Deception

Macbeth uses deception and lies to become king from killing Duncan to killing his “friend” Banquo. Lady Macbeth is not much better. She also deceives Duncan when he comes to stay in their castle. She later tries self-deception to rid her of some of the heavy guilt she is feeling. The witches use deception with Macbeth, toying with his life. Their false prophecies eventually leave Macbeth unprepared and lead to his downfall. While many different strategies are used in this play by Shakespeare to get Macbeth the kingship, deceit is the most prominent and important in the entire play.

Macbeth deceives Duncan by inviting him into his home and then murdering him. Macbeth was supposed to be a loyal thane, but betrays his ruler. Macbeth says before the murder, “This even-handed justice Commends th’ ingredience of our poisoned chalice To our own lips”(1.7.10-12). Although some may argue Macbeth’s greed is more important because his greed caused him to kill Duncan, deception is more important because it gave him the opportunity to kill Duncan. Also, no one will suspect him of the murder after the fact. Macbeth also deceives the people of Scotland by becoming the king even though he gave himself the crown unjustly by murdering Duncan. The people of Scotland are supposed to trust their ruler, and Macbeth takes advantage of their trust. Macbeth does not stop the deceitfulness there, he deceives his “friend” Banquo. He leads Banquo into believing that they were good friends, but Macbeth kills him, not letting their friendship stand in the way of his throne. Macbeth also deceives the lords. He makes them feel as though he trust them and are friends, but he has a paid servant living in each lord’s castle as a spy to report any...

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...ey come to kill Macbeth, their shields look like trees were actually coming over the hill. By the witches deceiving Macbeth into believing that he was unable to be killed, he was unprepared to defend himself. The witches deceitfulness leads to Macbeth’s demise.

Deception is used throughout the play by most every character. Macbeth deceives Duncan, the people of Scotland, and his friend Banquo. Lady Macbeth uses deceit to murder Duncan, and later tries to deceive herself. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth get tangled in their lies and deception. Lady Macbeth commits suicide at the end of the play because she cannot bear the grief anymore. The witches deceitfulness leads to Macbeth’s down fall, and throughout the play, deception caused lots of senseless tragedy.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, July 2009. Print.