at time of writing, is still running - it is an immensely successful theatrical event.