Man’s nature is one which allows even the best of men to live under a shadow of false pretence whilst still appearing to be virtuous. Macbeth happens to be one of those types of men whom at the start of the novel, is introduced as a nobleman and a fearless warrior who provides exemplary service to his king yet this man is revealed to possess murderous thoughts in his heart rendering him capable of plotting against his king and usurping the throne. By studying the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, it is evident that one of the most important themes in the book is appearance vs. reality and how things may not always be what they seem to be.Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three witches each project an image, but as time passes, the realities
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In the first scene, the witches say, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." This tells us that throughout the play, there will be a gap between appearance and reality, and that while they may look ugly, the predictions they offer will be beautiful to Macbeth. As Macbeth and Banquo return home from battle, they meet three witches, who say to them “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor, All hail, Macbeth, the future king!” to which he replies saying “Wait! You only told me part of what I want to know. Stay and tell me more. I already know I am the thane of Glamis because I inherited the position when my father, Sinel, died. But how can you call me the thane of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor is alive, and he’s a rich and powerful man. And for me to be the king is completely impossible, just as it’s impossible for me to be thane of Cawdor. Tell me where you learned these strange things, and why you stop us at this desolate place with this prophetic greeting? Speak, I command you.” In this quote, the witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor followed by the king of Scotland. They poison his mind with these prophesies, resulting in him becoming greedy and highlighting the evil qualities in his soul. When the first promise is proven to be authentic, Macbeth considers the idea of murdering Duncan. To Macbeth, it may seem as if the witches have given him wishful thinking, when in reality, they’re only setting him up for his first step on his journey to his demise. Now that the witches have succeeded in bringing out Macbeth's evil qualities, they are ready to finish their plot and make sure that Macbeth follows his destiny to his downfall. With Hecate's guidance, the witches plan to lead Macbeth to his death by making him
In the first scene, the witches say, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair." This tells us that throughout the play, there will be a gap between appearance and reality, and that while they may look ugly, the predictions they offer will be beautiful to Macbeth. As Macbeth and Banquo return home from battle, they meet three witches, who say to them “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor, All hail, Macbeth, the future king!” to which he replies saying “Wait! You only told me part of what I want to know. Stay and tell me more. I already know I am the thane of Glamis because I inherited the position when my father, Sinel, died. But how can you call me the thane of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor is alive, and he’s a rich and powerful man. And for me to be the king is completely impossible, just as it’s impossible for me to be thane of Cawdor. Tell me where you learned these strange things, and why you stop us at this desolate place with this prophetic greeting? Speak, I command you.” In this quote, the witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor followed by the king of Scotland. They poison his mind with these prophesies, resulting in him becoming greedy and highlighting the evil qualities in his soul. When the first promise is proven to be authentic, Macbeth considers the idea of murdering Duncan. To Macbeth, it may seem as if the witches have given him wishful thinking, when in reality, they’re only setting him up for his first step on his journey to his demise. Now that the witches have succeeded in bringing out Macbeth's evil qualities, they are ready to finish their plot and make sure that Macbeth follows his destiny to his downfall. With Hecate's guidance, the witches plan to lead Macbeth to his death by making him