麦克白黑暗意象分析

Night and Darkness in Macbeth

Night and darkness usually is associated with evil and bloody sights or chaos in literature. For example, a Chinese play thunderstorm by Cao Yu uses darkness to symbolize the changes of emotion and to create a kind of intense atmosphere for the climax of the plot. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare also applies night and darkness as an important imagery, both literally and figuratively. In this sense, two functions of night and darkness in Macbeth are found, first as a symbol of evil spirits and second as depiction of environment to cause gloomy atmosphere.

（一）Night and darkness works as a symbol of evil spirits

Firstly, darkness was closely associated with the three witches to imply their wickedness. In the beginning of this play a sense of darkness was created by thunder and lightning when the three witches appeared. From the depiction of scene and their words, we had the feeling that something bad may happen. Of course nothing good will be associated with thunder and lightning, or fog and filthy air. Then later in scene 3 Banquo also described the witches as evil and wi cked when saying “And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence.”(1.3.135-138). When connecting this with what happened in the end, it’s not difficult to find that the witches were indeed good at playing the game of words. They told Macbeth what seems promising, and then dragged him into darkness. Later Macbeth himself claimed the witches as "you secret, black, and midnight hags!" (4.1.48). Macbeth actually associated the witches with evils. However, the three witches also could be regarded as the dark side inside

Macbeth. It was his own ambition that set him on the dirty track.

Consequently, night and darkness was too a symbol for the evil of Macbeth. He descended into a merciless murderer step by step because of his ambition and subconscious nature. After Duncan declared Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland, Macbeth for the first time had revealed his evil side obviously. “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 ey e fears, when it is done, to see” was his monologue after the declaration (1.4.57-60). In this case, his black and deep desire was dragging him down. At that moment he had already planned to kill Duncan and Malcolm, who were actually the stars Macbeth suggested. While Duncan and Malcolm represented nobleness like stars, Macbeth descended into evil.

What’s more, darkness and night were also used to indicate vicious deed of Lady Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth received a letter from her husband, she said “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). Night and darkness here was again referred to evil spirit. Different from act 5, Lady Macbeth here was resolute, firm and confident. She was even looking forward to the dark to come, both dark night and dark nature, which would combine to facilitate the murder of Duncan. However, later at the end of this play, she sleepwalked in her sleep at night with a candle. Here night was compared with candle to show the struggle between evil and goodness. However, she had walked too far. A little candle was not enough to drive out darkness since her hand was full of blood.