Thursday, October 21, 2010

A tale told by an idiot


SEYTON

The queen, my lord, is dead.

MACBETH
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
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.


From Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

If there was a competition for the most sublime passage in the English language this would get into the top 3.  Would the other two also be by Shakespeare?
 

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