r thoughts and actions about killing Duncan whileshe is reading Macbeth’s letter. She says “Come, thick night, and pall thee in the dunnestsmoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, not heaven peep throughthe blanket of the dark, to cry ‘Hold, hold’!” (Act I, scene v, ll.50-54). She is alreadyplanning the murder of Duncan long before her husband’s return. Here, she is asking thedarkness to enshroud her so she can not see the damage that her knife makes as she killsDuncan. She wants no one or nothing to stop her from committing this evil deed, and shewants the darkness to cover and hide her while she commits her heinous crime. Finally, towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth’s conscience is starting to getthe best of her and she begins to fear the darkness and nighttime. One night, when shehas gone to sleep, the nurse and doctor are observing her. She begins to come down thehall and the doctor says “How came she by that light?”(Act V, scene i, l.22). Then, thenurse says, “Why, it stood by her. She has light by her continually. ‘Tis her command”(Act V, scene i, ll. 23-24). This shows that she fears the darkness because she must keepa night lamp by her in order to sleep and feel safe. All of the guilt from Duncan andBanquo’s murders has caused her to not be able to sleep well and to dread the nighttime.She has become submissive and timid towards her husband, where before, she wasoverbearing and domineering. Her attitude completely changes throughout the play andcauses her to eventually commit suicide during the battle between Macbeth and Macduff. Throughout Macbeth, there are many examples of how guilt and conscience tie inwith night and darkness. A person’s guilt causes them to act differently and become atotally different person, as we saw with Lady Macbeth. Night and darkness is a centraltheme in the play, as it allows Macbeth and La...
