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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LDdyafsR7g

She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. 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. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing. — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5, lines 17-28)

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Explicit

Lady Macbeth dies
Macbeth knew it was coming
He knew she had to die eventually

“She should have died hereafter” (V,V,17)

Everyone is like an actor or actress

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player (V,V,25)

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Implicit

Macbeth thinks life is nothing more than an illusion. That life is like being an actor/actress.

“Life's but….a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” act 5 scene 5 lines 27-28

Macbeth thinks that everyone gets their moment on stage and then after that no one listens anymore and no one cares.
Life has no meaning

Life “is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” act 5 scene 5 lines 29-31

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Equivocation

Macbeth doesn't care that his wife died but it affects him in a negative way.

He knows that she was going to die eventually and isn’t surprised by it but he has given up on life and its meaning after she dies.

“She should have died hereafter” act 5 scene 5 line 20

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What is the purpose of the speech?

The purpose of this speech is to show how Macbeth thought that life had no meaning. He used this excuse as a way to cover up his guilt about killing Banquo. He also tried to hide the fact that he was really emotional about his wife’s death by saying that life had to meaning and that she would have died anyway.

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What message is Shakespeare trying to convey?

Taking the last words of the speech literally you can infer that Shakespeare is telling the audience that just like life, this play can be seen as signifying nothing.

“full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.” Act 5, Scene 5, line 30-31

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How does he convey that message? Why does he use equivocation to portray the message?

Shakespeare conveys this message using equivocation. He uses equivocation to explain the theme of how things are not always as they seem. As you read this speech it appears that Macbeth is not affected by his wifes death. He knew that she was bound to die at some point and that it didn't surprise him. However his whole entire view on life changed as a result of only hearing about his wife's death.