REVISE – Life’s but a walking shadow

Match Macbeth's regrets to their meaning. Write the correct letters (A-C) in the gaps.

1 My senses would have cooled to hear a night shriek. ________
2 My fell of hair would at a dismal treatise rouse, and stir. ________
3 There would have been a time for such a word . ________

A Macbeth wishes he had had more time with his wife.
B Macbeth is no longer sensitive to fear and horror.
C Macbeth does not experience strong emotional and physical reactions anymore.

Complete the text with the words given. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.

In this famous speech, Macbeth expresses profound ________ with life. After a period in which he fought to achieve his greatest desire – the crown – through violence (Refer to the plot and note down his evil acts up to this moment.), he now sees life as ________. He compares it to a brief and insignificant performance, ultimately leading to ________. (Refer to STEP 4 to give examples of the imagery used to convey this idea.) This reflects the tragic hero's struggle: Macbeth, driven by ________, committed horrific acts, but ultimately found only despair and emptiness. However, even in this bitter assessment, there is a certain ________. Despite acknowledging life is meaninglessness, Macbeth continues to ________. This highlights the tragic hero's drive towards a single passion, even when faced with the devastating consequences of their ________. (Refer to the information on Macbeth given in section 3.21 of your textbook and reflect on the character's greatness.)

Match the imagery used by Macbeth in the monologue to its meaning. Write the correct letters  (A-E) in the gaps.

1 Creeps in this petty pace from day to day ________
2 Out, out, brief candle! ________
3 Life's but a walking shadow ________
4 a poor player, / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage ________
5 Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing ________

A This image presents life as a chaotic and meaningless story; it conveys despair and powerlessness.
B The metaphor compares human life to a brief and meaningless performance.
C This metaphor highlights the transitory nature of human existence by comparing it to a flame.
D This personifies time, giving it a sinister quality. The insignificance is also made evident with the use of an adjective.
E This metaphor portrays life as insubstantial and ephemeral, lacking substance or meaning.

Choose the correct alternative to paraphrase Macbeth's monologue.

Time ________, day after day, until the very end of time. All our past experiences have only led us, like fools, towards ________. Life is fleeting and insignificant, like a walking shadow or a brief candle ________. We are like actors on a stage, putting on a grand performance, only to be ________. Life is ultimately ________, a chaotic and noisy spectacle that amounts to nothing.     

Macbeth expresses several regrets in this passage. Practise transforming them using the third conditional and the words given in brackets.

1 My senses would have cooled to hear a night shriek. (if)
My senses would have cooled ________ a night shriek.
2 My fell of hair would at a dismal treatise rouse, and stir. (experienced)
________ a dismal treatise, my fell of hair would have roused, and stirred.
3  She should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word. (only)
________ died so soon there would have been a time for such a word.