From which Shakespearean plays do the following lines come? a. "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." b. If music be the food of love, play on."

These two well-known lines originate from two of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, each setting a distinct tone for the drama (Review) that unfolds. The first, a bleak and despairing pronouncement on the meaninglessness of existence, comes from the tragic hero of *Macbeth*. Upon learning of his wife's death and with his own doom approaching, Macbeth reflects on the futility of his bloody ambition. He concludes that life is nothing more than a fleeting performance, a chaotic story told by a fool that ultimately amounts to nothing. This powerful soliloquy from Act 5, Scene 5, captures the play's dark themes of ambition, guilt, and the psychological downfall of its protagonist.

In stark contrast (Review), the second quotation opens the romantic comedy *Twelfth Night* with a flourish of lovelorn melodrama. The speaker is Duke Orsino, who is passionately in love with the Countess Olivia. In the play's very first line, he commands his musicians to play on, hoping that an overabundance of music—the "food of love"—will cure him of his obsessive passion, much like eating too much can kill one's appetite. This opening line immediately establishes the play's themes of love, longing, and the sometimes-absurd nature of desire, setting the stage for the comedic chaos and romantic entanglements that follow.