In "Macbeth" William Shakespeare employs his skills in image and symbolism. The landscape of "Macbeth" reveals the contours of the title character's psychological turmoil. Filled with doubts about his determination, his ability to connect words and actions, and his sexual potency, Macbeth is a man at the mercy of his environment. The inability to sleep is symbolic of a tormented soul and represents a character's control over their lives. The image of darkness in Act 4 is used to describe the agents of disorder. Within “Macbeth” Shakespeare demonstrates imagery and symbolism through Macbeth’s insecurity, his inability to connect word and deed, sexual potency, sleep, and darkness. On the moorland of Scotland at the beginning of the play, the wind whips the barren ground and lightning descends from the sky around the weak and submissive man who will come to kill a king. During the course of the play, a radical change occurs in Macbeth's character; he is driven by confusion subordinated to tyrannical madness. The fluidity of his psyche is reflected in the fluidity with which the characters around him take on dynamics that reflect his internal fears and concerns. Macbeth's relationships with the witches in Act 1 scene 3 and with his wife in Act 1 scene 7 particularly resonate with his inner psychic state. Both relationships reveal important currents of Macbeth's diseased mind. The witches in Act 1 Scene 3 create a dynamic that flatters Macbeth in an attempt to convince him to kill Duncan. They flatter him in two ways. First, the witches greet Macbeth as a superior, "hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Lord of Glamis." (1.3.46). This honorific greeting, "hello", is reserved for the great leaders of... half of the paper... stained with blood. He becomes a docile creature who instead of being asexual has been castrated of his aggression. The word sleep manifests itself not only in Macbeth's inability to sleep, but also in Lady Macbeth's benevolent existence at the end of the play. Darkness in our society is associated with evil. A black cat, a dark night and a dark place are all symbols of debauchery. Authors use these symbols to describe an evil character or setting. William Shakespeare uses the image of darkness in Act 4 of his play "Macbeth" to describe the agents of disorder. The witches, Macbeth, and Scotland are all described as dark because they represent the agents of chaos. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longmann, 1999.