Knock Knock, Who’s There?

Macbeth Act Two, Scene Three

Here’s a knocking indeed! If a
man were porter of hell-gate, he should have
old turning the key.

Knocking withinKnock,
knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of
Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer, that hanged
himself on the expectation of plenty: come in
time; have napkins enow about you; here
you’ll sweat for’t.

Knocking withinKnock,
knock! Who’s there, in the other devil’s
name? Faith, here’s an equivocator, that could
swear in both the scales against either scale;
who committed treason enough for God’s sake,
yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come
in, equivocator.

Knocking withinKnock,
knock, knock! Who’s there? Faith, here’s an
English tailor come hither, for stealing out of
a French hose: come in, tailor; here you may
roast your goose.

Knocking withinKnock,
knock; never at quiet! What are you? But
this place is too cold for hell. I’ll devil-porter
it no further: I had thought to have let in
some of all professions that go the primrose
way to the everlasting bonfire.

Knocking withinAnon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.

[commentary contributed by Rosie Krantz and Guidenstern]

“Knock knock, who’s there?” More than likely, this was your introduction to the world of humor with an ambiguous set-up and a ‘pun’ishing punchline. And you can thank William Shakespeare for, if not inventing the knock knock joke, at least keeping it in the public consciousness for 400 years! 

The original joke in question comes from the Porter in the play Macbeth, a character who’s supposed to open the door when somebody knocks. This particular porter however is slightly inebriated and imagines himself to be the gatekeeper of Hell and wonders what sorts of persons he will admit to their fiery doom. He pictures a farmer, an equivocator, and a tailor before he finally opens the door for a slightly impatient Macduff. 

On this particular day, we want to focus on the second traveler through the underworld’s portal, The Equivocator. Who and what is an equivocator? Webster defines equivocator as a person who uses ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment. And this particular equivocator is believed to be Henry Garnet, a Catholic priest, who was hung, drawn and quartered for his role in the Gunpowder Plot of November 5th, 1605, one year before Macbeth was performed at the court of James l, the target of the failed plot.

According to the webpage Shakespeare’s Globe, “Allegedly, Garnet had heard confession from Robert Catesby, one of the plotters, which revealed his intention to kill the King, but obeyed the Seal of the Confessional by keeping it secret. Jesuits were particularly associated with equivocation, which is a way of avoiding the sin of lying by implying something untrue through ambiguous phrasing. Garnet’s defense of equivocation was extremely damaging in his trial, and the Porter’s light-hearted remarks seem to be playing on popular derision of the priest.”

So as we “Remember, remember, the fifth of November!” so let us also heed the final line of the porter before he admits Macduff into the castle and exits the scene and indeed the play,” Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.”

And also remember, as we celebrate the 400th anniversary of The First Folio, that if it were not for this remarkable book, we probably would never have heard of the play Macbeth or indeed seventeen other of Shakespeare’s plays! More on that when next we speak! Anon!