The Highland Tale; The King Act Three Scene Three Sub Act Four

 

O, MY PROPHETIC SOUL! 

ACT THREE

SCENE THREE

SUB ACT FOUR

 

“Ariel? Are you Ariel?” MacBeth called out. “Are you of Prospero’s.”

The King was recollecting the ancient tale of Tempest, where Ariel is the servant of Prospero.

“Take him away. Make haste.” Lady Elleanor felt the flashes of shame when the King was not in control himself. She looked at the gathered. They are all concerned and this sudden act of madness was unravelling the works of the King.

“Is he mad?” The murmurings of the gathered rippled and the King pushed the servants aside.

“Hey! What do you have to say? And what do I care? If you can nod, then speak. If the dead are going to return from their graves, then we might as well not bury anyone and let the birds eat them.” MacBeth recited the words that was from Tempest; a tale that he fancies.

“Banquo, you here. I can tell for we once studied the words from Shakespeare.” MacBeth was calling out. “Come out, Banquo. I will …... “

“Oh, utter nonsense! This is a hallucination brought on by fear.” Lennox held the King by his arms. “My King, you are drunk. Or in a hysteric state.”

“Who? Me?” The King looked at Lennox.

“Forgive me, my King I was out of line.” Lennox bowed to the King.

“No …... You are all ….” MacBeth pushed Lennox away, and was then held onto by the lady.

This panic attack cannot even be compared to real fear. It is more like a performance put on by a woman telling a scary story by the fireside in front of her grandmother.” Lady Elleanor addressed the gathered. She tried to take control of MacBeth’s raving then.

The gathered there stared at the lady. She felt anger at them, and lashed at them.

“Shame on you! Why are you making such faces? When the hallucination passes, you will see that you are looking at nothing but a stool.” Lady Elleanor cried out at the gathered. “Make your way out now.”

MacBeth was in his own realm then; his mind was only on the apparition he could only see. He then saw the gathered moving out.

“Please, look there. See? Look!” MacBeth appealed to those leaving. He then turned to look at the apparition.

“Hey! What do you have to say? Nothing?” MacBeth tried to get the apparition to speak.

“What do I care?” MacBeth was annoyed. “If you can nod, then speak. If the dead are going to return from their graves, then we might as well not bury anyone and let the birds eat them.”

It was then the apparition vanishes.

“What have you done?” Lady Elleanor could not hide her emotions to the King. “Has your foolishness destroyed your manhood?”

“As sure as I’m standing here, I saw him.” MacBeth ignored the lady and continued his ranting. “Where art thous, Banquo …...”

The King had assumed the apparition was the untold Banquo was dead.

“Nonsense! Shame on you!” Lady Elleanor cried out.

“In battles …... Oh, Banquo knew it well. In the battles, there are no fore humane laws’ only the urge to do the cleansing of the commonwealth and made it noble—much blood was shed.” MacBeth sighed. “Yes, and since then too, murders have been committed that are too terrible to mention.”

“It used to be that when you knocked a man’s brains out, he would die, and that was the end of it.” MacBeth held his hands over his head; protecting it from blows. “But now they rise again with twenty fatal wounds on their head and push us from our stools.”

“This returning from the dead is stranger than the original murder.” MacBeth called out. “We ……”

“My dear lord, your noble friends miss your company.” Lady Elleanor tried to calm the King.

“Do forget …… Do not muse at me. I hold a behaviour, my most noble friends. I have a strange condition, which no longer bothers those who know me well.”

“Give me a glass!” A glass of wine was handed by the servant. The King raised the glass of wine. Come: love and health to you all.”

The apparition re-appeared and stood next to the King’s seat.

“You returned. I will drink to the joy of all of you and …… all at the table. Everyone drinks to everyone else's health.”

“We drink to our allegiance to you, and to your toast.” The ones that had not left took the drink with the King..