Macbeth's speech, as he prepares to go to battle,
following Seyton telling him that "The queen, my lord, is dead," is one of the most
famous speeches in all of Shakespeare's canon. As far as literal reaction to her death,
he simply says:
She should have died
hereafter.
There would have been time for such a
word.
Which means that,
according to Macbeth, she should have lived longer, so he might have had time to
grieve.
The rest of the speech can be considered depressing
because of the point of view that Macbeth gives on life and death. It is however,
continually discussed and debated, so you should try to read it carefully for yourself
to see what your impression is of Macbeth's views.
Some
things that stand out to me are, first, the rhythm of the text. The repetition with
which it begins ("Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow") really emphasizes monotony. And
when he goes on to describe this procession of tomorrows as "creep"ing in at a "petty
pace," the pointlessness of this monotony is brought out. Taking this parade of days to
its ultimate conclusion ("the last syllable of recorded time"), only shows that, for
Macbeth, there is no hope ever that life won't be a monotonous series of petty, creeping
days. Pretty bleak stuff.
He also comments on human life
calling those who have gone before "fools" going to "dusty death." He winds it up by
calling life itself a "tale"
Told by an idiot, full of sound and
fury,
Signifying
nothing.
You might call this
"depressing," as you have mentioned in your question. But whatever you call it, it is
devoid of hope for mankind or a hint of love for life.
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