Darkness–a natural element that absorbs, engulfs, and overwhelms. There is no escaping its reach; there is no retreat from its presence, for as soon as it is allowed a pinch of a hold, it overtakes the whole in one sweep. There is only one element capable of expelling darkness: light. Without the presence of light, darkness would crawl steadily and quickly toward despair, desolation, and ultimately, death. It is present in the physical realm and also the spiritual, mental, emotional–that which is deep within the soul of man. In this realm it manifests as deceit or lies. Shakespeare uses the symbol of darkness in his play, Hamlet, to represent this realm and the manner in which minimal deceit and minute lies can grow into overwhelming seas of horror and grief. An evident characteristic of this darkness is that it cannot be controlled. There is no confining it. If it possesses any influence at all, it will steal the rest. There are no degrees or abstract shades of darkness in this realm, but a wholistic presence as real as paper in your hand. Indeed, the darkness within the soul of mankind is alive and seeks only to devour.
From the very opening of the story of Hamlet, dense and profuse darkness is unmistakably apparent. Soldiers gather at the blackest hour of the night to keep watch of a palace already infested with its own form of internal obscurity. As one soldier remarks on the late hour, another subconsciously exposes the very depressed state of the kingdom. “‘Tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart” (Shakespeare 1.1.36-38). Not only is this conversational introduction offering the audience an image of physical and mystical darkness, but also a symbol of what is to come within the plot: the introduction of Hamlet and the restless, searching mind that he possesses.
Hamlet’s entrance into the play is not inconsequential. From his first moment on stage, emotional darkness is evident in his speech and that of others as well. Although rightful pain and sorrow linger in his heart, Hamlet’s ignorant mother rebukes the dark state of his mind. “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, and let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (1.2.270-271). Rejecting his mother’s advice, Hamlet proceeds to explain that death, although a common occurrence, has wrought a hole in his spirit which is filling more and more with agony and grief. “I have that within which passes show, these but the trappings and the suits of woe” (1.2.288-289). He demonstrates that all the common outward phases of bereavement have no cure for the horror at work in his heart. It is here that Darkness begins releasing its fog.
As darkness is a presence—and like any presence, must receive an invitation to be present—one must identify the thoroughfares of such invitations. As depicted in the story of Hamlet, it was death that offered darkness a sweet-smelling aroma by which it drew very close. However, it was the deceit and lies surrounding the death that opened the door for darkness to walk authoritatively in, and command the space. Once it had authority, there was no turning back. The deceit grew larger and irreversible, and the situation graver. It continued to escalate to the end of death and destruction.
To exemplify this point, look intently on the Biblical account of David and Bathsheba. The act of seeing Bathsheba bathing is not what welcomed darkness into the scene; it was David’s deceitful action of secretly seducing her that ultimately led to darkness’ rule and the death of David’s son. In this account, the effect of Darkness’ power is very clear; one minuscule lie led to another…and then to another. “And David sent and inquired after the woman […] and sent messengers and took her; and she came in unto him and he lay with her” (2 Sam. 11:3-4). Then Bathsheba came to David stealthily to tell him she was with child; then David called for her husband and deceitfully tried to persuade him to go home to his wife; one act of deceit after another until darkness had overstretched and grown far out of control. It was Darkness who clouded David’s mind and led him to commit these acts so contrary to his doctrine. It was Darkness who led to the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, and the death of David’s unborn son—but only through the invitation of David’s deceit and lies.
In a similar manner, observe the symbolic story of Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian was a successful, popular, and handsome young man in his society. He was a man of character; innocent and benevolent until deceit crept into his life as well. Upon hearing of his ex-fiancée’s suicide, he rejected all responsibility and removed himself from all guilt, deceiving himself first. The moment Darkness entered, “There was a silence. The evening darkened in the room. Noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden. The colours faded wearily out of things” (Wilde). He then turned his deceit outward and hid the mystical painting which portrayed all his sins in a dark attic. He went on living, demonstrating to the people around him goodness and an innocent, youthful heart; yet at night, and in the dark, he grew more and more wicked, committing unspeakable acts and running further into the tangling arms of Darkness itself. His continuance under its control heightened, as it did with David and Bathsheba. It was Darkness who led Dorian to murder his friend, Basil Hallward; it was Darkness who led Dorian to his own death as well—but again, only through the invitation he had offered by his deceit and lies.
In the same manner, Hamlet welcomes Darkness into his life through deceit. Hamlet’s response to his uncle’s lies and his own reciprocal deceitfulness gives darkness a small grasp on his soul. With this tiny clutch, it takes control. Hamlet enters a downward spiral of confusion, anger, and resentment. This provokes more lies and more deceit. He plans the murder of his uncle in the deep shadows of his mind, believing he was destined to avenge his father. “O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right!” (1.5.943-944). He renounces his love for Ophelia, although it most certainly never left. “You should not have believ’d me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not” (3.1.1810-1811). He pretends to be mad to reassure his uncle’s suspicious eye. “Your noble son is mad. Mad call I it; for, to define true madness, what is’t but to be nothing else but mad?” (2.2.1186-1188).
Expounding on Hamlet’s deceitfulness through madness, observe the manner in which he composes himself. It is as if he truly lost control of his mind and will—not through madness, but through his unquestioning agreement that feigning it was what he needed to do to achieve revenge. Oscar Wilde wrote of Hamlet in a letter to his friend Lord Alfred Douglas, “He has no conception of what to do, and his folly is to feign folly” (Bloom). A characteristic of Darkness is its ability to dim the mind and make a wrong answer appear to be the same as a right one. For how else could it convince its victims that more deceit is the right response to the original deceit? With this view, it is clear that it is Darkness who tunnels Hamlet’s vision to the end that he sees only one thing: revenge. It is Darkness who turns his intellect against him and sets his feet on the path to death. Darkness relentlessly pursues him. With every jab, every nudge toward more deceitfulness, its power grows, and Hamlet sinks further into the claws of despair.
Just as it composed itself with David and Dorian, it does the same with Hamlet. It enters in through an invitation and usurps all authority. It aggrandizes every little lie until it is large enough to consume life itself. It makes wrong appear right and right appear wrong. Its wicked end is to extinguish life through its craftiness and dark schemes. Shakespeare utilizes the symbolism of darkness to convey these concepts. Darkness is the principle color scheme within the setting—most scenes take place at night or in dim corridors and palace halls. Darkness is the symbolic cloud over each character’s mind. Hamlet was deceived and blind to the truth, and once enlightened, blinded again by revenge and bitterness. Hamlet’s uncle is blind to his fate, and trapped in the torment of the murder he had committed. Hamlet’s mother is ignorant and foolish; Ophelia deceived and controlled; Polonius corrupt and a deceiver himself. Shakespeare demonstrates these states in Hamlet’s first speech to his father’s ghost; “making night hideous, and we fools of nature so horridly to shake our disposition with thoughts beyond the reaches of our souls? Say, why is this? wherefore? What should we do?” (1.4.683-686).
It is clear that Shakespeare desired a theme of confusion and ignorance to command the setting in this play. His dark scenery represents the darkness of the plot and the darkness of the characters’ minds. He portrays the spiritual, mental, and emotional realm of darkness through the physical representation of it. He presents the manner in which deceit provokes horror and grief and, ultimately death. At the end of the story, every character dies, save Hamlet’s loyal friend, Horatio—arguably the one representation of light throughout the story, who alone stood for truth and understanding and, at the end was left alive to relate the sorrowful tale and bring it into the light. Through this narrative, Shakespeare also conveys that darkness is uncontrollable. Once it possesses a small piece of influence, it is only a matter of time before it steals all the rest. As soon as darkness is welcomed in, its presence fills every crack and crevice, and to turn back would be to fight a raging battle of will. King Claudius illustrates this point through his prayer of repentance, “In the corrupted currents of this world, offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice […] What then? What rests? Try what repentance can. What can it not? Yet what can it when one cannot repent? O wretched state! O bosom black as death! O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, Art more engag’d! Help, angels! Make assay. Bow, stubborn knees; and heart with strings of steel, be soft as sinews of the new-born babe!” (3.3.2339-2353). Darkness is a tangling web, a snare, a bottomless pit. Shakespeare’s use of symbolic darkness proves this truth as he communicates to his audience that deceit and lies will lead nowhere but to the relentless, grappling arms of darkness’ hold. A warning; a call; and a careful beckon toward the sanctuary of light.
December 1, 2017
Works Cited:
Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Notes: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Chelsea House Publishers, 1996.
Ryrie KJV Study Bible. General editor, Charles Caldwell Ryrie. Moody Publishers, 1994.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Dover Thrift Editions, Dover Publications, Inc., 1992.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Produced by Judith Boss, The Project Gutenberg EBook, 2008.