"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing."
Macbeth, Act V Scene V Lines 24-28
There are many important and powerful lines throughout Macbeth, but none are quite as powerful as this, spoken by Macbeth during the concluding act of the play. The line by itself has a powerful and wonderful sense to it, but also carries great meaning for Macbeth and for the rest of the play. In this line, Macbeth is coldly referring to the death of his wife, and within it reveals a great amount of change within his own character.
It is important to realize how much this quote reveals about the state of Macbeth's mind in just a few short sentences. Throughout the play he endures a maelstrom of emotions, ranging from rage, nervous fear, guilt, shame, and regret, but by this point he has reached rock bottom. Just moments before finding Lady Macbeth's corpse, he even dwells upon the fact that he had almost forgotten what fear felt like! He has changed and devolved so much from the great and noble person he was to the point where he can no longer feel emotion. It can be said he is suffering from ennui or even severe depression. He has mentally and emotionally reached a point where he just doesn't care anymore, a point where he believes life and death are meaningless, rolling around and crashing into each other, purposeless and empty. It is in this state of mind where he faces the armies of Malcolm and Macduff, and in part lends him strength in the face of overwhelming odds, at least for a time. But in truth, this line means nothing more than the end of Macbeth; he has reached the very limit of his own sanity, and in breaking through his feelings of guilt and remorse, he has come out empty, a shell of his former self. All he can do at this point is fight, and ultimately, face death.
I also agree that this is a powerful quote in the play. I agree that Macbeth at this point has reached a point of no return where he doesnt give a care. I am curious where you got the photo and how it explains or relates to the post
ReplyDeleteOur group analyzed this line in the play and I think that this explains how Macbeth feels really well. It definately shows how he has changed, from doing anything to keep his throne to feeling that his life is now pointless, which seems ironic because he is now the most important person in Scotland, the king. He also sacrificed so many others for his own life, and yet now feels it was for nothing.
ReplyDelete@Tommy
ReplyDeleteThe picture is a painting I found just through google search, and it is titled "Ennui," which connects to a point I made in the post. Ennui is "a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom" (from Dictonary.com)
I agree with Joe. This is not just a powerful quote that concludes Macbeth's tragic end but it also reflects what he understands as life. It also reminds me of a particular quote; "...Life is a but a grace period..."
ReplyDeleteI agree that Joe summarizes Macbeths feelings in this moment, but I don't think he has completely given up the want to live. In the scene where he faces Macduff he still tries to fight him even though he knows it a pointless cause.
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