In act
5, scene 5,is informed that his wife is dead before he fights his final battle againstand
.responds by saying that his wife would have died someday and that the unfortunate news was
bound to come. Macbeth then contemplates time by mentioning that days creep by until the end of
recorded history and each day that passes brings fools that much closer to death. Macbeth then
famously says,
"Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor
playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And
then is heard no more. It is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and
fury,Signifying nothing." (Shakespeare, 5.5.24-28)
Macbeth's perspective on life is melancholy and dark as he compares
life to a "walking shadow," meaning that life is empty and has no substance. He then
compares man to a "poor player," who struts on a stage and worries for an hour before
he is never heard from again. Macbeth'sportrays human existence as futile, trivial, and
transient. He goes on to compare a man's life to a "tale told by an idiot" that is
chaotic and meaningless. Essentially, Macbeth is expressing his dark view on life, which he
believes is futile, meaningless, and temporary. He has come to terms with his demise and has
nothing to look forward to before he participates in the final battle.
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