Skip to main content

Why did Macbeth think that time went so slowly?

In Act V, Scene 5, just after being informed that the Queen is dead, Macbeth speaks a famous soliloquy containing these lines:


Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrowCreeps in this petty pace from day to day


The word "creeps" and the words "petty pace" suggest that Macbeth thinks time is passing very slowly. But why does he perceive time in this way? The answer seems to be contained in the same soliloquy. A few lines...

In Act V, Scene 5, just after being informed that the Queen is dead, Macbeth speaks a famous soliloquy containing these lines:



Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day



The word "creeps" and the words "petty pace" suggest that Macbeth thinks time is passing very slowly. But why does he perceive time in this way? The answer seems to be contained in the same soliloquy. A few lines later Macbeth says:



Out, out, brief candle



Macbeth feels that life is meaningless. This explains why he feels that time is moving slowly. Day follows day in a seemingly endless succession--and yet the one day that is marked for his own death never seems to arrive. He looks into the future and sees nothing but tomorrows. He looks into the past and sees that these tomorrows have turned into yesterdays. He has nothing good to look forward to in the future, and nothing good to remember in the past. He envies his wife. She is at peace.


Why doesn't he just commit suicide if he feels so apathetic? No doubt he is afraid of what might happen to him in the afterlife. In an earlier soliloquy he indicates that he has sold his soul to the devil by murdering King Duncan, the man who trusted and loved him.



For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind,
Put rancors in the vessel of my peace
Only for them, and mine eternal jewel
Given to the common enemy of man.   III.1





Labels

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more