Does Life Have Meaning

QUESTION: Does Life Have Meaning? The Answer According to Macbeth

ANSWER:

As Shakespeare’s Macbeth defends the walls of his castle from an enemy siege, he hears a shriek and learns that his wife has committed suicide in the castle below. Instead of shocking disbelief, Macbeth delivers a calmly stoic statement on the utter futility of existence. Does life really have meaning?

“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.”¹

Does Life Have Meaning? What’s Your Answer?
Does life have meaning? In the end, does life truly “signify nothing,” as Macbeth determined? In the cosmic scheme of things, is there such thing as a “significant” life? How do you define “significance?” Are you striving for significance in your life, or do you view such striving as “futile?”

Footnote:
William Shakespeare, “Macbeth,” The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: The Cambridge Edition Text, as edited by William Aldis Wright (Garden City Books, New York, 1936) Act V, Scene V, p. 1053.