55

I have a book, a big one. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, 1252 pages given over to his writings and eight pages to a glossary of strange words. In that book  are 37 plays, five long poems and many sonnets. It boggles the mind. You have heard about, maybe read, two of the plays, maybe others. Romeo and Juliet and Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare’s plays are about people, good and bad. He never wrote novels, adventure stories, mysteries, fiction, or other genre, yet many will call him the greatest writer of the English world.

One of my favorite passages is from Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has helped kill the sitting king so that Macbeth will become king, and now others are coming to attack the castle and kill Macbeth.  Lady Macbeth consumed by guilt has taken her own life, and a servant comes into the room to tell Macbeth; 

Servant

The Queen, my Lord, is dead.

Macbeth

She should have died hereafter;

There would have been time for such a word.

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.

(My suggestion. When you read line 3, pause after the first tomorrow and replace the first ‘and’ with a period, then capitalize the next tomorrow.)