Examples Of Darkness In Macbeth

The very beginning of the play indicates that dark supernatural forces will be involved. Three weird sisters are preparing a surprise for Macbeth, surprise that will eventually cost him life and the salvation of his soul. Witches' predictions play very important role in leading Macbeth to the evil deeds. Witches are the first to

A.C. Bradley wrote that about Macbeth: “darkness, we may even say blackness, broods over this tragedy... all the scenes which at once recur to memory take place either at night or in some dark spot.” The Tragedy of Macbeth contains many instances where darkness is represented and portrayed whether it occurs at night or the actions. Many actions that were completed by Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the prophecies told by the witches, all have corrupt intentions or outcomes.

Macbeth’s insanity is resulted from the true supernatural things he encounters in the play. The three witches are supernatural characters that play an important role in Macbeth’s spiral to becoming insane. Right off the bat the readers or audience feel the creepiness and uneasiness that radiates off of the witches. The witches famous line “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble” (cite), gives everyone a look at how dark this play is. Macbeth’s first time meeting the witches paved a way for his insanity. The three witches inform Macbeth that he will be Thane of Glamis and then one day become king. This causes Macbeth to over think things, and have contradicting thoughts on whether he believes in such prophecies, or if they are trying to trick him. Macbeth’s second visit from the witches included visions of different people. After the witches add ingredients to the cauldron, the visons start appearing. The first one was an armed head telling him to beware of Macduff. The second, was a bloody child that said he could not be hurt by anyone who was born of a woman. The third one is a child holding a tree and wearing a crown. This vision meant that Macbeth would not be defeated until Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane. All of these visions allude to the fact that Macbeth is becoming insane. Slowly but surely as supernatural events occur he has trouble deciphering what is real and what is not. A

In the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare, light and dark imagery is used throughout the story in order to show the difference and symbolism between good and evil. Light represents innocence, truth and purity while darkness is used to represent cruelty, guilt and corruption. Towards the end of the play, Shakespeare correlates the ideas of both lightness and darkness to portray life and death. Ultimately, they represent good and evil. Shakespeare uses these two themes to drive the plot and story forward in order to create conflict, twists and symbolism.

In Macbeth, light is a symbol of harmony and order, but darkness is just the opposite. Darkness is the chaos and evil that results from a broken Great Chain of Being.

This imagery is typical in a Shakespearean tragedy, where a dark atmosphere is important in developing character and understanding the play. Darkness is used in both a natural and metaphorical sense and symbolizes many things such as death, obfuscation, and evil. Through the use of the mysterious witches, and the natural darkness of night, Shakespeare effectively creates a dramatic atmosphere for the play. The witches are seen by Banquo and Macbeth to be unnatural and evil. Banquo describes them, “wither'd and so wild in their attire,That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth” (A1, S3). These witches appear in darkness at the beginning of the play and Macbeth calls the day, “so foul and fair a day I have not seen” (A1, S3). This is the atmosphere in which the “unnatural” witches tell of a prophecy which goes against the natural laws of the world. Some very key scenes where great evil is done, happen under the cover of night, in a naturally dark environment. It is dark when Macbeth has the vision of a dagger, Duncan and Banquo are both murdered under cover of darkness, and Lady Macbeth sleep walks in the middle of the night even though she has a fear of darkness. Darkness is used to cover up guilty crimes, and to accentuate the sense of danger. Duncan is first murdered while he sleeps. Macbeth was hesitant to do this, until Lady Macbeth presented a way in which it could be done, and blamed on someone else. Macbeth murders Duncan in the middle of the

Light and dark plays a big role in imagery as it sets the mood; darkness where evil deeds occur and the light as revealing the deeds. Macbeth is speaking to himself on the side after Malcolm is crowned Prince of Cumberland. “Stars, hide your fires! Let not the light see my black and deep desires”(I.iv.50-51). Macbeth is so greedy that he does not want anyone to see his dark desires to capture the throne:”The idea that only in darkness can such evil deeds be done is ever present”(Spurgeon 124). Macbeth is telling his wife how Banquo and his son, Fleance, need to die. “Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day And with thy bloody and invisible hand Cancel the tear to pieces that great bond which keeps me pale! Light thickens and the crow Makes wing to the rooky wood.(Shakespeare, III.ii.46-57). He is calling for the night to cover the daylight so that Banquo can be killed. Macbeth is telling the murderer to kill Banquo and his son.

The supernatural elements presented in The Tragedy of Macbeth each demonstrate hints of wickedness or evil. For example, the three witches. When presented in the story, their presence always gives off bad vibes. In the exposition of the tragedy, the First Witch asks, “When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” (I:I, 1-2). The use of “thunder, lightning, or in rain” indicates to the reader of the malicious nature of the three witches. Upon encountering the three witches, Macbeth is astounded. Their prophecies alarm him, causing him to ask what they mean by “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (I:iii, 50). Many times, the paradoxes used by the witches confusing. In one scene, the witches appeal in favor of Banquo. The use of their paradox, “Not so happy, yet much happier,” indicates their intention of portraying things not as they really seem. (I:iii, 66). Meeting the three witches is Macbeth’s first step in losing his sanity. He struggles to differentiate what is real and what is not.

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the motif of night is aggressive like the murders they plot and commit. Night dominates day throughout the play since they commit murders which disrupt the natural order of the world. Macbeth “plays God” by taking someone else’s life and therefore they challenge the Elizabethan order of the world. Acts of chaos, like earthquakes and supernatural events, break loose. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth think the night will cover their treacherous deeds. At first, the idea of murdering Duncan frightens Macbeth, but after he kills the two guards, he begins to lose his humanity. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth feels no remorse for the deaths they are responsible for but as the play progresses, Lady Macbeth starts to feel remorse for her and her husband’s actions. Although Lady Macbeth and Macbeth hope the night will conceal their sins, instead it illuminates their actions and worsens their guilt. Their actions can never fully hide since they disrupt the natural order of the world and cause chaos.

of the light or dark. "The King comes here tonight", this is said by a

In the beginning of the play, the Three Witches appear to Macbeth and Banquo. On the night of their appearance, there is a horrible thunderstorm. The witches tell Macbeth

These actions show how he slowly turned into an evil murderer. Macbeth is a human after all and one of humans’ many weaknesses is to change and to adapt to what is around them. From the beginning of the play, Macbeth is surrounded by darkness. He is lured into it as soon as he gains power. After he is given the title of the Thane of Cawdor, he starts getting greedy and hungry for more power. This results in the first ‘dark’ act that is performed by Macbeth which is the murder King Duncan. Although at first, Macbeth does not want to commit the sin, he is persuaded and tempted into darkness with hallucinations. “Macbeth: I have done the deed;/Didst thou not hear a noise?” (2.2.14). This quote shows Macbeth admitting to killing King Duncan. Although, Macbeth feels guilty about committing such a horrendous crime, it is only the start of what he does to make sure that this power and authority stays with him. Macbeth committing one of life’s most gruesome acts, murder, is what starts the journey to change his character to turn into a different character. Evidently, King Duncan’s murder proves that Macbeth was starting to turn into an evil man. He murdered someone in cold blood so he could gain additional power for himself. For this reason, his character slowly starts to share all his qualities with a dark and evil person. These qualities include greediness, hunger for power and a cold heart which clearly prove that his actions were one of the many reasons how he changed into different

     The Three Witches are the ones who introduce the paradox that runs throughout the play. The theme affects these characters because although they speak of the future, they do not seem to affect the course of it. They are the agents of fate because they only speak of the truth of what will happen. Macbeth refers to the Witches as the Weird Sisters. In fact the word "Weird" comes from an old English word

The three witches advance the use of dramatic irony throughout the entire play. First, the witches reveal to Macbeth that he can achieve the role of being king. In Act One, the witches say, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.50). Macbeth gullibly believes the prophecy, and from here on, his motives and ambitions change. Though he does eventually take the role as king, it does not result in the life he wished to have. Shortly after Macbeth is enthroned; the witches reveal three apparitions about him that cause him to believe he will remain a powerful king. The first apparition is an armed head that symbolizes that Macbeth should only beware of Macduff. The second shows a bloody child that means nobody born of a woman can ever harm Macbeth. The third is a child holding a tree which depicts that, “Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him” (4.1.87-90). These three apparitions boost the confidence in the king, and he believes he has nothing to fear. The predictions end up being true, but not at all what is expected. A summary, written by David Schlachter, explains how the witches bring suspense into the play. Schlachter says, “This irony would make the audience mistrust the witches in the back of their minds, and therefore, also put a vague fear over the whole play because of the realization of the witches’ relentless sinister determination to disrupt peace and order in Scotland.” The ironic event that takes place through this is what happens towards the end of the play. At the end, Macduff reveals that he is not born of woman; therefore, he can kill

Shakespeare uses lightness and darkness in Macbeth to represent contrast between good versus evil. Society tends to picture daytime as joyous and safe, while perceiving night as scary and dangerous. The contrast is pivotal in the play. For example, Shakespeare includes lightness and darkness, or more specifically day and night, after Macbeth murders King Duncan. Macbeth’s cousin Ross notices that “by th’ clock 'tis day, and yet the dark night strangles the travelling lamp”. Observing the conditions, he wonders “is’t night’s predominance or the day’s shame that darkness does the face of earth entomb when living light should kiss it?” (Act 2, Scene 4 7-12). While it is daytime, darkness fills the sky. In Shakespeare’s