Macbeth: Darkness Flashcards
Darkness
Banquo reaction to Macbeth asking whether he wants his sons to be kings
” the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequences”
definite article “the” dehumanises the witches - outcast from humans
superlative “deepest” shows Banquo hesitance and concern in witches prophecy
Banquo recognises the witches evil shown by the light motif of “darkness”
CONT: witches
Witches
Evil
Supernatural
stars fires
Macbeth is in an aside plotting Duncan murder
“Stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires”
contrast of light imagery shown by “stars” and “black” emphasises Macbeth conflicted personality and tumultuous mental nature
Imperative verb “hide” to command nature like “stars” could be seen as blasphemous by jacobean audience and seen against nature
In an aside showing his true feelings/ deceitful and flase appearences as not sharing true feelings with anyone else
ryhming mimcs witches showing macbeth is becoming more like them
- false appearences
- LNK to “dunnest smoke of hell” quote
smoke hell
Lady Macbeth soliquoy after reading Macbeth letter
“Come thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smokes of hell….nor heaven peep through blanket of dark “
Imperative verb “Come” shows LM power however it also shows a bit of her arrogance as she is commanding nature like the “night” showing her arrogance and the Jacobean audience could also see it as blasphemous as she is breaking the cycle of nature
reilgiouis nouns “hell” and “heaven” shows LM is aware of consequences of regicide but does it anyway shocking jacobean audience
“peep” - weak noun to describe heaven showing LM arrogance as she is disregarding heaven
