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Light And Darkness In Macbeth Essay

865 Words4 Pages

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth lightness and darkness are used to create the key ideas throughout the play of good and evil. Unnatural events in nature were accompanied by darkness often following evil deeds, where light has been overcome, shown through a metaphor and symbolism. Night is used as a motif, with characters frequently calling upon it to assist them in their crimes. Symbolism of light and darkness are used to show how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are consumed by guilt which leads to their eventual downfall, and goods return to power. Shakespeare successfully compares ideas of light and dark to convey important themes. Unnatural events that occur often were related to the concept of light and dark, as good is overthrown in darkness. After …show more content…

The symbols of light acts as their conscience, as they begin to become consumed with the guilt of their actions and spiral out of control. Macbeth’s remorse becomes too strong as he can’t even sleep anymore, because the darkness reminds him of the evilness within him in the darkness. Macbeth recalls, “Methought I thought a voice cry- “sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”- the innocent sleep” (2.2.47-8) Macbeth becomes paranoid, obsessive, and careless in his actions following his first murder. Lady Macbeth uses the light to hide herself from the darkness and evilness that surrounds her as she “she has light by her continually; ‘tis her command” (5.1.20) The same darkness that she used to commit her murders, to hide her conscience that could’ve prevented her from committing the crimes, is now the one she fears, that she needs protecting from. Lady Macbeth knew that her actions and the guilt would be damaging as she told Macbeth, "These deeds must not be thought, after these ways; so, it will make us mad." (2.2.45-6) Light and dark and contrasted to show the decent of their mental health. Throughout William Shakespeare’s Macbeth light and darkness are used to contrast key ideas through many of the central themes. The disruption in the order of nature is shown as evil overpowers good through contrast of day and night. The power of corruption

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