The word darkness has figurative meaning that far surpasses its literal meaning. Darkness is the lack of light in a particular environment, but to Shakespeare and many other playwrights it signifies so much more. The evils that lurk in the night, the lack of foresight into the future, the distortion of an otherwise clear vision, or the loss of light as life slips into death; are some examples of how authors and playwrights might use darkness symbolically. The causes and effects of how theses examples are derived are individual to the writer and his grounds for reason.
             The way in which a word, feeling, or incident is felt by the audience is a product of the context of a scene and the performance of the actors. The first appearance of darkness in the book is actually quite morbid. "The Dead of Darkness(1.2.130), is proclaimed by Prospero to reveal both the silent and dangerous nature of the situation. The select choice of words seems so fitting due to the daunting nature of the concept of darkness and the ultimate finality of death. Evil and malevolence occurring in the depths of the night are perfectly described in the framework of the situation. The second use of the word is in reference to the senses. "Melting the darkness, so their rising senses begin to chase the ignorant fumes..." (5.1.66) This quote shows how darkness tends to obscure perception both figuratively and literally. Either evil could skew the perception of right and wrong or the lack of light could make a scene appear different than it actually is. In either case, darkness is changing the character's perspective. At the same time, the audience's outlook is altered. They see through the characters' vision, when the character can see clearly as can the onlooker. The third and final use of the word darkness is in direct reference to death. Darkness is often a symbol of death because death is seen as a murky and shady cond...