The Misquoted Macbeth

Besides being one of the most quoted authors in the English language, Shakespeare is one of the most misquoted.  Usually these are small, nitpicky mistakes, like "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" for "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown".  But one of the most frequently misquotations of Shakespeare may be the most serious. 

In one of the last scenes of Macbeth, the title character says the words "Lay on, Macduff, And damned be him that first cries "Hold, enough!""  This line is better known today as "Lead on, Macduff."  This was the way I heard it and, in fact, learned it.  This would not have been a problem, except I thought that Macduff was actually supposed to lead them somewhere at that point in a play, as if they were lost in the woods and Macduff knew the way out.  I was further misled by the fact that this misquotation was often used to mean "lead on".  In fact, it actually begins a savage sword fight between Macbeth and Macduff, as I finally learned, to some embarresment.  The moral of the story is, don't trust everybody who quotes Shakespeare, and make sure you know the right quotation before you use it.  Small children are confused enough already; don't confuse them even more.

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