Authors most often place things of opposing nature in their stories to add emphasis to the defining features of the individual elements. Shakespeare, one of the most influential writers of the English language, employs this tactic in his play Macbeth. William Shakespeare contrasts appearance and reality in his play to emphasize the themes of deception and truth. These traits can be viewed in characters such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches.
The main character and main exhibitor of such traits, Macbeth, is a man of high birth. Though he is powerful, Macbeth lacks control over his own life. This can be observed when he meets the witches for the first time. He says “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (I.iii.38), alluding to his future regarding the difference between what is real and what is false. This initial deception is the cause of further deceit in the play. Before murdering Duncan, Macbeth discusses his plan with Lady Macbeth and says “Away and mock the time with fairest show: / False face must hide what the false heart doth
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She aids Macbeth in framing the guards for Duncan’s murder, showing that she is also deceitful: “I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, / For it must seem their guilt” (II.ii.55-56). As the play progresses, we observe that Lady Macbeth’s condition worsens. During the beginning of the play, it was believed that she was strong both emotionally and mentally, but as the play progress we observe the truth regarding her condition. The weight of all the sins she has committed causes her to fall apart, revealing how she is truly weak on the inside and not strong as she projects herself to be. In her miserable state, Lady Macbeth says, “ Here’s the smell of blood sill. All the / perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (V.i.51-52). Even she realizes that no matter how much she deceives and lies to hide reality, the truth will never change in the