: Our, out brief candle...signifying nothing. Refute By: Mei Tam, 4 th Period Out, out brief candle! Lifeʼs 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. (V v 249-255) " Macbeth utters these famous lines in Shakespeareʼs Macbeth just moments after learning of his wifeʼs suicide. Not only does it serve to show his callousness, but it serves to show just how far he has declined from the great thane that once loyally served King Duncan. This verbal manifestation of his thoughts perhaps explains his prior actions and murders; his blatant disdain for human life would give him the excuse for ending the lives of Duncan, Banquo, and the countless people in Macduffʼs household. " Within this quote, his implication that life is brief and vivacious, but summarily pointless is obvious in his declaration that life is like a candle that burns both quickly
and brightly before going out. This is further shown when Malcolm says, in reference to the Thane of Cawdor, Nothing in his life Became him like the leaving it. He died As one that had been studied in his death To throw away the dearest thing he owed As ʼtwere a careless trifle. (I iv 7-11) When Malcolm says this, he is speaking about the Thaneʼs death. His tone however, says more than his words, as the condescension in it echoes what has already previously been shown to be Macbethʼs view of life as unimportant and fleeting. A third character, the First Murderer, supports this growing theme when he declares:...i would set my life on any chance, To mend it or be rid on ʼt. (III i 116-117) " This careless disregard for life and human existence perhaps reflects Shakespeareʼs own beliefs as the lives of many in his works are both short and seemingly expendable; Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Brutus and Portia in
Julius Caesar, and Othello and Desdemona in Othello. Murder is a frequently recurring plot line in his plays, closely followed if not surpassed by suicide. " However, whatever Shakespeare himself believed, his very legacy proves his recurring theme untrue. " Known as simply the Great Bard by some, Shakespeare is considered one of the most influential writers of all time, by far one of the most famous. He lived only 52 years, by all counts a brief life in modern standards, yet his literary works have lasted nearly half a millennia. Shakespeare himself has disproved his own claim that life is void of meaning. " I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ʻWe hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equalʼ (Dave 1). " At the age of thirty-nine Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated as he prepared to lead a peace march against the conditions of city garbage workers. His life was far shorter than what is expected of a healthy man in modern society, yet the impact of the few short years he spent in the public eye revolutionized American society and continues to affect it even today. His efforts to erase segregation and the racism that had been the defining attribute of America since before the Civil War succeeded on an immeasurable and unprecedented scale. " King lived with as much sound and fury as Macbeth declared one should, but when he walked off the stage of life, the audience gave him a standing ovation rather than forgetting him. His I Have a Dream speech of 1963 has became one of the most
famous orations in the history of the world, certainly the highlighting point of the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950ʼs and 1960ʼs, and has earned him worldwide renown and admiration. " Belief that he could make a change that would last beyond his own generation was what drove him to become the most prominent leader of the Movement, one who led the peaceful change towards equality for all races and ethnicities in America that would otherwise have never occurred. " Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your own heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there, as long as you live, to make you happy again (Frank 1). " At the age of fifteen Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Lower Saxony in Germany. She was no more than a child when she fell victim to the Nazi anti-semitism genocide, just weeks before Bergen-Belsen was liberated. However, her name is famous far beyond the burned remains of the camp, known worldwide as the most prominent Jewish figure of the Holocaust. " Anne, born to a middle class family in Germany, had absolutely nothing to distinguish her from the rest of the world except her diary, Kitty. Through it, she detailed her and her familyʼs efforts to escape the Nazis in the Secret Annex and immortalized the underground effort to evade anti-semitism. Her story represents the six million Jews that perished during the Holocaust, and it ensures that we will never forget the horrors of Hitlerʼs genocide.
" In 1999, Anne was named one of Time Magazineʼs most influential people of the century. In 2007, her story was included in the Canon of Dutch History to be taught to primary and secondary school students across the Netherlands. In 2011, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam received over one million visitors. Anneʼs legacy has survived far beyond her lifespan, proving that no matter how short a life you live, it is never devoid of meaning. " A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history (Mahatma). " Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is one of the most renowned political leaders and religious figures in history, one who lived his life for the benefit of others and for the belief that he could bring peace to his country. Like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi led a non-violent campaign during the Indian Independence Movement. He fought for the eradication of poverty, for the unity of the different beliefs and ideals in India, and for the ending of racial, gender, and class discrimination. " Despite his efforts to create equality in India, Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948 by a Hindu nationalist who believed that Gandhi was too sympathetic towards Muslims. " Though he lived to be 78, far older than Macbeth when he died, Gandhi also lived a life of poverty that Macbeth did not. While Macbeth ruled as King of Scotland and enjoyed riches unmatched by any in his nation, Gandhi lived simply and modestly, often fasting for self-purification or in societal or governmental protest. Yet, Gandhi, a poor man who disdained violence and never rose to any sort of official office, created a
legacy that persists to this day. More than half a century later, the world still remembers him as one of the most famous peace leaders in history. " Lifeʼs but a walking shadow It is a tale Signifying nothing (V v 250-255). When Macbeth utters these lines in the closing act of Macbeth, Shakespeare expresses through him his contempt for human life. He illustrates his belief that life is a ruse, one that, no matter how apparently vivacious or worthwhile, ultimately amounts to nothing. However, while this mightʼve proved to be a recurring and universal them in both Macbeth and many of Shakespeareʼs other works, this claim is disproved in real life. Shakespeare himself and his literary legacy show that life does have a purpose and can affect people long after one has died. " This ability to change the world no matter how short or poor a life one lives is reflected in other historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Anne Frank, and Gandhi. King, a Civil Rights Activist who race shouldʼve been enough to keep him from becoming a political figure became one of the crucial catalysts for the end of segregation. Frank, a middle class German girl who was only one of the millions of Jews persecuted during WWII captured the worldʼs attention with her diary Kitty. Gandhi, an impoverished Indian man who came from no sort of aristocratic or distinguished lineage, is hailed as one of the leading figures of the Indian Independence Movement. " Life has a purpose. Whether it is to live as a common person and never affect anyone outside of oneʼs family or community, or whether it is to change the futures of millions in a campaign for equality, one lives life for a reason. Contrary to what
Shakespeare expressed in Macbeth and contrary to what he himself might have believed, history has proven through people and movements that changed the world that though life may be short and full of hardships, it is never devoid of meaning. Bibliography Dave..., Megadeth Frontman. "I Have A Dream Speech (TEXT)." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 2011/01/17/i-have-a-dream-speech-text_n_809993.html>. Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Bantam, 1993. Print. "Mahatma Gandhi Quotes Quotable Quote." Goodreads. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http:// www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/22574>.