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Use Of Light And Dark In Macbeth

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In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the the light and dark is shown. Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth start off in the light but after fever actoons that they made less then into the darkness. Throughout the play, light and dark are used as symbols to represent the moral ambiguity of the characters' actions and the consequences of their choices. The opening scene sets the tone for the play with the appearance of the witches on a dark and stormy night. The witches' prophecies spark Macbeth's ambition and set him on a path of destruction, and their appearance in darkness emphasizes the sinister nature of their influence. One of the most significant uses of light and dark imagery in the play is in Act II, Scene 1, when Macbeth sees a "dagger of the mind" …show more content…

He speaks of "the dunnest smoke of hell" and "the very stones prate of [his] whereabouts," which creates a sense of foreboding and suggests that Macbeth is aware of the moral ambiguity of his actions. The dagger itself is described as being "a false creation / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain," which suggests that Macbeth is struggling with his conscience and is not entirely convinced that his actions are justified. However, the fact that the dagger is illuminated by the moonlight suggests that there is still a glimmer of light within Macbeth, a sense of doubt that he is unable to ignore. Another significant use of light and dark imagery occurs in Act II, Scene 3, when Macbeth returns to his chambers after killing Duncan. He is confronted by his guilt and is unable to say "Amen" when he hears someone say "God bless us." This is significant because it suggests that Macbeth has lost his connection to the light, to the divine, and is now consumed by darkness. Lady Macbeth is also consumed by darkness in the play, and her guilt drives her to madness. In Act V, Scene 1, she sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands, a symbol of her inability to escape the guilt of her

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In Act 2, Scene 1 Macbeth sees a vision of a bloody dagger pointed toward Duncan. This signals the entrance of dark and twisted ambition into Macbeth’s mind, showing that his greed led him to believe that killing Duncan was reasonable. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.” (Shakespeare 15)

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1456 Words | 6 Pages

Shortly before her husband enters the room, Lady Macbeth calls upon the darkness to aid Macbeth in his plan to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth states, "Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark to cry, 'Hold, hold!" (Iv 57-60). Again the theme of darkness is used by Shakespeare to set the stage for the evil act about to be committed by Macbeth, which leads to the disruption of natural harmony in Scotland and to damn Macbeth's

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Now that the important murders have been committed by Macbeth, the word night starts to take a different in its usage and meaning. Though it maintains its meaning as to signify impending doom and negativity, the target of that doom and badness is now directed at Macbeth. Starting with Scene 1, the witches cast a spell in their cauldron to create apparitions that would deceive Macbeth. Though the usage of night in each separate quote has nothing of importance, in big picture, it is part of a spell to bring Macbeth down.

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298 Words | 2 Pages

The first way Macbeth shows this Motif is when Macbeth sees a floating dagger pointed at him. For instance when the narrator says, “Is this a dagger I see in front of me, with its handle pointing toward my hand? Come, let me hold you”(Act 2 Scene 1). What this means is that Macbeth had the drive to kill King Duncan in his sleep.

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To what I ask you” (IV.1.48-64). Here Macbeth uses symbolism through his description of the witches as "secret, black, and midnight hags," Symbolism is used to not only portray their mysterious and supernatural nature but also to highlight the corrupting influence of ambition on his character. By describing the witches as "midnight hags," Macbeth suggests that his ambition is heavily influenced by the supernatural forces at play, pushing him further into making immoral decision and leading him away from his noble, moral origins. Just as darkness blinds one’s vision, Macbeth’s ambition blinds him to the moral and ethical boundaries he had once respected. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly becomes willing to engage in more treacherous acts, including murder and

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

The voices he hears that threaten: “Macbeth shall sleep no more” indicate a relationship between guilt and madness. Therefore, the manifestation of the dagger suggests that he feels guilty because of his attempt to murder Duncan. There are three major transitions of thought. First, he contemplates about the dagger’s existence; the second is the invocations of dark images; finally, there is the bell that cuts off Macbeth’s contemplations. The transitions between topics indicate that while Macbeth feels guilty for the murder, his determination makes him ignore

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Stars, hide your fires! Let not see my black and deep desires” (I.4.50-53). Macbeth’s true character is finally shown. The description of “black and deep desires” foreshadows the malicious crime he will cause. His poisoned ambition causes chaos while mixing with his free will.

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Secondly, later on after Lady Macbeth and Macbeth pull off the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and begins to aggressively rub her hands, saying she is trying to get a spot of blood off. She then proceeds to talk in her sleep saying, “Who would have / thought the old man to have had so much blood” (Shakespeare 5.1.33-34). Lady Macbeth’s guilt is being symbolized by the hallucinations of blood on her hands during her sleep. She is so overwhelmed with guilt, that she has to keep secret, that her subconscious is causing her to go crazy and talk about it in her sleep. Lastly, after the murderer, that Macbeth sent, tells Macbeth that he finished off Banquo, Macbeth must entertain guests for a dinner party.

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Macbeth would envision a dagger before him asking himself “is (that) a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand”(act.2 scene.i). The dagger was a metaphor for his ambitions and motivation to make himself king with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth. After King Duncan was killed, Macbeth felt he was evil at that point where he “belief(ed) he (was) to evil to blessed by god”(act.2 scene.ii). The guilt he felt would drive him to the point of madness and brought into question if he was human after that or something that could not be redeemed.

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In Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” the speaker says “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, / doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” Representing what Macbeth, in The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, was like. Furthermore, the quotation mentions darkness along with the play. The play exhibits the light and dark motif, by Shakespeare putting this motif in it adds another layer of depth into the story.

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Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded

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Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is chock-full of different examples of imagery, many of which reappear throughout the entire play. Three of these major patterns include light versus darkness, clothing, and blood. The first example, light and darkness, is the most obvious and recurrent. In Shakespeare’s writing, light is associated with life, God, and acts of kindness, while darkness foretells death and evil. In the first act, Lady Macbeth asks for night to come so that her “keen knife see not the wound it makes, Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, To cry, ‘Hold, hold!’”

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1038 Words | 5 Pages

In the play Macbeth written by Shakespeare the word night appears multiple times and it plays a big role in the play. For Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both the word night seems to portray a feeling of darkness and evil. In the most prominent scenes where night is used the person isn’t referring to the night itself, but rather the idea of darkness that comes along with night. In every act of the play the word is mentioned at least twice and has at least one moment which the word is used in a powerful context.

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737 Words | 3 Pages

William Shakespeare in the play, Macbeth, asserts that man can easily succumb to evil. Shakespeare supports his assertions by illustrating the conflicting nature of man through the images of light and dark. The author's purpose is to show a weakness in man so that the audiences sees the inner battle that every man must face between good and evil and how it interacts with their goals and aspirations. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses imagery of light and dark to establish this unseen battle within and helps set the suspending tone for the play.

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865 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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