Thread: Darkness, Light and Blood in Macbeth

Hi guys, I have a few questions about the first two paragraphs in my essay and I am wondering if someone knowledgeable could answer it.
This is my introduction paragraph:

Macbeth: Darkiness, Light and Blood
Shakespearen tragedies are plays where "individuals, however great they may be and however decisive their actions may appear, are so evidently not the ultimate power" (Leech, 43). Shakespear employs imagery in these tragedies to capture the moment and the person involved. In these imageries, light is a metaphor for "goodness, virtue, life" (Spurgeon, 329), darkness is an allegory for evil and death, and blood is an emblem for fear, horror and pain. Macbeth uses darkness as its atmosphere and to present the ghastly vice, utilizes light to reflect the phenomenal virtue, and at the same time, employs blood to illustrate the hideousness deeds.

Some questions for you all:

In these imageries, light is a metaphor for "goodness, virtue, life" (Spurgeon, 329), darkness is an allegory for evil and death, and blood is an emblem for fear, horror and pain.

Is this sentence nescessary in the topic sentence? Does it fit? More importantly, does it lead up to my thesis statement below and fit with it?

darkness as its atmosphere and to present the ghastly vice, utilizes light to reflect the phenomenal virtue,

Between vice, and utilizes, my friend said there is something. It just doesn't sound right. I can't figure out what's missing, do you guys know?


My first paragraph:

Darkness, the predominate atmosphere of the play, is a symbolic representation of the residing evil. The imagery is foremost alluded in Macbeth's rejection of "signs of nobleness" (1.4.47) from Duncan. His appalling retort to Duncan's speech is (/was, what tense should be useds here?) "stars, hide your fires; /let not light see my black and deep desires" (1.4.50-51). His desires are the contemplations of murder and they are so terrible that only murdiness (right word?) can accommodate them.

His appalling retort to Duncan's speech is/was,

which tense should be used here?

His desires are the contemplations of murder and they are so terrible that only murdiness (right word?) can accommodate them.

Does this setence sound akward? Sounds a bit to me. Is the word murdiness a good word to put there? I replaced the word darkness with it because my teacher doesn't like see words repeated too much.


Contine on.


The imagery iis elucidated in Lady Macbeth for a similar purpose. During her unnerving soliloquy, Lady Macbeth requests the presence of gloom so that her "keen knife see not the wound it makes./ not heaven peep through the blanket of dark /to cry 'Hold, hold' " (1.5.57-61). Thus, it can be seen that characters in Macbeth calls on the villainous darkness to act as a blanket to hide their maleficus thoughts.

Thus, it can be seen that characters in Macbeth calls on the villainous darkness to act as a blanket to hide their maleficus thoughts.

I used some big words here after searchign through their meaning from OED. Do they seem fitting?

Banquo comments this darkness as "there's husbandary in heaven;/their candles are all out" (2.1.4-5). Even on the following day, "dark night strangles the traveling lamp " (2.4.7).

Banquo comments.. should this be comments or commented? I am a bit confused about present tenses. I thought that if I am expressing the truth or a fact, I shoudl use the present tense.


That's all for now. Thanks alot.

I use to do this stuff all the time in high school. I was big on Shakespeare and writing up reviews on dramatic plays. However, I'm very rusty.

Red = Things that need to be edited
Green = Suggestions
Yellow = I MAY BE WRONG

Originally Posted by p3t3r1

Hi guys, I have a few questions about the first two paragraphs in my essay and I am wondering if someone knowledgeable could answer it.
This is my introductory paragraph:

Macbeth: Darkness, Light, and Blood (comma usage differs upon country location)

Shakespearean tragedies are plays where "individuals, however great they may be and however decisive their actions may appear, are so evidently not the ultimate power" (Leech, 43). Shakespeare employs imagery in these tragedies to capture the moment (what moment? what type of moment?) and the person involved. In these imageries, light is a metaphor for "goodness, virtue, life." Darkness is an allegory for evil and death; blood is an emblem for fear, horror and pain. (Spurgeon, 329) (Is the "Darkness is an.." line from Spurgeon 329? If so, then you may want to put it after the darkness sentence.)Macbeth uses darkness as its atmosphere, and to present the ghastly vice, it utilizes light to reflect the phenomenal virtue. At the same time, (there seems to be some ambiguity: darkness or the atmosphere? I don't remember Macbeth that well.) employs blood to illustrate the hideous (USE A DICTIONARY) deeds.

Darkness, the predominate atmosphere of the play, is a symbolic representation of the residing evil. (what evil? Dark lighting around the castle because of movie production budget? What type of darkness? Go into depth.) The imagery is foremost alluded in Macbeth's rejection of the "signs of nobleness" (1.4.47) from Duncan. His appalling retort to Duncan's speech is (/was, what tense should be useds here?) "stars, hide your fires; /let not light see my black and deep desires" (1.4.50-51). (I think 'is' will be O.K....people correct me if I'm wrong.) His desires are the contemplations of murder, (conjuctinons need a comma) and they are so terrible that only murdiness (right word?) (dictionaries are your friend; no. What are you trying to say? If you can't use a short word, try using something longer until you can find a way to condense it.) brutal and surreptitious slaughter can accommodate them. (you seem to have kept present tense consistent through the paragraph, so far.)



which tense should be used here?
(you seem to have kept present tense consistent through the paragraph, so far.)
I could be wrong.


Does this setence sound awkward? Sounds a bit to me. Is the word murdiness a good word to put there? I replaced the word darkness with it because my teacher doesn't like see words repeated too much. Perhaps don't use darkness again, but try using something with a few more words but more complex..



The imagery iis elucidated in Lady Macbeth for a similar purpose. During her unnerving soliloquy, Lady Macbeth requests the presence of gloom so that her "keen knife see not the wound it makes./ not heaven peep through the blanket of dark /to cry 'Hold, hold' " (1.5.57-61). Thus, it can be seen that characters in Macbeth call -s on the villainous darkness to act as a blanket to hide their malicious(?) thoughts.


I used some big words here after searchign through their meaning from Oxford English Dictionary. (I'm psychic, otherwise I wouldn't know what that meant.) Do they seem fitting?

Banquo comments this darkness as "there's husbandary in heaven;/their candles are all out" (2.1.4-5). Even on the following day, "dark night strangles the traveling lamp " (2.4.7).

Banquo comments.. should this be comments or commented? I am a bit confused about present tenses. I thought that if I am expressing the truth or a fact, I shoudl use the present tense.


That's all for now. Thanks alot.