Illusion versus Reality

1027 Words3 Pages

Illusion versus Reality

Illusion versus reality is often referred to as deception of appearances. This is when something or something portrays itself as what it is not. Just like disguise, deception of appearances is an appearance in order to conceal one's true attitude or identity. This is related to the idiom "Do not judge a book, by its cover" and the metaphor "A wolf in sheep's clothing." In the play Macbeth, most characters deceived others by their outward appearances. An example of a character that was deceptive with his appearances was main character Macbeth.

Macbeth is a character in the play Macbeth who was vivacious and inveigled. He often deceived people with his outward appearance. At the beginning of the novel, Macbeth was a well-respected and noble man. He went to fight for his country Scotland and brought home victory. Later in the novel, because of greed Macbeth later betrays the king who put so much trust in him. Macbeth became greedy and because two of the witch’s prophecies had come true, he wanted the one about him being king to be true too. He deceived the king by portraying himself as a reliable solider meanwhile he had plotted with his wife to kill the king. Fair is foul, and foul is fair (1.1.12), just as bad is good, good is bad. When the king told Macbeth he was going to visit his castle, Macbeth acted very honored and nice to him. The king fell a victim of deception of appearance. Macbeth showed the king so much gratitude and was very much hospitable to him. Macbeth's false face must hide what false hearts doth know. The second time Macbeth deceived others with his outward appearance was when Duncan was murdered. Macbeth and his wife had finally succeeded in killing Duncan. When the...

... middle of paper ...

... like the witches prophecy had come to pass. At the beginning of the play, he seemed harmless and quiet. He portrayed himself as a noble character nevertheless at the end he proved himself victorious by saving Scotland from the hands of evil Macbeth.

Most people often mislead others with their outward appearance. It is advicable to study someone and learn his or her flaws before confiding or trusting in the person. Focusing on our illusions often save us pain, however when reality collides things may seem worse than they originally appeared. People do not always turn out to be what they portray themselves as. Macbeth for instance based his life on illusions rather than face the reality.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth Oxford: Oxford University Press 1977

Show More
Related

  • Free Macbeth Essays - Are things as they seem?

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a well respected hero who appears to be a great guy.  However, by the end of the play it is clear that Macbeth is a selfish, troubled man with a conscience that seems to serve no purpose.  In lines 81-82 on page 240, Macbeth tells how he must mislead the world and hide his dark side from it.  "Away, and mock the time with fairest show:  False face must hide what the false heart doth know."  On page 249 Macbeth does a good job of hiding his dark side before finding the dead king with Macduff.  "Is the king stirring, worthy Thane?" asks Macduff.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Evolution of Corruption

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs

    Read More

  • How Is Hamlet A Good Leader

    1410 Words  | 3 Pages

    He was a war-hero, and was uninterested in what society perceived him to be. His superstition and dependence on the witches visions show his weakness as a character, and especially as a leader. His beliefs in the witches eventually lead him down the wrong path when he returns to the witches for another proclamation of their visions, which all are apparently true, but misunderstood by Macbeth. In the end, as the visions become reality, Macbeth realizes that he has failed to grasp a hold of the tangible aspects of his life, and was too concentrated on the unknown. He states in Act IV scene I, ""Tell me now, thou unknown power--Whate'er thou art, for thy good caution thanks; Thou hast harp'd my fear aright: but one word more."

    Read More

  • Persuasion in Macbeth

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth is the story of a man who falls from his noble state. In the beginning, Macbeth was a courageous fighter for Scotland's King Duncan. Macbeth is soon overcome with greed for power, so he kills the king and crowns himself. He becomes worried of losing his newly gained power causing him to kill more people. In the end the lords and nobles join forces with the king's son, Malcolm, to destroy Macbeth. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character Macbeth was persuaded by the three witches to commit evil, leading to his tragic downfall.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Character Changes in Macbeth

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning Macbeth was such a nice guy. That all changed when he met the three witches. When Macbeth first meets the witches they say two things that begin Macbeth's trail of evil. "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cowdor!" I iii 49, is the first thing that leads to the trail. The second is, "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!" I iii 50. These two predictions told by the witches caused great ambition to happen within Macbeth. Lady Macbeth finds out about the predictions, and drives Macbeth's ambition even harder. Lady Macbeth tries to get Macbeth to kill King Duncan, because she wants Macbeth to be king. "He that's coming/ must provided for: and you shall put/ this night's great business into my dispatch;/ which shall to all our nights and days to come/ give solely sovereign sway and mastedom." I v 65-69, this is a quote from Lady Macbeth explaining to Macbeth that when King Duncan come to stay, they will kill him. After Macbeth killed Duncan he killed the King's guards, so no one could question them. All this was just the beginning of a walk down an evil trail.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The True Nature of Man

    827 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the author tries to show the true nature of man by using the play’s main character, Macbeth, as an example. He is overly ambitious, courageous, and self-doubting. Throughout the play, Shakespeare displays these characteristics to the audience through Macbeth to show the true nature of man. At the end of the play, these characteristics ultimately lead to Macbeth’s downfall.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Hallucinations Analysis

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth started off as a noble, virtuous man, he was loyal to the king and was well respected by the other noblemen. The prophecies and hallucinations corrupted Macbeth’s intentions and as a result, Macbeth became power

    Read More

  • Macbeth - Conflict

    1480 Words  | 3 Pages

    Encompassing all the evidence that has been presented and after reading and viewing Polanski and Shakespeare's renditions of MACBETH it is logical to come to the conclusion that ambition and deceptive appearances is central to the dramatic development of MACBETH. Without ambition MACBETH would not have pursued his path to become King of Scotland so viciously. Deceptive appearances is the key to this play because without hiding reality all the evil enfolding this play, all the intentions of protagonist and the other characters would have been revealed. Without the centralisation of these themes, MACBETH would have been altered and the plot would be non-existent.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Journey From Honor To Dishonor in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    470 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the story of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is one of the main characters. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is very loyal and honorable. By the end of the play Macbeth is insane and has no remorse for the sin he commits against the king.

    Read More

  • Deceptive Appearances in Macbeth

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a selfish Scottish thane becomes over-ambitious and commits several murders in order to gain and stay in power. After the murders, Macbeth evades suspicion by hiding his guilt and intentions, therefore deceiving others into thinking that he is innocent. Other characters including Lady Macbeth, the witches and the Scottish thanes also use their appearances to hide the truth and deceive others. With these examples, Shakespeare shows that appearances can be deceiving.

    Read More

  • Lies in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is a play about the bad ending that happens to those who are greedy for power. Macbeth may be good at war, but his knowledge of violence would not make him a good king. But how did a courageous man become so greedy for power over the people? His one big mistake was to believe in lies, a prophecy told by very weird-looking ladies. His second mistake was to begin lying to everyone and to keep faithful to a silly prophecy. His third mistake was to think that there was no way that to make his way to the top. But Shakespeare, like all famous authors, make things very complicated in the story. He shows there is a perfect place for lying without punishment, for those who still would like to use deception and duplicity after the scary consequences of this play. It is dramatic irony when Shakespeare shows Macbeth got the bad ending he deserved after believing in lies and becoming a liar himself, but the whole story of Macbeth is a lie! Like in Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 5, this is a “tale full of sound and fury”, but definitely...

    Read More

  • Appearance and Reality in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of appearance versus reality is very important in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The characters of Duncan, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth are unable to differentiate between appearance and reality, resulting in tragic consequences. Poor judgment is evidenced by Duncan, who trusts Macbeth too much; Lady Macbeth, who is fooled by the witches; and Macbeth, who is tricked repeatedly by others.

    Read More

  • Free Essays - The Character Traits of Macbeth

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan.  Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.

    Read More

  • The Role of the Supernatural in Motivating Characters

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth shifts from being loyal and courageous to a murderer executing a treacherous plan to kill the current king due to supernatural suggestions that he would be king himself. Macbeth is discussed as a man worthy of recognition by other characters in act one scene two. In this scene, the Captain states: “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)” (1. 2. 18). Macbeth is being praised for his courage and loyalty to Scotland and the king. This first impression is hastily contrasted after hearing the prophecy of the witches stating he will be “king hereafter” (1. 3. 53). Immediately after hearing this, Macbet...

    Read More

  • Aristotle's Tragic Hero in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was because of these killings and his overbearing attitude that caused him to be overthrown and killed himself. Macbeth, at the beginning of the play, seems to be a very noble person. He is characterized as being very loyal and honorable. He fights in the battle against Norway which proves his loyalty, then he is appointed Thane of Cawdor which proves that he is honorable in the eyes of royalty.... ...

    Read More

More about Illusion versus Reality

Open Document