My MacBook restarts every time I close the lid

I have a MacBook Air 11'' laptop, and I've had it for a long time with almost no problems. However, yesterday I closed my laptop between classes and when I opened it at my next class the entire screen was white. I forced shut down, and then it refused to turn back on. It eventually turned back on, but I keep having issues. When I open it, the screen is lit but black. It's the same color as the screen with the apple logo when the computer restarts, but there is no logo. I have to shut it down, and then it won't turn on for a few minutes, and when it does the entire system restarts. This is extremely frustrating. I appreciate any intelligent input.