Appearance and Reality What may appear as real, may not always be the case. The tragic Shakespearean play Macbeth holds many meanings but one really sticks out. There are discussions of the allusion that the situations in the play hold special meaning to the fact that Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and even the witches are not who the characters in the play think they are. Shakespeare forces the reader to question the appearance versus the reality by making the audience contemplate what is real and what is not. Macbeth as the main focus of the play is presented as an honorable, worth man. King Duncan announces Macbeth as thane of cawdor due to the present thane being revealed as a traitor and therefore, executed. As King Duncan makes his decision about the new thane he claims, “No more that thane of cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth.” (I,ii,64-66), which could be foreshadowing Macbeth’s fate. Duncan finds Macbeth to be worthy of the title and that no thane of cawdor shall deceive them yet again but as it seems, that is not true. Macbeth appears to be a great man but really he will become a murderous and cruel man. To show such evidence of this fate Macbeth says, “He’s here in double trust: first, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed: then, as his host, who should against his murder shut the door, not bear the knife myself.” (I,vii,12-16). With the Witches prophecy of