Abstract: An optical arrangement for light beam shaping for a light microscope has a first and a second liquid crystal region or lifting micromirror region, each of which has a plurality of independently switchable liquid crystal elements or mirrors with which a phase of incident light is changeable in a settable manner, an input-/output-coupling polarization beam splitter, a polarization beam splitter arranged between the input-/output-coupling polarization beam splitter and the liquid crystal regions or lifting micromirror regions such that the polarization beam splitter separates the light coming from the input-/output-coupling polarization beam splitter in a polarization-dependent manner into a first partial beam, which is directed to the first liquid crystal region or lifting micromirror region, and into a second partial beam, which is directed to the second liquid crystal region or lifting micromirror region, and that the polarization beam splitter combines the two partial beams returning from the liquid crystal