Light and Dark Act 1:
Light and Dark is used very commonly and repeatedly in the play, and it is kind of easy to find as finding things that relate to light meaning good and dark meaning evil. Since the beginning of the play a relation to dark and light can be found, “thunder and lighting. Enter three Witches”(I. Scene 1. Top of the page) it makes the setting be dark, with witches entering, first impression is important in plays and a dark environment at the beginning grabs your attention and makes it perfect for the witches to appear. Even though lightnings could be with light and light it is meant to be good, in this as those lights (lightning) are shown with thunder and witches appear they could be named as “dark lights”. All the time the witches will appear on the play the audience will have the image of darkness and evil because of how the setting put them in the play. During the play characters also mention darkness and light as important points, for example Banquo says “and often times, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths (1.3.134-137), it refers to the witches and what they said to both of them, the quote means that sometimes evil people (witches) tell people something true to make us do evil things, which in a future we know it will be the murder of Duncan to fulfill what the witches said. Duncan in Scene 1, Act 4 47-48 says “But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers” which relates to Banquo as Banquo is a noble man and is always mentioned as “Noble Banquo”, so Duncan says that all noble actions should be known as stars “light” meaning the good and ill shine also in all the people that deserve to and are noble (Banquo). When wanting to kill Duncan to get the crown Macbeth says to himself something really important “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” (I, IV, 57-58) which means that he does not want his good side (light) to see what his bad side want to do which is killing Duncan to get the crown, therefore stars need to “hide their fires”, in a way he is accepting that he is doing something bad but he wants to hide it and his goodness not to see this actions and thinkings.
Lady Macbeth also uses light and darkness similar to Macbeth as mentioned above, “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!” (1.5.57-61) which what Lady Macbeth is trying says is that she does not want anyone including herself to see what she will do which is murdering Duncan; the darkness and/or evil “thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell” will cover her action what was written by the witches and then the good in her self (light) and also everyone else will not see it. Lastly Lady Macbeth says after knowing when will Duncan go to the castle “O never, shall sun that morrow see” (1. 6. 71-72) here Lady Macbeth refers to sun as something good which is the light, sun=light, so she is saying that Duncan will not see the next day, he will not see the light again, that day will not come again. Here light is helping us to see and know how bad the murder is, murder is evil (dark) controlling Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan.
Good explanation of light and dark. Very detailed and clearly structured, but could use more of a sophisticated vocabulary. Also, Juan you can be careful on not repeating words, and watch out for sentences that don’t make sense.
Act 2:
Light and dark imagery is presented in act 2 as it was also presented in act 1. Starting by Banquo asking Fleance “How goes the night?”(2.1.1) not referring directly to how is the night but asking what time it is. Then in the same scene appears again when Banquo says “There’s husbandry in heaven; Their candles are all out”(2.1.6-7) what Banquo is trying to say is that the night sky is completely dark, all the stars are out, the candles making reference to the stars. Also this could mean that the sky is turning so dark that it is like blindness, heaven won’t see anything, all sign of heaven (light) which would be the stars, are out; making the audience think and imagine that something bad is going to happen. In act 2 scene 3, lines 61-70, Lennox and Macbeth talk about who was the night Lennox saying first “the night has been unruly. Where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say, Lamentings heard i´th´air, strange screams of death” (2.3.61-64) Lennox is describing the night that he had, how weird it was and how he felt everywhere death, it was really dark, with death in the aid where they could be heard. “The obscure bird clamored the livelong night” (2.6.67-68), the word “obscure” means really dark and it is not only a simple dark but and evil dark, like a dark moment that will occur or has occurred, and the bird was around all the night and the whole night was long and obscure. Macbeth answers to Macduff by saying “Twas a rough night” (2.3.70), agreeing with him and knowing that all that Macduff had described about the night was true, the night indeed was full of evil, and screams of death the ones of Duncan and in the air there were lamentings, those lamentings would be of Macbeth. In scene 4 Ross that the morning after Duncan’s murder is very dark “By th´clock ´tis day, and yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp. Is´t nights´predominance or the day´s shame” (2.4.7-10), the “traveling lamp” would be the sun, but the sun did not go out that day only darkness, therefore Ross thinks that the night beated the light, the night was stronger because during the night the murder occurred and there was no light on it and the day (sun) was ashamed of going out and light the day. It is also a change in the chain of normal things, being the night (evil) overtaking the light (good) even during the day. Finally Ross says “darkness does the face of earth entomb” (2.4.11-12) meaning that the new face of the earth is evil, darkness, that it has buried the day and the light (good) of the earth. This act and all its relations to dark and light made me think and imagine that for future acts that each time they mention murder, hell, dire or dagger it relates to night and possible the action is taken at night, because of all the evil things that occurred during the night in this case the assassination of Duncan.
Juan, you have done a good analysis of the dark/light motif here and included lots of important evidence. (Remember: Use paragraphs!!! “Beat” for present and past tense.)
Act 3: Light vs Dark
Light and dark and its effect on the play and how it relates to the play, has appear in all of the acts and act 3 is not an exception. In act 3 the first sign of the use of dark and light is on scene 1 when Macbeth says “Till seven at night. To make society the sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself till suppertime alone. While the, God be with you” (3.i.45-47) these lines are really creepy as Macbeth refers directly to the night and when he will meet with Banquo, and with previous experience we have know that night is a sign of death and murder and probably the actions that Macbeth are the same. In the same scene at the end Macbeth again refers to night and darkness when he says to the murderers “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” (3.1.154-156) here it is referred to dark literally because Banquo and Fleance will be riding at night when they will be attacked by the murderers; but also the hour will be dark because in that moment Banquo and Fleance will find the final darkness, the “dark hour” which means that they will die, but Fleance does not as he scapes.
In scene 2 Macbeth talks to Lady Macbeth and tells her that he really wants night to come, and what he will do will leave him finally done having all what he wanted, at the end of the seen Macbeth talks to Lady Macbeth but it seems that he is talking to the night “Come seeling night, scarf up the tender eye pitiful day and with thy bloody and invisible hand cancel and tear to pieces that great bond which keeps me pale” (3.2.53-56) here Macbeth is asking the darkness (night) to take away Banquo´s life because Banquo is the cause why Macbeth is in fear and so worried “pale”. Macbeth also says that the night needs to cover the light (day) because what he is going to do is too bad for the good (light/day) to see, and the night needs to cover it; also this last part may refer that thinking in his afterlife he does not want the good (heaven) to see what he will do and wants evil (hell) to be on his side and cover the light and what he will do. In that same talk Macbeth says “”good things of day begin to droop and drowse, while´s night’s black agents to their preys do rouse” (3.2.58-60) here Macbeth is saying that everything is getting prepared for what is going to happen and he wants all those dark agents such as the bat, the beetle and Hecate (which is the most important witch) to be in his side because it makes Macbeth feel safe and strong.
In scene 3 when the murderers are ready to kill Banquo one of the murderers says “the west yet glimmers with some streaks of day” (3.iii.7) meaning that there is still light in that dark night and that light is Fleance light that the murderers see and it is what they used as the sign to attack. We know that Fleance is carrying the light because on the instructions of the play Shakespeare wrote “Enter Banquo and Fleance, with a torch”. The the next appearance of light is when the murderer shouts “A light, a light!” (3.iii.20) referring to Fleance light that even though in the night there was still a light different from Duncan’s death where there was no light, meaning that when there is a light the good still have a chance to win, in this case referring to Fleance life that was saved. Finally a murderer ask “who did strike out the light?” (3.iii.26) which can either mean who was the one who turned off the light and now we can’t see anything, or it can mean that they cannot find the light and that the one with the light in this case Fleance has escaped.
In act 4 dark and light appears again now after Banquo’s ghost has appeared to Macbeth, Macbeth asks Lady Macbeth “What is the night?” (3.iv.157) and Lady Macbeth answers “Almost at odds with morning, which is which” (3.iv.158) there Macbeth asks what does Lady Macbeth thinks of the night, and what Lady Macbeth answers is that he does not really knows how to differentiate between morning and night, as both are now the same, that is what it is meant by “which is which”, cannot know when is night and when is day, because in both she is probably suffering and in fear.
Act 4 Dark and Light:
Dark and light again appear in this act and as seen in previous acts each time dark is mentioned it is related to evil. The first mention of darkness is on scene 1 when the witches are making their spell preparing to see Macbeth,“root of hemlock digged i´th´dark” (4.1.25) and “silvered in the moon’s eclipse” (4.1.28) in this two darkness helps to build an environment of evil in which the witches are making their spell, and also all that paragraph and dialogue between the witches in which they mention darkness, parts of animals, dangerous plants and all that it creates an environment of chaos and evil a pure dark environment. Later on the same scene Macbeth meets with the witches “how now, you secret, black and midnight hags?”(4.1.49) we know that Macbeth visits the witches in the morning so the word “midnight and black” does not mean that it is happening at night but instead Macbeth relates this words to evil, describing how the witches are, that they are full of evil.
In scene 3 there are also references to darkness, here Malcolm refers to Scotland as a dark place controlled by Macbeth who is a dark tyrant. At the beginning of scene 3 in the first two pages Malcolm and Macduff describe Scotland as a place that has changed how it is, that now is under darkness but also Macbeth “angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” (4.1.27) here it may refer to Macbeth that he has changed how he is, making a comparison to Lucifer as he was bright and in a high position as well as noble, but as he killed Duncan and Banquo betraying others he took the same steps as Lucifer. Also this quote can mean that Scotland is like an angel that it is still there but the light of it has gone or is weaker due to Macbeth which is an agent of chaos and darkness. Malcolm also in this same scene describes Macbeth as “black Macbeth” (4.1.63) which means that Macbeth is an agent of chaos that he has changed from being a noble person to a dark one, as he goes with the witches, he asks for their prophecies, he murders he is a complete dark person and a tyrant in which Scotland is under control. Finally the last phrase that Malcolm says to Macduff after trying to convince him to defend Scotland and take out the darkness (Macbeth) Malcolm says “The night is long that never finds the day”(4.1.282) this quote has a really important meaning which is that even though Macbeth reign is full of darkness, chaos and evil it will come to an end. That his reign looks eternal and the dark moments but Macbeth is mortal so his end will come and that night that is on Scotland and that invades everyone will come to an end and light, peace and order will come back again. Everything has a natural order and that is inevitable, there Macduff has the chance to attack and kill Macbeth and get what he deserves and restore Scotland bringing light again.
Act 5: Darkness and light.
Act 5 is the final act of Macbeth and as seen in previous acts there is always the motif of darkness and light and here it couldn´t miss. Starting in act 5 scene 1 lines 23-15 when the doctor talks to the gentlewoman of Lady Macbeth actions, of what is she doing that she is sleepwalking, “How came she by that light?” “Why it stood by her. She has light by her continually. Tis her command”, here it is when Lady Macbeth appears with the light and we have the impression that Lady Macbeth is scared and with that light of the candles he tries to make the darkness not to get closer from her and seeks protection through the light, as she has leave all that time in pure darkness, by the assassinations and all the bad things she has done, he realizes it while sleeping and seeks for the light to find hope and protection. Then in scene 2 lines 81-83 the doctor says “So, good night. My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight. I think but I dare not to speak”, in this part the sense of night is literally night, to wish a good night to the gentlewoman who will be taking care of Lady Macbeth, however we know that in previous acts when night arrives, darkness comes to, meaning that something bad will happen and we can make the guess that Lady Macbeth might die. At the beginning of scene 4 also another apparition of darkness and light appears, “Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe” (5.4.1-2) here Malcolm refers to “days” as good days with light are close to come if we accomplish our mission, but also the chamber which cause a visual dark imagery of dungeons will be safe. In act 5 two connections to light and dark appear. “To the last syllable of recorded time, and all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! (5.5.25-26) he refers to brief candle to the life of Lady Macbeth that was short. But Macbeth also is losing his mind, as he realizes all the issues he needs to face but also that his wife just died, Macbeth says that to live is for fools because life has no meaning, Macbeth is wishing he could die, because he has been in such a darkness and in the evil side and that he cannot hold it anymore. But the way to death is not that easy and clear, as Macbeth can only be killed by a man not born from a woman. Finally in scene 5 line 55-56 Macbeth says “I gin be aweary of the sun And wish th´state o´th´world were now undone” here Macbeth is saying that he is scared of the sun which is the light, and in a way Malcolm, Macduff and all the possible rivals he can face, but he tries not to be and tell their army to not be frighten and be confident when going to war. Finally when Macbeth dies there is no reference to darkness and light however there could be a guess of hwo the image can be portrayed after he dies, in which light and sun comes out and the darkness of the world and the evil disappears, as Macbeth has died and Malcolm is the new king.
Macbeth Characters and Motifs 
Light and Dark Act 1:
Light and Dark is used very commonly and repeatedly in the play, and it is kind of easy to find as finding things that relate to light meaning good and dark meaning evil. Since the beginning of the play a relation to dark and light can be found, “thunder and lighting. Enter three Witches”(I. Scene 1. Top of the page) it makes the setting be dark, with witches entering, first impression is important in plays and a dark environment at the beginning grabs your attention and makes it perfect for the witches to appear. Even though lightnings could be with light and light it is meant to be good, in this as those lights (lightning) are shown with thunder and witches appear they could be named as “dark lights”. All the time the witches will appear on the play the audience will have the image of darkness and evil because of how the setting put them in the play. During the play characters also mention darkness and light as important points, for example Banquo says “and often times, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths (1.3.134-137), it refers to the witches and what they said to both of them, the quote means that sometimes evil people (witches) tell people something true to make us do evil things, which in a future we know it will be the murder of Duncan to fulfill what the witches said. Duncan in Scene 1, Act 4 47-48 says “But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers” which relates to Banquo as Banquo is a noble man and is always mentioned as “Noble Banquo”, so Duncan says that all noble actions should be known as stars “light” meaning the good and ill shine also in all the people that deserve to and are noble (Banquo). When wanting to kill Duncan to get the crown Macbeth says to himself something really important “Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires” (I, IV, 57-58) which means that he does not want his good side (light) to see what his bad side want to do which is killing Duncan to get the crown, therefore stars need to “hide their fires”, in a way he is accepting that he is doing something bad but he wants to hide it and his goodness not to see this actions and thinkings.
Lady Macbeth also uses light and darkness similar to Macbeth as mentioned above, “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!” (1.5.57-61) which what Lady Macbeth is trying says is that she does not want anyone including herself to see what she will do which is murdering Duncan; the darkness and/or evil “thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell” will cover her action what was written by the witches and then the good in her self (light) and also everyone else will not see it. Lastly Lady Macbeth says after knowing when will Duncan go to the castle “O never, shall sun that morrow see” (1. 6. 71-72) here Lady Macbeth refers to sun as something good which is the light, sun=light, so she is saying that Duncan will not see the next day, he will not see the light again, that day will not come again. Here light is helping us to see and know how bad the murder is, murder is evil (dark) controlling Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan.
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Juan, good comments on how both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth call on darkness (evil) in Act I.
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Good explanation of light and dark. Very detailed and clearly structured, but could use more of a sophisticated vocabulary. Also, Juan you can be careful on not repeating words, and watch out for sentences that don’t make sense.
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Act 2:
Light and dark imagery is presented in act 2 as it was also presented in act 1. Starting by Banquo asking Fleance “How goes the night?”(2.1.1) not referring directly to how is the night but asking what time it is. Then in the same scene appears again when Banquo says “There’s husbandry in heaven; Their candles are all out”(2.1.6-7) what Banquo is trying to say is that the night sky is completely dark, all the stars are out, the candles making reference to the stars. Also this could mean that the sky is turning so dark that it is like blindness, heaven won’t see anything, all sign of heaven (light) which would be the stars, are out; making the audience think and imagine that something bad is going to happen. In act 2 scene 3, lines 61-70, Lennox and Macbeth talk about who was the night Lennox saying first “the night has been unruly. Where we lay, Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say, Lamentings heard i´th´air, strange screams of death” (2.3.61-64) Lennox is describing the night that he had, how weird it was and how he felt everywhere death, it was really dark, with death in the aid where they could be heard. “The obscure bird clamored the livelong night” (2.6.67-68), the word “obscure” means really dark and it is not only a simple dark but and evil dark, like a dark moment that will occur or has occurred, and the bird was around all the night and the whole night was long and obscure. Macbeth answers to Macduff by saying “Twas a rough night” (2.3.70), agreeing with him and knowing that all that Macduff had described about the night was true, the night indeed was full of evil, and screams of death the ones of Duncan and in the air there were lamentings, those lamentings would be of Macbeth. In scene 4 Ross that the morning after Duncan’s murder is very dark “By th´clock ´tis day, and yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp. Is´t nights´predominance or the day´s shame” (2.4.7-10), the “traveling lamp” would be the sun, but the sun did not go out that day only darkness, therefore Ross thinks that the night beated the light, the night was stronger because during the night the murder occurred and there was no light on it and the day (sun) was ashamed of going out and light the day. It is also a change in the chain of normal things, being the night (evil) overtaking the light (good) even during the day. Finally Ross says “darkness does the face of earth entomb” (2.4.11-12) meaning that the new face of the earth is evil, darkness, that it has buried the day and the light (good) of the earth. This act and all its relations to dark and light made me think and imagine that for future acts that each time they mention murder, hell, dire or dagger it relates to night and possible the action is taken at night, because of all the evil things that occurred during the night in this case the assassination of Duncan.
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Juan, you have done a good analysis of the dark/light motif here and included lots of important evidence. (Remember: Use paragraphs!!! “Beat” for present and past tense.)
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Act 3: Light vs Dark
Light and dark and its effect on the play and how it relates to the play, has appear in all of the acts and act 3 is not an exception. In act 3 the first sign of the use of dark and light is on scene 1 when Macbeth says “Till seven at night. To make society the sweeter welcome, we will keep ourself till suppertime alone. While the, God be with you” (3.i.45-47) these lines are really creepy as Macbeth refers directly to the night and when he will meet with Banquo, and with previous experience we have know that night is a sign of death and murder and probably the actions that Macbeth are the same. In the same scene at the end Macbeth again refers to night and darkness when he says to the murderers “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” (3.1.154-156) here it is referred to dark literally because Banquo and Fleance will be riding at night when they will be attacked by the murderers; but also the hour will be dark because in that moment Banquo and Fleance will find the final darkness, the “dark hour” which means that they will die, but Fleance does not as he scapes.
In scene 2 Macbeth talks to Lady Macbeth and tells her that he really wants night to come, and what he will do will leave him finally done having all what he wanted, at the end of the seen Macbeth talks to Lady Macbeth but it seems that he is talking to the night “Come seeling night, scarf up the tender eye pitiful day and with thy bloody and invisible hand cancel and tear to pieces that great bond which keeps me pale” (3.2.53-56) here Macbeth is asking the darkness (night) to take away Banquo´s life because Banquo is the cause why Macbeth is in fear and so worried “pale”. Macbeth also says that the night needs to cover the light (day) because what he is going to do is too bad for the good (light/day) to see, and the night needs to cover it; also this last part may refer that thinking in his afterlife he does not want the good (heaven) to see what he will do and wants evil (hell) to be on his side and cover the light and what he will do. In that same talk Macbeth says “”good things of day begin to droop and drowse, while´s night’s black agents to their preys do rouse” (3.2.58-60) here Macbeth is saying that everything is getting prepared for what is going to happen and he wants all those dark agents such as the bat, the beetle and Hecate (which is the most important witch) to be in his side because it makes Macbeth feel safe and strong.
In scene 3 when the murderers are ready to kill Banquo one of the murderers says “the west yet glimmers with some streaks of day” (3.iii.7) meaning that there is still light in that dark night and that light is Fleance light that the murderers see and it is what they used as the sign to attack. We know that Fleance is carrying the light because on the instructions of the play Shakespeare wrote “Enter Banquo and Fleance, with a torch”. The the next appearance of light is when the murderer shouts “A light, a light!” (3.iii.20) referring to Fleance light that even though in the night there was still a light different from Duncan’s death where there was no light, meaning that when there is a light the good still have a chance to win, in this case referring to Fleance life that was saved. Finally a murderer ask “who did strike out the light?” (3.iii.26) which can either mean who was the one who turned off the light and now we can’t see anything, or it can mean that they cannot find the light and that the one with the light in this case Fleance has escaped.
In act 4 dark and light appears again now after Banquo’s ghost has appeared to Macbeth, Macbeth asks Lady Macbeth “What is the night?” (3.iv.157) and Lady Macbeth answers “Almost at odds with morning, which is which” (3.iv.158) there Macbeth asks what does Lady Macbeth thinks of the night, and what Lady Macbeth answers is that he does not really knows how to differentiate between morning and night, as both are now the same, that is what it is meant by “which is which”, cannot know when is night and when is day, because in both she is probably suffering and in fear.
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Juan, very good comments on light/dark and nicely organized analysis.
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Act 4 Dark and Light:
Dark and light again appear in this act and as seen in previous acts each time dark is mentioned it is related to evil. The first mention of darkness is on scene 1 when the witches are making their spell preparing to see Macbeth,“root of hemlock digged i´th´dark” (4.1.25) and “silvered in the moon’s eclipse” (4.1.28) in this two darkness helps to build an environment of evil in which the witches are making their spell, and also all that paragraph and dialogue between the witches in which they mention darkness, parts of animals, dangerous plants and all that it creates an environment of chaos and evil a pure dark environment. Later on the same scene Macbeth meets with the witches “how now, you secret, black and midnight hags?”(4.1.49) we know that Macbeth visits the witches in the morning so the word “midnight and black” does not mean that it is happening at night but instead Macbeth relates this words to evil, describing how the witches are, that they are full of evil.
In scene 3 there are also references to darkness, here Malcolm refers to Scotland as a dark place controlled by Macbeth who is a dark tyrant. At the beginning of scene 3 in the first two pages Malcolm and Macduff describe Scotland as a place that has changed how it is, that now is under darkness but also Macbeth “angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” (4.1.27) here it may refer to Macbeth that he has changed how he is, making a comparison to Lucifer as he was bright and in a high position as well as noble, but as he killed Duncan and Banquo betraying others he took the same steps as Lucifer. Also this quote can mean that Scotland is like an angel that it is still there but the light of it has gone or is weaker due to Macbeth which is an agent of chaos and darkness. Malcolm also in this same scene describes Macbeth as “black Macbeth” (4.1.63) which means that Macbeth is an agent of chaos that he has changed from being a noble person to a dark one, as he goes with the witches, he asks for their prophecies, he murders he is a complete dark person and a tyrant in which Scotland is under control. Finally the last phrase that Malcolm says to Macduff after trying to convince him to defend Scotland and take out the darkness (Macbeth) Malcolm says “The night is long that never finds the day”(4.1.282) this quote has a really important meaning which is that even though Macbeth reign is full of darkness, chaos and evil it will come to an end. That his reign looks eternal and the dark moments but Macbeth is mortal so his end will come and that night that is on Scotland and that invades everyone will come to an end and light, peace and order will come back again. Everything has a natural order and that is inevitable, there Macduff has the chance to attack and kill Macbeth and get what he deserves and restore Scotland bringing light again.
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Juan, very nice analysis of your motif and key evidence in Act IV. (Watch agreement issues – this vs. these.)
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Act 5: Darkness and light.
Act 5 is the final act of Macbeth and as seen in previous acts there is always the motif of darkness and light and here it couldn´t miss. Starting in act 5 scene 1 lines 23-15 when the doctor talks to the gentlewoman of Lady Macbeth actions, of what is she doing that she is sleepwalking, “How came she by that light?” “Why it stood by her. She has light by her continually. Tis her command”, here it is when Lady Macbeth appears with the light and we have the impression that Lady Macbeth is scared and with that light of the candles he tries to make the darkness not to get closer from her and seeks protection through the light, as she has leave all that time in pure darkness, by the assassinations and all the bad things she has done, he realizes it while sleeping and seeks for the light to find hope and protection. Then in scene 2 lines 81-83 the doctor says “So, good night. My mind she has mated, and amazed my sight. I think but I dare not to speak”, in this part the sense of night is literally night, to wish a good night to the gentlewoman who will be taking care of Lady Macbeth, however we know that in previous acts when night arrives, darkness comes to, meaning that something bad will happen and we can make the guess that Lady Macbeth might die. At the beginning of scene 4 also another apparition of darkness and light appears, “Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand That chambers will be safe” (5.4.1-2) here Malcolm refers to “days” as good days with light are close to come if we accomplish our mission, but also the chamber which cause a visual dark imagery of dungeons will be safe. In act 5 two connections to light and dark appear. “To the last syllable of recorded time, and all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! (5.5.25-26) he refers to brief candle to the life of Lady Macbeth that was short. But Macbeth also is losing his mind, as he realizes all the issues he needs to face but also that his wife just died, Macbeth says that to live is for fools because life has no meaning, Macbeth is wishing he could die, because he has been in such a darkness and in the evil side and that he cannot hold it anymore. But the way to death is not that easy and clear, as Macbeth can only be killed by a man not born from a woman. Finally in scene 5 line 55-56 Macbeth says “I gin be aweary of the sun And wish th´state o´th´world were now undone” here Macbeth is saying that he is scared of the sun which is the light, and in a way Malcolm, Macduff and all the possible rivals he can face, but he tries not to be and tell their army to not be frighten and be confident when going to war. Finally when Macbeth dies there is no reference to darkness and light however there could be a guess of hwo the image can be portrayed after he dies, in which light and sun comes out and the darkness of the world and the evil disappears, as Macbeth has died and Malcolm is the new king.
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Good analysis and use of quotations. Watch spelling at times.
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