Shakespeare in the Sound and the Fury Essay - 1697 Words

Shakespeare in the Sound and the Fury The Tomorrow soliloquy in Act V, scene v of the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth provides central theme and imagery for The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner may or may not agree with this bleak, nihilistic characterization of life, but he does examine the characterization extensively. 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! Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour†¦show more content†¦Essentially, each section of the work addresses Macbeths nihilism from a contrasting perspective. Benjy is an idiot by definition, a human with such a low IQ that he cannot sustain life on his own. His idiocy liberates him from time constraints. Benjy cannot distinguish the present from the past, memory from current action, illusions from realities. In the present time when his section elapses, Benjy believes he perceives his sister Caddy who has left nearly fifteen years prior. Benjys life lies on a foundation of misconception; he relies on others (Versh, T.P., and Luster) to sustain its existence. Thus, Benjy is a quintessential example of the poor player Macbeth describes. Benjy basks in a brief life of complete insignificance and then is heard no more. Furthermore, Benjys life is full of sound and fury: he moans incessantly - sound. Benjy moans in remembrance, in frustration, in anger, in hunger; he moans for everything - fury. Even Benjys bellowing, the greatest attempt he makes to vent emotion, is to no avail. Eventually, Benjys life will flicker out like a brief candle as Macbeth professes. Faulkner portrays this idea through fire imagery throughout the first section. For example, Benjy quits his moaning only when he sees fire. Benjy relates, Then I looked at the fire again and theShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Influence On The Sound And The Fury2240 Words   |  9 PagesInfluence on The Sound and the Fury As all writers do, Faulkner had many literary influences that can be seen in his writing. Faulkner once said, â€Å"I think everything a writer reads influences his work. He is completely immoral, he has no hesitancy whatever about taking what he wants from any source he wants† (Faulkner, â€Å"Blotner and Gwynn’s Classes, tape 2†). A major influence on Faulkner’s work is Shakespeare, especially on The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner used his love of Shakespeare to enable himRead MoreMacbeth Final Soliloquy828 Words   |  4 PagesWhether living in glory or shame, everyone ends the same way. His claim that It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing may be a clue to disbelief in any god-type figure or faith in general. The diction is clearly morbid. 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