Light and Darkness:The William Shakespeare Story

  In chapter six of A Tale of Two Cities William Shakespeare uses "light" and "darkness" to represent a mysterious tone. Every time he uses these term, he means to represent something more. One character says to Dr. Manette says "You can bear to let a little more light in." (Shakespeare 30) Then Manette's daughter walks in that he has never known before. His daughter plans to fix him to his original self again acting as a sort of "light" to follow.  After, the book says "Darkness had fallen on him in its place" (He referring to Dr. Manette.) (Shakespeare 32) He is using darkness to represent Dr. Manette's horrible, depressing past. When he was squabbling in a jail cell, because of a crime he didn't commit. Lastly, it says "Under the over swinging lamps- swinging ever brighter in the better streets and ever dimmer in the worse..." (Shakespeare 37) This quote foreshadows for what is to come. That the poor will become tired of the monarchy and revolt. Shakespeare keeps his book great and mysterious by using these "metaphorical" terms= It keeps the reader guessing and confused.