Macbeth Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

Daniel Webster once said, "The world is governed more by appearances than realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it." In other words, much of what goes on in the world is due to the masks that people wear, rather than showing their true faces. Individuals must present themselves in the way that they want others to believe they truly are. In most cases, ambitions overthrow a person's moral conscience. As their aspirations rise, they must create a false exterior in order to not reveal their traitorous secrets. The treasonous plot of William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, causes the characters to appear a certain way in order to hide their true passions. The namesake Macbeth, his wife and many of King Duncan's

The prophecies that the witches instill in Macbeth cause him to go against his values and put on a façade, hiding the reality of his thoughts. Macbeth is rooted in a treasonous world where people cannot be trusted. An analysis of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will reveal the consequences of acting one way and having a different reality. To begin, the theme of appearance versus reality is portrayed through the gullible nature of King Duncan. Duncan is a kind and generous man who is respected by many of the people in Scotland. He puts the needs of people on the top of his list of priorities and provides harmony in his kingdom. Early on in the play we realize that his naïve trait causes him to be an easy target for betrayal. Duncan does not truly get to know a person before putting his trust in them, he goes with a person's appearance not knowing the reality of their personality. This is demonstrated when he finds out about the Thane of Cawdor's betrayal and says,

Macbeth comes into the play as a brave soldier, whose fame on the battlefield wins him a great amount of respect from Duncan. But, after speaking to the witches, his ambition begins to lead him towards committing further terrible deeds, and he begins to pay no attention to and even challenge fate and fortune. Macbeth must act as a good, kind host towards King Duncan so that he does not become suspicious of him. Aside from all his guests, Macbeth decides that he will proceed to kill Duncan and says, "false face must hide what the false heart doth know" (1.7.82). Macbeth reveals that his traitorous face must hide so that his heart can be seen in front of all his visitors. Because his decision to kill Duncan is made, Macbeth's plans must remain a secret to everyone except his wife. In order for everything to work out, Macbeth must wear a mask of kindness and fool his company into thinking that the prophecies the witches spoke of did not have any effects on him. Next, Macbeth's true desires are revealed when he is finished speaking to Duncan after the battle, and finds out that Malcolm is next in line for the thrown. Macbeth knows that his aspirations must remain inside his head when he says, "Stars hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires" (1.4.52-53). This rhyming couplet makes known the depth of