Final answer:
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth desire darkness to hide their deeds from societal judgment and the divine, symbolizing their awareness of guilt and wrongdoing.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth wish for darkness to hide their deeds, which represents their desire to conceal their actions and conscience from themselves and others. They are predominantly trying to hide from the moral and ethical judgment of the society within the play and the all-seeing eyes of the divine or supernatural forces they believe in. Their requests for night and darkness to cover their actions symbolize their awareness of wrongdoing and their need to operate without the burden of their own guilt being visible to them or to others.
Lady Macbeth's plea for darkness allows her to move forward with the regicidal plan without facing the reality of her actions. Similarly, Macbeth seeks the stars to hide their light so that his "black and deep desires" remain unseen. By referring to the cover of night, they both acknowledge the evil nature of their plot and the inevitable guilt that comes with such malevolent intentions.