Macbeth: Dark vs. Light

Macbeth:

Dark vs. Light

Sabrina Araullo, Sarah Long, Rachel Kurtz,

and Kaitlyn Jimenez

Act 1

• Page 7 line 1: "When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"
• In scene 1 they appear in the dark and mention meeting in the dark again
• Appearing in the dark gives them a bad connotation
• (Light vs. dark and good vs. evil)

• When the witches appear a second time, one mentions that she cast a spell on a sailor whose wife did not offer her chestnuts
• She took away his ability to sleep
• Pg. 15 Line 15: "I myself have all the other, and the very ports they blow, all the quarters that they know I' th' shipman's card. I'll dry him dry as hay. Sleep shall neither night nor day hang upon his penthouse lid..."
• By depriving him of sleep, she gave him a long and torturous death of remaining awake in the darkness.

• In scene 6 line 86 Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Banquo, Lennox, Macduff, Ross, Angus, and his attendants enter with torches
• During this time they are surrounded by torches
• At the same time, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are plotting Duncan's murder
• The light surrounding Duncan sheds light on the situation and serves as a "light bulb" in making Macbeth's final decision

“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…” (Shakespeare I.v.57-60)

• Here, Lady Macbeth asks darkness to come so no one will witness King Duncan's murder.
• It is also suggested that heaven’s light will prevent her from murdering Duncan and that evil can only prevail in darkness.

“Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires. / The eye wink at the hand,

yet let that be / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see” (I.iv.57-60)

• Here, Macbeth considers murdering both Duncan and Malcolm
• Macbeth also describes his desires as "black and deep" symbolizing their evil intent.
• Doesn’t want anyone to witness Duncan’s murder or know the truth about it

Act II

• Fire in Duncan’s chimney was blown out when he was killed (II.iii.62)
• Light in the form of fire represents life

Fleance enters with a torch (II.i.1)

• The light provided by the torch symbolizes the hope for Banquo's son as he escapes the murderers.

Ross: “Ha, good father, Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act, Threatens his bloody stage. By th' clock ’tis day, And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. Is ’t night’s

predominance or the day’s shame That darkness does the face of Earth entomb When living light should kiss it?” (II.iv.6)

• Skies are upset about what mankind has been doing, and they’re threatening the Earth with storms
• It is daytime, but the dark night is strangling and covering the sun
• Represents the evil that is trying to corrupt the good
• Ross is questions if it is because the night is so strong, or because day is so weak that darkness is covering the earth when it’s supposed to be light

Act III

“Fleance, his son, that keeps him company, / Whose absence is no less material to me / Than is

his father’s, must embrace the fate / of that dark hour” (III.ii.154-157)

• Fleance and Banquo riding at night show a literal darkness
• While death presents a metaphoric darkness

Second murderer says “A light, a light!” (III.iii.20)

• This light represents Banquo and his son's life

• Banquo goes for a horse ride “For a dark hour or twain”- when Macbeth plans to kills him pg. 83 line 30

Act IV

“You secret, black, and midnight hags” (IV.i.48)

• The uses of secret, black, and midnight hags associates dark with evil

“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” (IV.iii.26)

• Malcolm compares Macbeth to Satan
• Satan was the highest angel and fell down to hell while Macbeth was considered the highest thane and fell by murdering Duncan and Banquo
• Angels are symbols of good described as “bright”
• Angel falling = Their "light" or goodness going out

Act V

• Lady Macbeth holds a candle as she slowly goes crazy
• believes light will protect her from evil
• Macbeth says “out, out, brief candle” (V.v.26) when Lady Macbeth dies
• Light going out indicates death

• Gentlewoman—“Why, it stood by her. She has light by / her continually. ‘Tis her command” (V.i.25-26)
• Lady Macbeth always carries a candle- afraid of dark

• “I gin to be a weary of the sun” (V.v.55)
• Macbeth is afraid of sun, a symbol of truth, while Malcolm knows the truth about the murders

Thank You!

By:

The witches

Duncan's Entrance

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth