There’s husbandry in heaven;
Their candles are all out. Take thee that too.
A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not sleep: merciful powers,
Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature
Gives way to in repose!
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1. An uneasy Banquo observes that the lights of heaven are shut off, foreboding the horrible crime that is about to happen. He uses the metaphor of “candles” for the stars. He also uses a simile to compare sleep to a heavy lead summonsing him, a sleep that eludes him because of “cursed thoughts.” He asks the powerful supernatural spirits to curb these thoughts. He doesn’t reveal what these thoughts are, but they are likely connected with the Witches’ prophecies. Banquo seems suspicious that something bad is about to happen. The passage foreshadows Duncan’s murder.