The courtyard was open to the sky, so lighting was largely natural, but in some indoor theaters or palaces such as Hampton Court, where Macbeth was first performed in 1606 in front of King James I, candles were probably used to create an artistic tension between natural and "unnatural" (or artificial) light. Lady Macbeth has a candle "by her continually" in Act V, Scene 1, by which time natural light may well have already become gloomy. In fact, the numerous references to natural daylight and night-light in Macbeth make it a fascinating study for any historian of theater.
Shakespeare's play underwent several revisions during its lifetime. Specifically, the allusions to the Gunpowder Plot and the nature of kingship (Act IV, Scene 1) could have been added for the first performance in front of the king. What remains certain is that Macbeth has always been a highly visual and physical play: The apparitions, the references to parts of the body (hands, head), the fighting in Act V — all point to a play full of gesture and body language.
