Macbeth: Act 5, Scene 5 – Analysis
Act 5, Scene 5 – At a Glance
- Role: The psychological climax of the play, featuring the death of the Queen and the shattering of Macbeth's final illusions of invincibility.
- Key Characters: Macbeth, Seyton, and a Messenger.
- Key Themes: Fate, Guilt, and Ambition.
- Famous Quote:
"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day"
Scene Summary
Inside Dunsinane Castle, Macbeth boastfully prepares to withstand the approaching siege, confident in the strength of his fortress. Suddenly, the cry of women is heard from within. Macbeth reflects on his own emotional numbness, realising that he is no longer capable of feeling terror. Seyton returns with the news that the Queen is dead. Instead of expressing profound grief, Macbeth delivers a deeply nihilistic soliloquy, concluding that life is a meaningless illusion. His dark reverie is interrupted by a terrified messenger who reports the impossible: Birnam Wood appears to be moving towards the castle. Recognising that The Witches have deceived him with partial truths, Macbeth's confidence crumbles. Realising that starving inside the castle is no longer an option, he orders the alarm bell to be rung and resolves to die fighting in the open.
The Death of Fear and Humanity
Before he even learns of his wife's passing, Macbeth is forced to confront the horrifying extent of his own psychological decay. When he hears the women shrieking, he notes that in the past, such a sound would have chilled him to the bone. Now, it barely registers.
Original
I have almost forgot the taste of fears:
The time has been, my senses would have cool'd
To hear a night-shriek...
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
I have almost forgotten what fear tastes like;
There was a time when I would go all cold
When hearing shrieks at night...
His ambition and subsequent guilt have driven him to commit so many atrocities that he is completely desensitised to human suffering. He has "supp'd full with horrors," meaning he is so saturated with bloodshed that his capacity for empathy, fear, and sorrow has been entirely eradicated. The man who once hallucinated daggers out of moral dread is now an empty, unfeeling shell.
A Meaningless Existence
The news of Lady Macbeth's death prompts one of the most famous soliloquies in English literature. Her death severs his final connection to humanity. Rather than mourning the woman who was once his "dearest partner of greatness," he uses her passing to reflect on the absolute futility of existence.
Original
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
She would have died one day.
There’ll always be a day to hear that news.
He dismisses her death as an inconvenience, noting that it would have been more appropriate at a later, less frantic time. He then broadens his perspective, concluding that all of human history is merely a march toward "dusty death." By stripping life of all meaning, he unconsciously attempts to diminish the magnitude of his own crimes; if life signifies nothing, then his treasons and murders ultimately mean nothing as well.
The Equivocation of the Fiend
Macbeth's philosophical detachment is violently shattered by the arrival of the messenger. The report that the forest is moving physically dismantles the supernatural shield Macbeth has been hiding behind.
Original
I pull in resolution, and begin
To doubt the equivocation of the fiend
That lies like truth:
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
I’m cancelling my plan, for I am starting
To doubt the vagueness of the witches’ message
That twists the truth.
This is a moment of profound tragic recognition. He finally understands the theme of appearance versus reality as it applies to fate. The Witches did not lie, but they "paltered" with him, using ambiguous language to lead him into a deadly trap. Stripped of his illusions, he abandons his defensive strategy. His final command to "Ring the alarum-bell" signals his return to the only identity he has left: the violent, desperate warrior.
Language and Technique
- Repetition: The phrase "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow" perfectly mimics the slow, tedious, and inescapable march of time, emphasising the exhaustion and pointlessness of Macbeth's daily existence.
- Metaphor (Theatre): Describing life as a "poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage" creates a sense of profound artificiality. It suggests that human beings are merely performing meaningless roles written by a chaotic universe, ending in total silence.
- Metaphor (Light): "Out, out, brief candle!" compares the human soul and life span to a small, fragile flame that is easily and insignificantly extinguished.
Key Quotes
Quote 1
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time...
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Tomorrow or the next day or the next,
Each day creeps slowly by, from day to day
Until we reach the very end of time...
Quote Analysis: Macbeth envisions the future not as an opportunity for glory or redemption, but as an unbearable, monotonous burden. Having alienated everyone and secured a crown he cannot enjoy, the passage of time offers him nothing but a slow, meaningless crawl toward death.
Quote 2
Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more:
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Put out this candle!
Life’s just a mirage, where a lousy actor
Will strut and fret his time upon the stage,
But then is heard no more of.
Quote Analysis: The "brief candle" recalls Lady Macbeth's desperate need for a candle by her side in Act 5, Scene 1, symbolising the fragile nature of life and sanity. By reducing life to an overacting performer ("a poor player"), Macbeth dismisses all human emotion, ambition, and consequence as an empty illusion.
Quote 3
Ring the alarum-bell! Blow, wind! come, wrack!
At least we'll die with harness on our back.
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Ring the alarm! Blow, wind, and cause a rattle!
At least we’ll die armed, ready for the battle.
Quote Analysis: Realising he has been tricked and that death is imminent, Macbeth embraces the approaching storm ("wrack"). He chooses not to cower in his castle but to put his armour ("harness") on and die in combat, substituting his lost morality with a grim, fatalistic courage.
Key Takeaways
- The Cost of Tyranny: Macbeth’s ruthless pursuit of power has successfully secured his throne but destroyed his capacity to feel any human emotion, including grief for his wife.
- The Ultimate Nihilism: The "Tomorrow" soliloquy represents the absolute lowest point of Macbeth’s psychological arc, where he concludes that the universe is inherently devoid of meaning.
- The Trap of Prophecy: The moving of Birnam Wood demonstrates the danger of demonic equivocation, proving that evil forces use literal truths to construct fatal deceptions.
- The Return of the Warrior: Stripped of his supernatural guarantees, Macbeth reverts to his original nature—a soldier—resolving to meet his end with a sword in his hand rather than starving behind walls.
Study Questions and Analysis
Q1: Why does Macbeth say he has "almost forgot the taste of fears"? +
He has committed so many horrific acts of violence that his mind has become completely numb as a defence mechanism. The moral anxiety and terror that plagued him before murdering Duncan have been replaced by a hollow, unfeeling apathy.
Q2: How does Macbeth react to the news of his wife's death? +
He is frighteningly unemotional. He simply states, "She should have died hereafter," suggesting her death is an ill-timed inconvenience. He sheds no tears, using her passing instead as a springboard to complain about the tedious, meaningless nature of his own life.
Q3: What is the central message of the "Tomorrow" soliloquy? +
The central message is pure nihilism. Macbeth concludes that human existence is a brief, pointless performance ("a tale told by an idiot") that ultimately "signifies nothing." It is a profound expression of despair from a man who has lost his soul and found no reward in return.
Q4: How does the messenger's news affect Macbeth's strategy? +
Initially, Macbeth planned to stay safely inside his fortified castle and let the besieging army starve. However, when he hears the forest is moving, he panics. Believing the castle is no longer safe, he abruptly changes tactics and orders his men out into the open field to fight.
Q5: What does Macbeth mean by the "equivocation of the fiend"? +
He is referring to the Witches' deceptive use of language. They told him he was safe until Birnam Wood moved, leading him to believe he was invincible because forests cannot walk. He realises they used a literal truth (soldiers carrying branches) to mask a deadly reality.
Q6: Why does Macbeth say "I pull in resolution"? +
"Resolution" means confidence or courage. By "pulling it in," he admits that his arrogant certainty is collapsing. It is the moment his false sense of security breaks, replaced by the terrifying realisation that he is actually going to lose the war.
Q7: Does Macbeth demonstrate cowardice at the end of the scene? +
No. While he is initially terrified by the trickery of the Witches, he recovers his composure. He chooses to strap his armour on and meet the enemy head-on ("die with harness on our back"). He replaces hope with a grim, defiant courage, refusing to surrender quietly.
