Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

A soliloquy from Act 5, scene 5

WRITE ALL RESPONSES ON A SHEET OF LOOSE-LEAF PAPER.

Perhaps the most memorable soliloquy of all in Macbeth occurs in Act 5, scene 5. Macbeth’s world is falling
apart. Malcolm and Macduff, with an army, are approaching Dunsinane. Lady Macbeth has just died, probably
by her own hand. Macbeth still wars the crown; he still believes he can conquer his enemies. Yet triumph no
longer tastes sweet upon his tongue. He muses:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, 1

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day 2
To the last syllable of recorded time, 3
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 4
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! 5
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player 6
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage 7
And then is heard no more: it is a tale 8
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, 9
Signifying nothing. 10

QUESTIONS: Answer 8 of the 9 following questions on a sheet of loose-leaf paper.

1. Read lines 1-3 slowly. How does the repetition of the word “tomorrow” reflect Macbeth’s feelings about his
present life?
2. (Line 3) What does “the last syllable of recorded time” mean? What will be Macbeth’s “last syllable”?
3. What do line 4 and the first half of line 5 mean?
4. (Line 5) “Out, out, brief candle!” is a sentence that interrupts, and at the same time focuses on Macbeth’s
thoughts. What is the “brief candle”? When does it go out? (Notice that the “brief candle” is a metaphor.)
5. (Lines 8-10) These lines are based on a second metaphor. What is it? What do the words “signifying nothing”
mean?
6. (Lines 8-10) Considering the metaphor, explain briefly what Macbeth is thinking.
7. Read the soliloquy again, preferably aloud. What conclusions has Macbeth reached about life in general?
8. From this brief ten-line soliloquy have come many book titles:

The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner) This Petty Pace (B. Pinkerton)
Told by an Idiot (Rose Macaulay) Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Philip Barry)
Brief Candle (Aldous Huxley) All Our Yesterdays (H.M. Tomlinson)
Walking Shadows (E.W. White) Dusty Death (C. Robbins)
A Poor Player (H. Child)

In your opinion, why have so many authors sufficiently identified with this passage to select a phrase from it
as the title of a book?
9. In one sentence, what is the meaning of these ten lines?

BONUS QUESTION: How does this meaning relate to other philosophies we have studied this year? (Hint:
Think Beowulf and Grendel)