Question

question 7 of 10
read these passages:
macbeth. stars, hide your fires
let not light see my black and deep desires.
— william shakespeare, macbeth, act i, scene iv
lady macbeth. come, thick night,
and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
that my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
— william shakespeare, macbeth, act i, scene v
these lines help to create a scary tone by:
a. expressing the idea that the characters know they are sinful and will probably be punished for their crimes.
b. showing that macbeth and lady macbeth are in direct opposition and have a deep conflict.
c. using the image of darkness to imply that something bad will happen.
d. creating a sense of evil and showing that both characters believe in supernatural elements.

Explanation:

In Macbeth's lines, he asks the stars (sources of light) to hide, so his "black and deep desires" (evil intentions) won't be seen. Lady Macbeth calls for thick night and the "dunnest smoke of hell" so her knife won't see the wound it makes. Both use darkness - related imagery. Darkness is often associated with fear, the unknown, and bad events in literature. Option C focuses on the use of darkness as an image to imply bad things. Option A: There's no mention of knowing they'll be punished. Option B: They aren't in opposition here - they both have evil plans. Option D: While there's a sense of evil, the supernatural elements (like believing in them) aren't the main focus of these lines compared to the darkness - bad event implication.

Answer:

C. using the image of darkness to imply that something bad will happen.