Quentin's Change

In William Faulkner’s modernist novel The Sound and the Fury, the literary pioneer alludes to Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” in order to aid readers in their comprehension of Faulkner’s message. The connections drawn between the two works can be contextualized within each story: In essence, Shakespeare’s play is about a man’s world and family disintegrating, just as the members of the Compson family witness their own demise. In reference to the characters loss of prestige, Macbeth’s noble status as a Scottish general and nobleman is demolished when the other Scottish lords attack him, believing him not to be the rightful king. His downward spiral is initiated when Lady Macbeth commits suicide. His life turns to chaos at the realization

The character of Quentin has the most prevalent obsession with time; he is trapped within it. When Quentin attempts to break his watch, he “tapped the crystal on the corner of the dresser and caught the fragments of glass in my hand…” (Faulkner, 80). However despite his actions, “The watch ticked on” (Faulkner, 80). Quentin’s act of breaking his watch symbolizes man’s futile efforts against the supreme, eternal force of time; a force that is personified in Macbeth’s soliloquy of Act V, Scene 5. Macbeth laments “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow/ creeps in this petty pace from day to day/ To the last syllable of recorded time” (Macbeth, 5-7). Macbeth implies that time gets the final say in life. The repetition of “Tomorrow” suggests a lament to this powerlessness. To the Compsons, the passage of time is not only inevitable, but haunting (shown in the ticking of Quentin’s broken watch, symbolizing this constant, inexorable passage of time). The ticking is also a reference to the “petty pace” of daily life. In reference to the other characters: Benjy has no concept of time and cannot distinguish between the past and present. Conversely, Jason has a perfectly logical grasp on time, but is obsessed by the present and immediate future while disregarding the past. He believes time cannot be wasted, and seeks to use it for personal gain. Time is portrayed as superior in both