Based on the recommendation of just about everybody, I was preparing to read the novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Normally I don’t “prepare” to read a novel. But, in this case, I was sidetracked by the title, which had a familiar ring. A quick DuckDuckGo search revealed that the line “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” is from Macbeth. So, naturally, I reread Macbeth.
I studied Shakespeare for two semesters as an undergraduate over 40 years ago, but Macbeth was not part of the curriculum that year. I had, however, read it in my spare time when I was a teenager, and my memories of it were flawed to say the least.
To make a long story short: Macbeth, fresh off the glow of a military victory, is visited by three witches who prophesy that he is destined to become King of Scotland. His wife, Lady Macbeth, upon hearing this, urges her husband to hasten the prophesy by killing the King and assuming the throne.
So, what I remembered from this was that Lady Macbeth was the driving force behind all the bloodshed in the play; leading to her spiraling into madness and trying to wash the imaginary and figurative blood off her hands. “Out, out, damn spot!”
However, in actuality, Lady Macbeth urged Macbeth to commit only the initial murder of the King. The later bloodshed was of Macbeth’s own doing. First, unbeknownst to Lady Macbeth, he kills two of the King’s servants. The plan was simply to frame the servants with the King’s murder, not to kill them. Then, in Act 3, Macbeth worries that the throne will eventually pass down to his best friend’s offspring. When he mentions this to Lady Macbeth she remind him that they will not live forever (“But in them nature’s copy’s not eterne.”). But then, when Macbeth hints at a plot to kill both his best friend and the boy, Lady Macbeth reacts with shock, as evidenced by Macbeth’s line:
"Thou marvel’st at my words: but hold thee still. Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill. So, prithee, go with me.
Translation: You are shocked by my words, but you shouldn’t be. Things accomplished through bad deeds can only grow stronger through more bad deeds. So, please, come with me.
Lady Macbeth herself spun into madness due to the guilt of what she had set into motion and the realization that, due to her husbands increasing madness, everything was going to crumble around them. (I recognize that there are more nuanced and detailed interpretations available, but this explanation will suffice for our purposes).
In short, I blamed Lady Macbeth for everything, and remembered her as evil and Macbeth as hapless. But, in fact, Macbeth was far from hapless. And Lady Macbeth was, to a certain extent, a tragic figure who unleashed something that quickly spiraled out of control. A Pandora’s Box. An apple from the forbidden tree.
In my defense: As a young man I had a short attention span. So, I would remember the beginning of a story (Lady Macbeth urging her husband to commit murder), then fade out until something interesting happened that would enforce the bias I had created from the opening scenes (“Out, damned spot!”). It wasn’t sexism or misogyny, it was ADHD.
As for the “Tomorrow” soliloquy, I will quote it here with commentary to follow.
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.
In other words: She would’ve died eventually anyway. Day after day we trod towards our inevitable death. Life is just an illusion, and we are just actors on a stage, fretting for an hour until we are gone and never seen again. Life is a story told by an idiot, full of drama and emotion. It is all completely meaningless.
This soliloquy appears towards the end of the play and it features a couple of Shakespeare’s favorite themes. First, it’s existential and nihilistic and views life and humanity from an out of body perspective. We are just poor forked animals. (Hamlet.) Second, it breaks the fourth wall that separates the play from the real world, the actors from the audience. It reminds the audience that they are watching a play, and that—oh, by the way—life is just a play, and we are but the players. (As You Like It.)
It will be interesting to see how Gabrielle Zevin uses this in her book. Assuming she uses it at all outside of the title.
ONE FINAL NOTE: After rereading Macbeth, I watched the 2021 version of The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Coen and starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand (currently available on Apple+). It’s filmed in black and white. The setting is minimalist and operatic. The screenwriting takes liberties with the play by moving scenes around, which, surprisingly, improves the flow of the story. There are some very creative stage interpretations, especially around the witches. McDormand is AMAZING! I absolutely love the Coen interpretation. Highly recommend! If you end up watching it, send me a message and tell me what you think!