Macbeth's Last Soliloquy Meaning

For Macbeth, the death of his wife represents the culmination of all other events in the play. Upon its announcement, he delivers a few lines which, although terse, could be connected to the play as a whole. His final soliloquy directly addresses a single event and character, yet the infamous tragic hero’s lines ultimately connect to the remainder of the play and encompass major themes.

Macbeth’s first few lines reflect regret of his ambitious drive towards the beginning of the play with the conclusion that life lacks meaning. When he and Lady Macbeth collude to kill Duncan, they do so with the goal of living out their lives together in great luxury and prosperity, and they use these aspirations to justify their bloody crusade. However, Macbeth expresses a much more pessimistic attitude with the notorious words, “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow/ Creeps in…” until reaching a “...dusty death…” (5.5.19-20, 23). Macbeth’s fantasies to live out his perceived immortal life with his wife at his side shatter with these lines. He finally grasps the idea that his unchecked ambition一arguably his fatal flawー led to his destruction. He expresses a Nihilistic viewpoint of

He compares life to an actor in a play with a minimal part who, even after performing his very best, simply struts off stage and is never heard from again. Ironic, for in reality, Macbeth describes himself: nothing more than a spurious character whose actions mean nothing. He then throws in that the play itself is comparable to “...a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing” (5.5.26-28). Once again, Macbeth’s nihilistic stance penetrates the reader, as he directly states that life has no meaning. He comes to the realization that, in essence, all his immoral actions were just as meaningless as his life, for if life lacks meaning, then so does its