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How Does Shakespeare Present A Sense Of Darkness In Macbeth

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As the sun falls, evil spirits begin to take over one's mind and body. Evil thoughts can be sparked by an outside force or by one’s own ambition. Evil has the power to influence people and make them do things they normally wouldn’t. These malevolent ideas can cause severe pain and grief to those who are corrupted by them. As a skilled writer, William Shakespeare is able to portray a sense of dark imagery throughout the play Macbeth. One of Shakespeare’s most profound works, Macbeth demonstrates the destructive power evil possesses. In order to demonstrate a sense of darkness throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses recurring motifs. An example of a recurring motif would be the word night. The word appears 35 times within the play and while the connotation of the word changes, the characters do as well. The word night is often used to emphasize how evil can overcome a …show more content…

When he sees the witches he asks, “How now, you secret, black, and midnight hags? / What is’t you do?” (4.1.47-48). Macbeth is worried about the recent events that occurred and demands an explanation. Macbeth receives three prophecies from the witches. He is told that he should be afraid of Macduff, that no one born of a woman can harm him, and that he won’t be beaten until Birnam Woods reach Dunsinane. At the time Macbeth feels as if he is indestructible and begins to act superior to others. By the time Macbeth receives the prophecies, he has already descended into the hands of evil and ends up vanquishing himself. The acts of murder Macbeth commits tend to occur during the night. This causes the presence of evil to lurk inside him. Macbeth uses the phrase "Good things of day begin to droop and drowse; / Whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse." (3.2.54-55) to show how when night falls, the creatures of the night come out to hunt for their prey. This causes Macbeth to have this mindset that the shield of the night can protect

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