In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, imagery is used to set the tone of a passage, bring contrast and irony to scenes, and help display the character. Shakespeare uses the imagery of clothing, darkness, and blood in an exceptional way to describe his play. Each of these is an important symbol used throughout the play. They contribute to a complete understanding of a passage or the piece as a whole. Clothing is frequently used as an image in Macbeth to help display Macbeth's character. The clothes show that Macbeth is trying to hide inner evil and his own guilt from others. Shakespeare emphasizes the contrast between Macbeth's true emotions and what he shows to others in an attempt to hide his emotions. Macbeth feels uncomfortable wearing the clothes he wears, because he knows they do not represent his true self; they are a facade. Macbeth wears robes that do not belong to him and this symbol is constantly depicted throughout the play. Macbeth feels uncomfortable in these clothes: “New honors come to him, as our strange clothes, do not cling to their mold, but with the help of usage” (A1, S3). Shakespeare really emphasizes that Macbeth carries an undeserved dignity, and it is this ironic and contrasting point that helps explain Macbeth's true inner character. There is an old expression: “Mold grows in the dark.” In human culture, there are many thoughts that darkness is evil and sinister, and light is good and virtuous. Darth Vader from Star Wars is dressed in black, while Luke wears a light robe. Heaven is always depicted as being full of light, while hell is dark and evil. Imagery of darkness is very important in human life because we tend to automatically polarize things. Shakespeare understands... middle of paper ... Beth imagery is used effectively with clothing, darkness, and blood. The clothes mainly aim to show the true character behind Macbeth by showing his emotions and guilt for wearing clothes he doesn't deserve. The darkness highlights certain scenes of irony, reinforces the unnatural and evil acts of murder, while setting the stage for them. Finally, blood is used throughout the play to show character development, represent guilt, betrayal, and honor, as well as to reinforce the theme of evil. Shakespeare is very intelligent in the choice of his images. He continually uses common images that can transcend time, because they are at the heart of human nature. This allows the effect of the imagery to remain constant, no matter who reads it or when it is read. Works Cited Shakespeare, Willaim and Aaron Durband. Macbeth. Shakespeare made easy. Hauppagem, NY: Barron, 2004. Print.