Yorick

Plays › The Tragedy of Macbeth › Siward

Siward

The Tragedy of Macbeth · 11 speeches across 4 scenes

Commander of English forces aiding Malcolm. Stoic, paternal warrior embodying righteous vengeance.

Who they are

Siward leads the English army with Malcolm against Macbeth's tyranny. His role is brief but pivotal, culminating in the battle where his son Young Siward dies. He displays unflinching resolve, accepting his son's death with stoic honor, underscoring the play's themes of fate and moral order.

Playing them

Speak with measured authority—clear, resolute, no bluster. Energy should be grounded and forward-moving. In the son's death scene, avoid sentimentality; show a warrior's grief through stillness and dignity. His clipped lines demand precision, not pathos.

Appearance

Armor befitting a seasoned campaign commander, practical and unadorned. Contrasts with Macbeth's ornate or black armor. Presence upright, weathered, commanding.

Worth knowing

Based on the historical Siward, Earl of Northumbria, who aided Malcolm III. Shakespeare condenses his role, highlighting the ideal of a Christian soldier-king's ally.

Where they appear

Play Siward

Take the part and Yorick reads every other role aloud, following you line by line as you speak.

Rehearse Macbeth on your phone: App Store · Google Play

Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud

These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.

It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it. Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech, scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.

The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and Android.