It is April! Do you know what that means? It is National Poetry Month! Also, Shakespeare’s birthday is at the end of this month. And last, but not least, my next book, a commentary on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, will be available soon! I am very excited. This commentary has been in my mind for a while, and I am so happy to be able to share it with you all! So leading up to that, I thought I would share some of my favorite passages from this play. First, my favorite soliloquy.

So what is a soliloquy? A soliloquy, besides being very difficult to spell (do you know how many times I’ve written siloliquy??), is a short speech given by a character in a play when they are speaking to themselves when they are alone or when they think they are alone. It is derived from the Latin words solus “alone” and loqui “to speak.” A soliloquy allows the audience to hear the inner thoughts of a character, often revealing their motivations or struggles. There are several soliloquies in Macbeth, and each progressively shows the change in Macbeth’s heart, from hesitating in humility to grappling with rising ambition; from pushing himself to the edge of murder to making that is modus operandi. And finally, from contemplating how his own hand severed his future to accepting his fate. Each soliloquy is human, visceral. And it is his second to last soliloquy that is my favorite.

Seyton!—I am sick at heart
 When I behold—Seyton, I say!—This push
 Will cheer me ever or disseat me now.
 I have lived long enough. My way of life
 Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf,
 And that which should accompany old age,
 As honor, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have, but in their stead
 Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honor, breath
 Which the poor heart would fain deny and dare
 not.—
 Seyton!

We will set aside the question of what or who Seyton is, as I discuss this in my book. But this particular soliloquy is fascinating to me. Macbeth’s madness is evident, his mind scattered. At the beginning of the play, he was eloquent, patient, and content. Here, he is scattered, short-tempered, and disillusioned with his life. He appears to see something but then is distracted in calling for Seyton and his present troubles. He can’t think straight. But in his fevered moment, he has a moment of clarity, though it is a moment colored with despair. In this moment, he notes all that he has lost with his vaulting ambition. In this time of life, he should have all the wonderful things old age brings, such as “honor, love, obedience, troops of friends.” But instead, he has nothing. Not even a companion. Soon, he won’t have his life.

Yet I especially appreciate this soliloquy above the rest for two reasons. The first I have already mentioned. Macbeth takes a moment to seriously reflect on his actions and current state. He chooses afterward to dig himself further in, as there is sometimes no way out but through, but he does consider the consequences of his actions. The second reason is that it reminds me of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73, though as an inverse picture. That sonnet is on the joys of life, even as it is ending. That sonnet displays hope, contentment, and peace. It serves as a strong contrast to Macbeth’s life and this reflective soliloquy. Here, he cherished that which he could have now, what would make him powerful, which was as fleeting for him as the day he took it from the man to whom it belonged. But in Sonnet 73, we learn to cherish those treasured things gained with time: love, beauty, family, and life. They are also fleeting, as this life is mortal, but we cherish them because they are gained in blessing from the Lord, in living a long life, in being thankful and content, and in taking seasons as they come. Macbeth didn’t do that, but these two passages together serve as a wonderful harmony to teach us how to live our own lives. And hopefully, we will learn sooner than Macbeth.

Blessings to you and yours,

~Madelyn Rose Craig