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Use Of Light And Darkness In Macbeth

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How does William Shakespeare contrast light and darkness to create central ideas in Macbeth?

Lightness and darkness are used to convey the key ideas of good and evil in a number of themes. Unnatural events in nature were accompanied by darkness often following evil deeds, where light has been overcome. Night is used to hide the shame and silence the good and light conscience to allow them to pursue their wicked thoughts. Darkness eventually consumes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they become too guilty to live with what they have done leading to their eventual downfall, and goods return to power.
Unnatural events that occur often were related to the concept of light and dark. After Macbeth kills Duncan he disrupts the order of nature, causing nature to become unpredictable as a falcon is killed by a hawk, and the sun does not rise. …show more content…

Lady Macbeth calls “Come thick night” (1.5.53) to gain the strength and courage to commit the horrible crime. She does not want others to know her evil plans, nor her own conscience to prevent her from doing so. Macbeth hides his true desires by asking, “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desire: The eye wink at the hand; yet that be which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.50-53) This displays Macbeth becoming consumed by evil as he begins to listen to his “black and deep desire”, forcing to ignore his conscience which knows committing the crime is wrong. The night is used as a cover for their evil activities as, “good things of day begin to troop and drowse, whiles night’s black agents to their preys do rouse.” (3.2.57-58). Evil hunts for its victims and commits its crimes in the secrecy of the day, while the good and pure things of the day sleep. Their actions are hidden in the darkness of the night, facilitating their capabilities to commit these horrendous

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