Macbeth Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair,/ Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (1.1. 12-13). This quote describes the main theme throughout the play Macbeth. In the William Shakespeare play Macbeth, a Scottish soldier named Macbeth is given predictions by three strange and mysterious witches. Among the predictions, Macbeth was named King of Scotland which then leads him and his wife onto a path of darkness with them stopping at nothing until Macbeth seizes kingship. Throughout the play of Macbeth, the recurring theme of appearance versus reality is shown by the characters’ actions and dialog which helps the reader’s understanding of the play. There are three main instances that this theme appears: Duncan explaining how appearances can be misleading,

Macbeth wants to hear news on the execution of Cawdor, and Malcolm, his son, tells him that the Thane of Cawdor died. Malcolm also notes that the Thane confessed his treasons before he died. Duncan responds with, “There’s no art/ To find the mind’s construction in the face./ He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust.” (1.4. 12-14). Duncan is explaining that someone’s outward appearance may be misleading, and says that trust is a dangerous thing. Even if someone appears to be a trustworthy person, he could act completely different. Duncan admits his mistake of trusting the Thane of Cawdor, and uses it as an example to trust no one. This tells the reader that maybe Duncan should not trust Macbeth since he makes him the new Thane of Cawdor

After Macbeth murders Duncan and Lady Macbeth plants the daggers on the servants, the murder was revealed to the entire castle. Everyone was in shock and disbelief that their king had been murdered in the safety of Macbeth’s castle. When all the commotion begins, Lady Macbeth emerges from her chambers and says “What’s the business/ That such hideous trumpet calls parley/ The sleepers of the house.?” (2.3. 75-76). Lady Macbeth also responds with “What, in our house?” (2.3. 80). With Lady Macbeth responding in this way, she is obviously trying to act as if she was not involved with Duncan’s murder. This is an instance where the theme appearance versus reality shows up. Lady Macbeth appears to be innocent, but in reality, she is involved with high treason. From this point forward, the reader now sees Lady Macbeth as a deceiving and manipulative character that will do anything it takes for her husband to become king. Edel Coffey agrees by stating “Lady Macbeth is obsessed with power and will do anything to get it.” For the rest of the play, the reader will see Lady Macbeth as a suspicious