Symbols

In our society, darkness tends to be the primary characteristic of evil. A black cat, a dark and stormy night, and a dark alley, for instance, are all modern day symbols of wickedness and evil. Authors many times will use these and other symbols to describe an evil character or setting. William Shakespeare employs the imagery of darkness throughout his play of Macbeth. He uses dark images often to describe instruments of disorder and the evils which characters act upon. In Macbeth, Shakespeare's use of the night's dark hour's give a sense of evil to the play. The words, actions, and descriptions of people such as the witches, Macbeth shows this, and even of other characters who are thought to be against all evil. Evil is present throughout the play, at a time when there is no light, and Scotland is covered by a shadow of darkness. In Macbeth, the witches are a prime source of darkness. First of all, the place and time of the witch's meetings all take on the feeling of darkness. The only times of their meetings are in the middle of the night, and often in terrible conditions of thunder and lightning. The witches meet in a dark cave. The cave is an appropriate setting for the witches because caves are murky and gloomy, and tend to represent the ideas of the underworld and hell. From the conditions and the location that the witches meet, a feeling of evil is already created. The appearance of the witches also adds to the feeling of darkness and evil. The witches are described as being, secret, black, and midnight hags! by Macbeth himself (Act IV, i, 47). The image today of a witch is an old, ugly woman who dresses all in black, and has a wart on her nose, and rides around on a broomstick. The picture hasn't changed much, except for the fact she now rides around on a broom. Witches still practice their magic, casting spells and hexes, looking into the future, and creating mystical potions, all things that manifest wickedness. Banquo even refers to the witches as instruments of darkness (Act I, iii, 125) after their first prophecy comes true. The witch's dark meeting place and dark appearance all emphasize their evil nature and the feeling of evil in the play. Nighttime is obviously a key setting for darkness and evil. Besides the witches meeting only at night, the dark hours also host other major event which take place in the play. The murdering of King Duncan takes place at night. Once again, nighttime is a host for the most evil of deeds. Death is by far one of the most villainous acts, and the fact that it takes place at night ties it in with darkness representing evil in the play. Macbeth chooses to murder the king at night because it is the most concealing time to do it. Everyone has retired to their chambers and is sleeping when Macbeth goes to do is evil act. He is able to sneak into the king's room and kill him without waking anyone, and quickly washes his hands and returns to his own room. When Macduff and Malcom wake the castle, Macbeth has already unclothed himself to look as if he were just waking up from the commotion. When the King is discovered dead, all meets in their pajamas and no one is suspected of being awake and killing the King. Let's briefly put on manly readiness, and meet i' th' hall together, says Macbeth to put distance between him and the murder. Darkness and the nighttime, in this case, help Macbeth to hide his evil actions. Nighttime is also the time in which Banquo is murdered. Banquo and his son must leave one day from Scone, but will make it back in time for Macbeth's banquet. As far, my lord, as I will fill up the timeÐ'...I must become a borrower of the night. For a dark hour of twain, Banquo says to Macbeth, stating his intentions. When Macbeth hears that Banquo and Fleance will be returning home at night, he commissions two murderers and says to them The moment on't; for't must be done tonightÐ'...Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart. Macbeth tells the murderers that Banquo must be killed that night in the