Act V, scene 5, II. 17-28 mirrors Macbeth's depression by briefly mourning his wife's death.
To explain the fates human create for themselves, Shakespeare designs the ultimatum of Lady Macbeth's life and its numbing effect on her husband. Immediately accepting her fate, Macbeth once again is swept into his cocoon of depression: He sees life as a “brief candle”, and death impossible to avoid. The audience at first may see him heartless, but soon, they realize that it is not unfeeling that enfolds him; rather, it is a swell of darkest depression.
In this passage, Macbeth seems to lose his desire for life as he threatens to take it with the words “out, out, brief candle!” More importantly, he leeches onto the audience’s pity, connecting directly to human's teaching instinct: The audience has seen Macbeth fall from goodness's graces to the pits of a burning darkness...and here is where he seems to long for redemption or perhaps, solace.
Through diction, Shakespeare carves an emotional monologue. Repeating “to-morrow” seems to sculpt the everlasting persistence of a painful life for Macbeth. “Creeps in a petty pace” personifies the dreaded and disgusting stalking of death's greed. An escalation in his thought is observed also here as Macbeth reflects upon philosophies that life is brief and only a step closer to the death that all will die. Bringing fools to a “dusty death”, Macbeth explains the lying light that life seems to give. His grief is even explained in the adjective dusty. Hopelessness seems to construct the life that he sees as he uses “walking shadow” to describe the mirage that life develops. Dropping to less elegant speech in his final statement with the word “idiot”, Macbeth truly seems to be enveloped in change and depression. By ending with “nothing”, Shakespeare even builds the despair in Macbeth's mind into a three-dimensional structure for the audience. Nothing is what life means according to the tone that Macbeth's diction creates.
In microcosmic consequence, Macbeth's soliloquy reflects the choices he made and the sadness they delivered to him. Once even considering suicide, Macbeth seems to long for an escape from the torment he has engulfed his world within. The brief time he gives for his wife's death showcases the mortality of choices' consequences when made with evil. The focus is not his heartlessness for his wife; however, it is the immediate acceptance of pain and punishment that are more important.
Excellent use of supporting quotes throughout the analysis. You have the right idea of using bits of quotes for diction. Analyzing diction means taking a microscope to the text, and you have done that. Rule of thumb: don't say "the author uses diction" because it's like saying "the author uses words", which is a little obvious. So, try to use adjectives to describe the word choice instead (i.e. forthright, condescending, dark, emotional, etc.). Good connection to theme and meaning throughout. Interesting to think of Macbeth "mourning his wife," as his passage seems about mourning life as well.
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