Macbeth's Soliloquy Analysis

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Recommended: Shakespeare use of imagery

In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the character Macbeth experiences many awful things that mess his head up. He commits murder after murder to get to the throne but he is still at war with Macduff and time. In act five of the play, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, commits suicide off stage. After learning she is dead, he gives one of the most famous soliloquies in history. The tomorrow soliloquy, in Macbeth, discusses how life is like a candle, that no one remembers you when you die, and that everyone has a limited time to make a mark. To begin the soliloquy, Macbeth says how life is a brief candle and it can blow out at any moment. This line is quick and seems to not hold much meaning until one looks into it. Macbeth says this,“Out, …show more content…

Before the soliloquy ends, Macbeth creates the image of being ripped off a stage too soon. Macbeth shows his true feelings for life in this line,“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.”(5:5, lines 24-26). Macbeth basically says that everybody gets a chance to leave their mark on the stage of life, but in the end no one is listening to them. The image of someone trying their best to impress an audience on stage pops into mind, but he is suddenly ripped from the stage mid-performance and no one seems to care. Macbeth is one of the most interesting characters in Shakespeare’s stories, mainly because of his ability to make the audience feel things for a serial killer. The three messages in the tomorrow soliloquy makes one question the meaning of life and happiness. These messages were that no one will remember when you die, life is short like a candle, and that time is

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