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Deception In Macbeth

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Within Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the themes of cunning and deception are prominent, with all key characters utilising these traits in order to gain power or favour within the court. However, as seen through the eventual downfall of Macbeth, one must have more than ambition and a deceitful nature in order to maintain their hold on the power they have gained. At the time of the play’s creation King James had just taken the throne, with many opposing this appointed ruler. Through the implementation of themes such as guilt, deceit, Divine right of Kings and ambition (with the consequences of these actions resulting in death), Shakespeare is attempting to settle disruption and rebellion within England through this tragic play and it’s message. Throughout …show more content…

Although deceit and cunning is utilised by all characters within the play in order to gain power, it is represented in differing forms, with differing outcomes.

Through Macbeth's eventual use of deception and cunning within the later acts of the play, after being manipulated by his wife, he is able to take power quickly and unopposed. However, because of his overly ambitious nature and gradual descent into madness, these traits which previously rewarded him are now cause for his downfall and eventual demise. Originally, within Act 1 Scene 2 Macbeth is introduced as ‘brave’, ‘valiant’ and ‘worthy’, with this noble characterisation of Macbeth showing the audience that he is well regarded within the court. This is a clear contrast to his eventual characterisation in Act 4, where he is labelled a ‘tyrant’ or ‘angry god’. When we initially meet Macbeth, he is accompanied by Banquo, his friend and fellow thane. When the two encounter the witches Banquo states ‘ look not like th’ inhabitants …show more content…

Throughout the course of the play Lady Macbeth uses her ability of deception and cunning to manipulate her husband Macbeth in order to achieve her own goals of power, opportunity and freedom. The time period set for the play allows us to view the heavily re-enforced gender roles of Scottish middle age society, with Lady Macbeth being stuck within her roles of both mother and wife. Her implied inability to bare children is highlighted throughout the play, and as a result out of all characters seen within the script, Lady Macbeth is the most desperate to escape her specified role within society and through believing that power may allow her to do so, she chases it, using any means necessary including calling upon dark spirits, or pushing her husband towards murder ‘flower quote’. The representation of sin within her biblical reference shows her willingness to disrupt the divine right of kings and go against gods will in order to succeed. By likening her husband to Satan we are foreshadowed the ending of the play, as, just as the serpent is punished in the garden for his deceit, Macbeth Is killed for his, with both stories ending with the divine right restored and humanity ruled by the deserved king. Alongside this, the themes of appearance verses reality are bought to light in this scene as lady Macbeth instructing Macbeth to

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However he soon cracks under the pressure of the crown and makes everything not what it seems. In the cunning drama, Macbeth, Shakespeare illuminates the idea that desire and pressure left unchecked will lead to unnatural troubles and wicked endings. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is known as valiant, respectable, and truthful, but goes against his moral compass which further changes him. During act one Macbeth discovers that if king Duncan dies he will become king and is thinking about killing him when he says, “He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both

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Macbeth Power corrupts. A simple truth, oft repeated. However, for Macbeth, that truth became all too real, as he became corrupted simply to attain power. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the title character is a Thane in Scotland, a high rank. On his journey home from war, he and his friend Banquo encounter three witches, who appear, as Banquo describes them, as “women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”

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As the play continues, Macbeth's desire for the throne amplifies, ultimately leading him to murder the king and manipulate those around him to secure his maintained his crown. The prophecy becomes self-fulfilling as Macbeth's ambition drives him to carry out terrible acts, which in turn causes his descent into tyranny and, eventually, his tragic downfall. Through this clever foreshadowing, Shakespeare illustrates the corrupting nature of ambition and

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Deception is a trick or scheme used to get what you want or deceiving someone. Throughout Macbeth things are not always as they seem. Deception was always present throughout the play. There are some questions you should ask yourself. One of them are Does lying to someone else require you to lie to yourself in some way?

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“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.

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On the surface, she appears to be a strong and ruthless woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to help her husband achieve his goals. However, beneath this facade lies a troubled and guilt-ridden individual who cannot escape the consequences of her actions. One example of this can be seen when Lady Macbeth tells her husband to “look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (1.6.76-77). This quote illustrates how Lady Macbeth is instructing Macbeth to appear harmless and innocent on the outside while secretly plotting their murderous scheme. Furthermore, this quote also reveals Lady Macbeth’s true nature as she is encouraging deceit and manipulation.

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Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a power hungry and vindictive women, whose character is against the stereotypes of a Jacobean woman. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a deceptive woman, who uses the fact that she is a woman as a weapon. ‘Why, worthy thane, you do unbend your noble strength to think.’ Lady Macbeth is talking to Macbeth.

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At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.

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Power is always coveted in any society and the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is no different. In the play, Macbeth, a noble lord, shows his hunger for power with thoughts to remove an heir to the throne from power. Macbeth’s impatience to be king leads him to stain his honor by using murder. Macbeth travels further down the path of evil by arranging the assassination of a friend.

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Another way in which she tries to settle Macbeth is by reminding him of the “air-drawn dagger” that appeared in front of him but was not real. Lady Macbeth could have left Macbeth to make a fool of himself at the banquet, but instead with her tender heart she rushed to help him even after all the wrong he had

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