My way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf and that which should accompany in old age

To remember this quote use the following mnemonic.

This is my way of life,

But it is falling into the searing (sere) volcanic pit. 

Next will be my tree which has a beautiful yellow leaf. 

And after that stuff which should accompany me in my old age.

"My way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf and that which should accompany in old age." Act 5, scene 3, line 22, spoken by Macbeth. It's one of the most emotionally revealing moments for Macbeth as he faces the end of his life. 

Meaning 

• "My way of life is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf." - Macbeth compares his life to a withered autumn leaf - dry, faded and dying. The word "sere" means dried-up. He recognises that he's at the end of his life, emotionally and morally exhausted. 

• "And that which should accompany old age." - Macbeth goes on to list the things he thinks you should have in old age, like honour, love, obedience, troops of friends:

Honour - respect from others.

Love - affection and genuine relationships.

Obedience - loyalty from followers.

Troops of friends - companionship and support. 

But Macbeth knows he has none of these. His violent rise to power has left him alone, hated and unloved. 

Exam advice

• Theme of tragic realisation - Macbeth fully understands what he has lost. This is a key moment in his tragic arc where we see his emotional and spiritual emptiness. His ambition has isolated him and left him with nothing. 

• Ambition's cost - Shakespeare shows that ambition without morality leads to destruction not just of others but of the self. 

• Isolation - Macbeth is completely alone. Even his closest ally, Lady Macbeth, is mentally breaking down. This quote highlights how ambition cuts him off from humanity. 

• Imagery of nature and death - The "yellow leaf" is symbolic of autumn and death, reinforcing the play's constant theme of natural imagery and decay of moral order.