Rhyme Royale Sequence for Lady Macbeth
My husband lacks ambition; he is weak.
For who’d be Thane, when he could be a King?
I fear we may be ruined by his streak
of cowardice, which threatens everything.
But my resolve remains, unwavering;
my fervour and my mettle, burning still.
If he cannot perform the deed, I will.
For why should we not take another’s life,
if that same life is standing in our way?
I have the nerves, the heart; he has the knife,
and nothing is accomplished by delay.
I stay determined, I will not betray
myself with fruitless, futile thoughts of guilt.
I know, to kill a King, blood must be spilt.
To bring about the close of Duncan ’s reign
is more than we had dared to comprehend.
Yet, Man is merely visiting this plane,
and every mortal life must have its end.
And so, our aspirations all depend
upon Macbeth’s ability to keep
his head – and kill our Monarch in his sleep.
It’s fools who claim a King is God’s own choice,
a holy representative on Earth.
Does Man not have the will, volition, voice,
to rectify the accident of birth
and in so doing, multiply his worth?
Is every one of us marked with a brand?
May Man not re-negotiate his hand?
For is it such a sin that I should yearn
to change my fortune? Let the die be cast –
the Heavens shift, the world prepares to turn,
and any prick of conscience is soon past.
But sovereignty and power? These will last.
So, out, damn Duncan , out – to face your death.
Let Scotland greet its King: all hail, Macbeth
Sarah Doyle has been placed in several nation poetry competitions, including Poetry on the Lake (2008 and 2012), Cannon Poets’ Sonnet or Not and Ware Poets’ Open Poetry Competition. Publications include Poetry News, The Dawntreader, Unspoken Water, Dark Horizons and Orbis. She is Poet-in-Residence for the Pre-Raphaelite Society, and also performs as a jazz-poet.
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