Spencer Ress“Night” is defined as the darkness that occurs between sunset and sunrise. The shadows of night hide what we wish to remain hidden, as the dawn can shed light on any evil deeds or thoughts that have taken place during the darkness. In Macbeth, Night helps Macbeth and Lady Macbeth commit evil deeds, but then they go mad due to guilt. The motif of the night helps Shakespeare reveal the larger theme that humans can only keep evil from influencing their consciousness for so long, showing the changing nature of Macbeth and his lady; they first show their desire to welcome the darkness and then suffer mental breakdowns associated with pain. Early in the play, Lady Macbeth exposes her strong desire for the night to come. Lady Macbeth learns that Duncan is coming to their castle. He believes that Macbeth does not have the ability to fulfill the witches' second prophecy. Standing in the castle kitchen, Lady Macbeth invokes the dark supernatural agents, saying, “Come into the thick night, and wrap thyself in the darkest smoke of hell” (1.5.49-50). There...