In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the theme of appearance and reality is crucial and prevalent throughout. It has a deep contextual meaning in the play, whilst also provoking philosophical questions. Shakespeare’s use of literary devices such as asides and paradoxes, coupled with his exploration of themes such as the lure of ambition and private and public personas make exploring appearance and reality interesting and deeply thought-provoking. One way that Shakespeare explores appearance and reality is through his use of paradoxes and false portrayals. This is evident in the speech of the witches, such as the chanting of “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” This builds suspense early on in the play whilst also amplifying the supernatural …show more content…
This is seen initially during the murder of Duncan when the innocent guards are blamed for the murder of the king. Macbeth’s lies act to deceive the other characters, creating a false appearance in an attempt to obscure the horrific reality. Deception is seen again in act IV scene III when Malcolm deceives Macduff in an attempt to test and unveil his true convictions. This not only distorts the appearance of the situation, but it also shows the destructiveness of Macbeth. Macbeth’s incessant lying and deception means that even the most moral and innocent characters in the play are drawn down into deception, meaning that they have a blurred appearance against the reality. This shows how destructive the character of Macbeth is in the play. This would have been especially interesting in the contexts, as it would have pleased James 1st to see the downfall of a regicide, whilst also echoing the opinions of the public. The English public was especially distrusting of Scotland at the time, as a Scotsman had just taken over their throne. The portrayal of the immoral Scottish noblemen could have echoed the thoughts of the public, making it even more