Macbeth- Silioquy Analization Essay, Research Paper
The opposition of light and dark as symbols for life and
death is the foundation upon which much of Shakesphere?s
Macbeth is built. In Act V Scene V of Macbeth, strong
words covey all of these thoughts to the reader. The tone for
Macbeth?s speech is immediately set after hearing of the
death of Lady Macbeth. Having lost his queen, and seeing
his hopes turn to ashes, the bitter Macbeth now comments
on life in caustic words. ?Tomorrow creeps in this petty
pace.? The basic feel of this brings a negative connotation to
tomorrow. Iit keeps coming slowly and slyly as if to attack.
What exactly does this petty pace refer to? It is the
progression of life, as Macbeth now sees it. This negative
and dark imagery continues to grow because tomorrow is
unrelenting. ?[T]ommorow creeps…To the last syllable of
recorded time.? With these dreary remarks Macbeth
presents his hopeless outlook. He feels the only way to end
the pain of life is through death. ?And all our yesterdays have
lighted fools The way to dusty death.? What can be taken
from this is that from our earliest recollection, we are
constantly being guided forward from yesterday to our
death. If light is life, then the light just leads us to death.
When these lines are read together it enables the reader to
see the despair and agony Macbeth is now suffering. The
past is pushing him ahead and the future is creeping in on
him. He has nowhere in time or space to escape. Death is
the only place left to go. ?Out, out brief candle!? Lady
Macbeth?s candle has burnt out and soon his will also.
Although he talks here about life being light (the candle
flame), light is not desirable to him. He wants to extinguish it.
Macbeth is at the point in his life where he is now trapped
by his fate. The consequences of his actions have caught up
with him. This may very well be why he has such a dreary
outlook on life. Life is associated with light but Macbeth is at
a state where he sees no significance in having lived. ? Life?s
but a walking shadow.? Macbeth is saying here that one?s
life is dark and dreary, and that the light of life only serves to
cast a dark shadow . ? [A] poor player that struts and frets
his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more.? A
person lives his life like a bad actor. He only get one chance
on the stage, and he does a terrible job. ?Struts and Frets his
hour? says that everyone overdramatizes events. Life
according to Macbeth is like this and it ends…. ?Signifying
nothing.? We can easily distinguish between what is life and
what is death in the world of Macbeth through the
interpretation of light/dark imagery. Towards the end of this
play, however, it becomes difficult for me to relate to the
character because he presents ideas in the direct opposite of
what I generally associate with life and death. His feelings at
this dismal point are that life is pain and he presents life with
the imagery of darkness. The general connotation of death is
one of darkness and sorrow. However, he now views it as
an escape or an end to the darkness, possibly light. This
reversal of the light and dark imagery Shakesphere uses
causes me to have to stretch to relate to the character. By
reaching to try and relate to Macbeth?s agony, I see how
Darkness/Evil blinded Macbeth and when he was no longer
blinded, it was to late. The use of light and dark imagery
brings a heavy tone to this play. Although the traditional
values of light for life and dark for death are used by
Macbeth, as he starts to see that neither life nor death hold
any meaning for him, the light becomes darker ( a shadow)
and the opposition becomes weaker. His struggle for life
ends and he starts to see life and death as a single tone of
darkness. We feel his strong emotions, the heaviness of his
heart and his sense of despair as he expresses that
everything has lost it?s light. When the opposition The
opposition of light and dark as symbols for life and death is
the foundation upon which much of Shakesphere?s Macbeth
is built. In Act V Scene V of Macbeth, strong words covey
all of these thoughts to the reader. The tone for Macbeth?s
speech is immediately set after hearing of the death of Lady
Macbeth. Having lost his queen, and seeing his hopes turn to
ashes, the bitter Macbeth now comments on life in caustic
words. ?Tomorrow creeps in this petty pace.? The basic feel
of this brings a negative connotation to tomorrow. Iit keeps
coming slowly and slyly as if to attack. What exactly does
this petty pace refer to? It is the progression of life, as
Macbeth now sees it. This negative and dark imagery
continues to grow because tomorrow is unrelenting.
?[T]ommorow creeps…To the last syllable of recorded
time.? With these dreary remarks Macbeth presents his
hopeless outlook. He feels the only way to end the pain of
life is through death. ?And all our yesterdays have lighted
fools The way to dusty death.? What can be taken from this
is that from our earliest recollection, we are constantly being
guided forward from yesterday to our death. If light is life,
then the light just leads us to death. When these lines are
read together it enables the reader to see the despair and
agony Macbeth is now suffering. The past is pushing him
ahead and the future is creeping in on him. He has nowhere
in time or space to escape. Death is the only place left to go.
?Out, out brief candle!? Lady Macbeth?s candle has burnt
out and soon his will also. Although he talks here about life
being light (the candle flame), light is not desirable to him. He
wants to extinguish it. Macbeth is at the point in his life
where he is now trapped by his fate. The consequences of
his actions have caught up with him. This may very well be
why he has such a dreary outlook on life. Life is associated
with light but Macbeth is at a state where he sees no
significance in having lived. ? Life?s but a walking shadow.?
Macbeth is saying here that one?s life is dark and dreary,
and that the light of life only serves to cast a dark shadow . ?
[A] poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.? A person lives his life like a bad
actor. He only get one chance on the stage, and he does a
terrible job. ?Struts and Frets his hour? says that everyone
overdramatizes events. Life according to Macbeth is like this
and it ends…. ?Signifying nothing.? We can easily distinguish
between what is life and what is death in the world of
Macbeth through the interpretation of light/dark imagery.
Towards the end of this play, however, it becomes difficult
for me to relate to the character because he presents ideas in
the direct opposite of what I generally associate with life and
death. His feelings at this dismal point are that life is pain and
he presents life with the imagery of darkness. The general
connotation of death is one of darkness and sorrow.
However, he now views it as an escape or an end to the
darkness, possibly light. This reversal of the light and dark
imagery Shakesphere uses causes me to have to stretch to
relate to the character. By reaching to try and relate to
Macbeth?s agony, I see how Darkness/Evil blinded
Macbeth and when he was no longer blinded, it was to late.
The use of light and dark imagery brings a heavy tone to this
play. Although the traditional values of light for life and dark
for death are used by Macbeth, as he starts to see that
neither life nor death hold any meaning for him, the light
becomes darker ( a shadow) and the opposition becomes
weaker. His struggle for life ends and he starts to see life and
death as a single tone of darkness. We feel his strong
emotions, the heaviness of his heart and his sense of despair
as he expresses that everything has lost it?s light. When the
opposition