Appearance vs. Reality

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APPEARANCE VS. REALITY

Throughout the play, the reoccurring images of appearance vs. reality are found mainly in Act I and Act II. They mostly occur around King Duncan’s murder. Lady Macbeth constantly instructs her husband Macbeth, for hiding his real nature behind a fake appearance of the face. Earlier in Macbeth, the image is also portrayed when Duncan discovers there’s no way you can actually note what the mind is secretly thinking by examining the face. Appearance vs. reality is associated with masking (in the sense of hiding your real emotions behind the ‘fake’ ones), keeping secrets, and maintaining a disguise. It is also associated with various people such as Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo and King Duncan [and Malcolm].In the beginning, images of appearance are represented as ‘fake faces’ that cover all of your lies & bad deeds opposed to reality which the horror and dreaded fear under all of it. But furthermore into the play, the fake faces and appearances are meant to conceal the true reality depicted as life-saving, betraying, threatening fears underneath. Near the end of ...

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