macbeth
...cbeth and Lady Macbeth in the course of the play. The plot directly affecting Macbeth starts off when he meets the Three Witches who tell him a prophecy that piques his mind. They tell him that he will soon be the King of Scotland: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (I.iii.49). This scene takes place in darkness, and it is the first time we see darkness as being natural. There is thunder, and therefore there are gray clouds and it is dark. With the combination of the witches (known to society as being evil) and the darkness, we get the notion that there is something vile going on. Banquo, at one point in the play, defines the witches as being “the instruments of darkness” (I.iii.123). The witches’ prophecies lead him to consider the role and the privilege of being king which he would have never considered before. Apparently darkness, even at its initial, natural appearance, brought evil. The next appearance of darkness is used as a “blanket,” a hider of bad deeds. Macbeth says to himself, “Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires” (I.iv.51-52). In other words, he is asking for darkness to hide his evil desires. Just before Macbeth’s quote, Duncan names his successor, and it is not Macbeth. Duncan names his son Malcolm. After previous pondering, Macbeth realizes then that he must do something himself in order for the prophecy to come true. He decides to become king through foul play. He instantaneously calls upon darkness to be a blanket to hide his dark, evil desires so that he can preserve his benign outlook. It is noticeable that he went straight to calling darkness i...