Macbeth and Signifying Nothing

In ACT V, SCENE V of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth and officer Seyton are discussing their plan of attack on Malcolm and Macduff's army when they hear the shriek of a woman coming from an adjacent room. Seyton leaves to investigates, and returns with dreadful news: Lady Macbeth has died. Macbeth responds:

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fool
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That 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."

These lines reflect Macbeth's viewpoints on the events of the play up until this scene. In this passage, Macbeth expresses despair at the realization that death is inevitable. The day "creeps" by at "a petty pace" and will continue to "tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow," and all the while you are being led on a "dusty" trail to death. Macbeth then seems to contradict himself by regarding life as "brief" and comparing it to the flicker of a candle which can be snuffed out at any moment. Macbeth seems to be saying that while death takes its time in reaching you, you always realize it is approaching either at a rapid or sluggish pace. This is Macbeth's way of coming to terms with the death of his queen, and, in some ways, himself. It is a momentary lapse of his ego during a period in the play where Macbeth believes he is invincible.

The second half of the extract deals with the importance of life. Macbeth feels that your existence is significant until your death, and then you are "heard no more." Life is "but a walking shadow," meaning that it is trivial, something that is overlooked, never to be thought about again. The last sentence paints a new shade on the course of the play. Life is full of "sound and fury" but in the end "signifies nothing." People feel so many emotions during their life, yet breath ends, so exactly what is the point? With these words, it's as if Macbeth is trying to justify his actions throughout the course of the play by saying that they mean nothing; the world in general is dishonorable and Macbeth was looking out for himself as best he could. He will pass on to the afterlife, and the world will forget.

Three scenes in Macbeth represent the concept that life is a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." In ACT I, SCENE V, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth informing her that he has become the thane of Cawdor. In the letter, Macbeth also details his meeting with the witches and the prophecies that came along with it. Lady Macbeth expresses her fear that, while Macbeth is determined, he is impaired by "the milk of human kindness." She decides to encourage Macbeth to go to any lengths necessary to fulfill the prophecies, and performs a speech in which she begs the spirits to release her from her womanliness and give her the qualities to do the deeds herself. Macbeth enters and declares that King Duncan is set to visit their castle. Lady Macbeth assures her husband that Duncan will not leave their household alive. Lady Macbeth is an example of a person who believes that actions mean nothing in the end. She is willing to go the distance morally to obtain her desired wish.

ACT II, SCENE II directly follows the murder of Duncan. The scene begins with Lady Macbeth boasting about her audacity. When she hears Macbeth scream from Duncan's chamber, she worries that he has been caught in the act. Relieved when Macbeth returns to her, his hands covered in blood, she is again thrown into a condition of distress when she realizes the daggers are still in Macbeth's hands. Macbeth refuses to return to the room where the ghastly deed was completed, so Lady Macbeth takes the murder weapons back to the chamberlains' room to frame them for the act. Once again, Lady Macbeth exhibits great ruthlessness in her proceedings. She prepares the knives herself before Macbeth takes over, and tries to sooth her husband, who is badly shaken after killing his king. But even her love for her husband does not stray Lady Macbeth from her plan; she chastises Macbeth for forgetting to leave the daggers, saying she would be ashamed if she was as gutless as Macbeth. Macbeth's guilt seems to get the better of him at the end of the scene. Lady Macbeth guarantees him that "a little water will clean them of this deed." This line sums up the idea presented in the passage from ACT V; their awful killing is not significant and should be erased from their conscious once the blood if off their hands.

Macbeth begins to acquire the attributes of his wife in ACT III, SCENE I. After briefly talking with Banquo, from whom a line of kings was prophesized, Macbeth calls Banquo the only individual he fears. Banquo is the reason Macbeth will not have a line of kings, and Macbeth realizes this. He frets that the murder of Duncan was all for not; Duncan's death may have allowed Banquo's sons to take the Scottish throne from Macbeth. Macbeth then meets with two men who he has hired. Reminding the two murderers of all the wrong-doings Banquo has committed in the past, they agree to take revenge against the general. Macbeth also commands the assassins to take care of Fleance, Banquo's son. At this point in Macbeth, the main character has come to a conclusion that once he has partook in one slaying, more of them will not create a deeper impression on his conscious. Macbeth has evolved into a monster, one that believes his dealings "signify nothing."

These three instances in Shakespeare's play show Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's desire and ambition taken to the "nth degree." Believing that their decisions would not matter once they reached death, they did anything and everything to achieve success. Their "sound and fury" were the murders, the lies and the crookedness. And in the end, as Macbeth expired thanks to Macduff, the "tale" signified nothing.

Works Cited

All passages taken from Macbeth by Shakespeare, the Norton Critical Edition.