July 22, 1997

lay on, Macduff

In Neil Gaiman's BBC miniseries "Neverwhere," a character says, "Lead on, McDuff." Later on, another character says (and I paraphrase), "It's actually, 'Lay on, McDuff,' but I hadn't the heart to correct him." I've always seen or heard it as "Lead on, McDuff." Which is it? Why?

Which: "Lay on, Macduff." Why: because that's what Shakespeare wrote.

This catchphrase is a famous quote from the last scene of Macbeth, when Macbeth and his nemesis Macduff are in battle together. Macduff gives Macbeth the opportunity to yield, but Macbeth refuses, saying "I will not yield,/To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,/....I will try to the last. Before my body/I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff;/And damned be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'" (Macbeth V viii), immediately after which Macbeth is slain.

In this use, lay on means 'to attack'. Some other examples: "He came at us...and laid us on with a great quarter-staff" (John Vanbrugh, 1698); "I will lay on for Tusculum,/And lay thou on for Rome!" (Macaulay, 1843). This is not, granted, a terribly common use, and so the expression has been "corrected" to the more sensible-seeming lead on, Macduff! in the broad meaning 'let's go!' or the like. This alteration of famous quotes is common; another classic example is "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast," from William Congreve, often cited as "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast."

The lead on, Macduff variation is found at least as early as the 1910s.