The Blacker the Berry, The Sweeter the Plot

     The darkening devices add thickness to Macbeth's plot as more and more characters become intertwined together throughout the story. Even the thunderous weather in the background of the first scene set the stage of a dark story with the witches meeting once again like many other time, plotting to meet with our main character, Macbeth. The first scene of act 1 created a dark mood. Dark imagery alike create suspense to add continuity to the story and make it more interesting. Twists and dark imagery keep readers on their toes to see what is to happen next. During act three, scene one, Macbeth's conversation in the dark with the murderers raises questions of whom he's sending them out to kill and why. Not only was the atmosphere and scene dark, without light, but the suspense of understanding the reasons the murderers were being makes readers curious to the next scene. Lastly, the whole scene with the witches and the apparitions in act four created a creepy and suspicious mood and then the ghosts of the kings raises questions of who, why, what and where the scene will take us later in the story. 

     The darker and darkest scenes in Macbeth are plot devices that Shakespeare used to his advantage to continue reading, as well as understand the inner feelings of characters from their response and reactions to what's happening. The scenes help the story to progress from understanding Macbeth's torn feelings towards his wife's plot and then his own plot to kill Banquo. Today, modern-day films use the same plot devices to produce more suspense and then interest into complicated plots with round characters in elaborate worlds. Reactions and responses from character vocally or physically or even different scenes with backgrounds create moods and add to the dark imagery of a story. Darkened rooms, suspicious characters, and ominous basements or even different facial expressions create suspense and curiosity of upcoming scenes and unexpected plot twists, 

     In Spirited Away, the story starts dark and suspenseful immediately as Chihiro is whisked into the spiritual world and cannot figure out how to get out. Also, the constant threat the bathhouse owner puts over Chihiro also thickens the plot and increases the danger that puts Chihiro in. Miyazaki created character with different characteristics in their personality and their physical appearance that added more to the plot as each character takes its own individual role in the story.