Solomonic Shakespeare

About this poem

In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth, King of Scotland, delivers the following soliloquy: “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.” This famous soliloquy is depicted as a confession which reveals that while Macbeth is not without blemish, his moral turpitude does not deter nor hinder him from confessing that he cannot escape blame for his own failures in life. In this regard, his quasi courageous act reminds us only so painfully, of biblical King Solomon’s strikingly similar confession at old age, delivered in the book of Ecclesiastes 1:2, which reads, in part: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Both King Solomon and Shakespeare’s King Macbeth yearn for a greater understanding of the moral purpose of life. Both do so in the form of a soliloquy. Both are partners of the same ilk, cause for us to reflect on the purpose of our own lives; hence, the title of this haiku poem, “Solomonic Shakespeare.” more »