Appearance Vs. Reality In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Appearances can be deceiving and it can be hard to differentiate what is fair and foul. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the theme appearance versus reality is first applied through the use of supernatural. The main protagonist, Macbeth, learns about the prophecies that were given by the witches and as the play continues, Macbeth and the other characters face the conflict of differentiating appearance from reality. Throughout Macbeth, Lady Macbeth first introduces and encourages Macbeth to feign an appearance in front of their friends. The supporting characters in the play, like the Captain, Banquo, and Macduff, demonstrate the central theme of appearance versus reality in different situations. Macbeth portrays this theme over the

For instance, the Captain tells King Duncan how they defeated the Irish in the battle and goes on saying, “So from that spring whence comfort seemed to come/ Discomfort swells.” (1.2.27-28) The Scottish army assumes that everything is fair since they won the battle against the Irish and the foulness they face disapears. However, they begin to feel foul and discomfort again when the Norwegians demand a war against them. This argument is demonstrating that situations do not always appear the way they are. Moreover, Banquo is able to differentiate what is real and what is fake especially when Macbeth and himself learn about their prophecies. To illustrate, after Macbeth and Banquo learn about the prophecies told by the witches, Banquo says, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ In deepest consequences.” (1.3.26-29) Although it may appear fair to Macbeth, Banquo tells Macbeth that it may turn out foul since witches are known to tell part of the truth. Throughout the play, Banquo remains cautious of the witches’ prophecy that is made of him whereas Macbeth immediately assumes the prophecies are made up of good and begins pursuing his ambition of becoming the future king. The prophecies and the apparitions that seem fair begin to appear foul leading up to Macbeth’s death.

For instance, Macbeth tells Banquo, “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” after the battle against the Irish and the Norwegians (1.5.56-57). They win both battles but lose many men during the war and Macbeth has never seen a day where both evil and good occur at the same time. The significance of this quote relating to the theme of appearance versus reality is that right after Macbeth says this line, the witches appear to grant Macbeth his prophecies that are fair and foul. The fact that he is Thane of Glamis and Cawdor is fair but the prophecy about him being the future king is foul. Although it appears fair at the moment, later in the story, becoming king made Macbeth become a tyrant which leads to his death. Furthermore, Macbeth is indecisive when he is determining whether he wants to murder Duncan or not but in the end, he decides to do it proving to the audience that his ambition for power has increased. To illustrate, Macbeth says to Lady Macbeth, “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” in order for Duncan to not become suspicious of them (1.3.83). Macbeth begins to see only the good outcome of killing Duncan which is receiving the throne and is the fair part of the third prophecy. However, he is unable to see the consequences that come along with the foul part of the third prophecy which is