More handpicked essays just for you.
Appearance versus reality macbeth and lady macbeth
Reality verses appearance-shakespeare Macbeth
Reality verses appearance-shakespeare Macbeth
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Tragic Hero’s for Wrong Reasons “Foul is fair, and fair is foul” (Shakespeare 24) this was quoted, in fact was, from the witches in the beginning scene of the play tragedy of Macbeth. The witches say this in response to and foreshadow of the situations that bring upon murder. Tragic hero’s are heard about as well leaders and brought pride to one’s country.
The theme “nothing is what it seems” definitely comes into play in the life of Macbeth. His character experiences many changes regarding both his emotions and his personality throughout the story, but many of his motives and feelings are left undisclosed leaving the reading wondering who Macbeth really was. Throughout the story, Macbeth wears many masks and the reader is left questioning many of his feelings and actions. In Act I, Lady Macbeth calls him a coward herself out of frustration with her husband. She says, “And yet wouldst wrongly win.
The first acts touches upon this theme many times such as in the first act when the witches say: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, which is an example of a paradox and a great example of how appearances can be deceiving. This happens again in a line by Macbeth which reads: “Let not light see my black and deep desires”, which again ties back to appearance vs reality because Macbeth is a loyal soldier in appearance but in reality, he is thirsty for the throne. There are many more examples of this throughout but I will mention one more, said by Lady Macbeth, which reads: “Look like h’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”. This line perfectly summarizees the theme of
“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many”. This quote was written by a Roman poet, named Phaedrus around 370 BCE, long before Shakespeare’s time. Thousands of years later, Shakespeare incorporates many deceiving motifs in Macbeth that put the words of Phaedrus into action. The use of ill-fitting clothes, sleep, and bloodshed is all examples of imagery used to illustrate that not everything that looks genuine is so. Just as clothes appear to fit well, they can be very uncomfortable at the same time.
Appearance vs. reality happens every day to everyone with just a look. Just a glimpse of someone's facial expression in the hall and you can tell you how things appear, but the reality could be monumentally different from the appearance. What I'm trying to convey is how no one knows someone's true feelings and thoughts by looking at the surface, their deepest desires, secrets, and struggles are locked away from the naked eye. Someone could easily be smiling but be dying on the inside, or someone can seem sane but truly be psychotic. An example of appearance vs. reality in Macbeth is how Macbeth appears to be a loyal friend to Banquo, but in reality he's plotting to eliminate him for his own benefit.
Throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the theme, appearances can be deceiving is shown throughout many of the characters through foreshadowing. The Witches in the play have shown that appearances can be deceiving. The Witches foreshadow what is going to happen when they say “fair is foul and foul is fair” (1.1.10). This quote is an example of foreshadow because later on in the play Macbeth decides to trust the witches since he believes the witches are trustworthy. Appearances can be deceiving because Macbeth puts his faith in the witches since he believes they are trustworthy, but in reality the witches are not trustworthy at all.
The theme in this scene is power and the hunger for it. Power is the fuel that Lady Macbeth craves and is the reason for many
Macbeth, he conveys the idea that self-perception drives a person’s thought processes, which in turn show through their actions; therefore, if their self-perception is extremely negative, their flaws will be before them constantly and will create a false reality for them to dwell in. Lady Macbeth exemplifies this idea, revealing through her thoughts and actions how her guilt changes the way she views herself and causes her to live unattached from reality. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is a cold hearted, brave, practical, and strong character. She perceives that she is soft because she is a woman, so she calls upon spirits and is determined to become “...full of direst cruelty.”
Possibly one of the most influential characters of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth takes the definition of female dominance to an entirely new level with her ability to manipulate, yet love her husband, and her ability to accuse, yet reassure him of his actions. Though Lady Macbeth is not well described anterior to her introduction, it is immediately apparent that she holds her dominance using her cunning skills, fuelled by ambition, which makes her one of the cruellest characters in Macbeth. Her portrayal of cunningness, upon Duncan’s arrival to Macbeth’s castle, is shown when she allows the king to “Have theirs, themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, / To make their audit at [his] pleasure” (1.6.31–32), in order to give him a false sense of security, when in reality, she wants to ensure that “[her] keen knife see not the wound it makes” (1.5.55) on Duncan. As a result, Lady Macbeth is able to let the king into their castle without hesitation, just like a serpent underneath an innocent flower. While her cunningness is a character trait to fear, it is what fuels it that gives Lady Macbeth her power; ambition.
As quoted before, Lady Macbeth said, “your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (Shakespeare 1.6. 70-71). This clearly demonstrates the theme of appearance versus reality by saying not everything is what it appears to be on the outside as it is on the inside. Many characters in Macbeth changed their personality to present themselves as good, meaningful characters. In the meantime, many of them were also plotting deaths upon their enemies.
It is evident throughout the play, that appearances do not always accurately reflect reality. Lady Macbeth's whole character is evidence to this theme. “O gentle lady, ‘tis not for you to hear what I can speak: the repetition, in a woman’s ear, would murder as it fell.” (Shakespeare 2.3.?)
Macbeth explores many different themes and symbols throughout the play including blood, ambition, the sense of right and wrong, and hallucinations. Hallucinations play a strong role in this play and create vivid imagery in Macbeth. The specific accounts that can be used to prove this thesis are Banquo’s ghost, Lady Macbeth’s invisible blood stains, and the witches apparitions. The climax of the play has already passed with Macbeth taking his first life, King Duncan.
Christopher Pike once said, “Nothing is as it seems. Black can appear white when the light is blinding but white loses all luster at the faintest sign of darkness.” Pike tackled the idea of appearance versus reality just as Shakespeare does in Macbeth. Through the use of both figurative language and irony, William Shakespeare successfully conveys the theme—nothing is as it seems—in his play, Macbeth. Among the plethora of figurative devices in Macbeth are alliteration and antithesis.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 12) is a quote said by the three witches in the beginning of the play. It explains that what is fair or pretty will become ugly or what is ugly will become pretty. Macbeth was once fair and innocent but corruption turned him ugly by the end of the play. The witches gave hints of what's to come with that quote. By the end, Macbeth was becoming more of a megalomaniac.
William Shakespeare in the play, Macbeth, asserts that man can easily succumb to evil. Shakespeare supports his assertions by illustrating the conflicting nature of man through the images of light and dark. The author's purpose is to show a weakness in man so that the audiences sees the inner battle that every man must face between good and evil and how it interacts with their goals and aspirations. In Macbeth, Shakespeare uses imagery of light and dark to establish this unseen battle within and helps set the suspending tone for the play.
