William Shakespeare poetry “Out, out, brief candle!” — Tragic Symbolism

It’s spoken by Macbeth himself after learning of Lady Macbeth’s death — one of Shakespeare’s most haunting meditations on the brevity of life.

Here’s the full passage (often regarded as a poetic monologue rather than a traditional poem):

🕯️ “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” — from Macbeth, Act V, Scene V

MACBETH:

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.