Physical Appearance Versus True Personality Depicted in Shakespeare's Macbeth

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Today, the way people present themselves contributes greatly to other’s first impressions. However, these judgments are stereotypical views that have developed overtime throughout society, and judging people by their appearance usually results in an inaccurate view of what is on the inside. Often times, the physical appearance that is bothersome at first glance fades away as one gets to know the person’s true personality. From then on one will realize how important it is to get to know someone before judging them instead of jumping to conclusions prior to actually knowing them. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, the theme of appearances arises multiple times in the judgments made by the witches, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth about physical appearance versus true personality. In the beginning of the tragedy the witches, who appear disgusting and evil on the outside, present Macbeth with some very surprising news that he will now be the Thane of Cawdor and king over all of Scotland in addition to his original position as Thane of Glamis (1.3. 48-50). Before reaching Macbeth, the witches reveal to the audience the concept of, “fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1.1. 10). At this point the audience senses the literary element of foreshadowing occurring in this play. By following what the witches say, the audience learns that what seems to be good can be bad and what seems to be bad can be good. The witches’ statement is very essential to the theme of appearances in this play because it portrays how the characters in this play should not base their judgments solely on the way a person looks. Keeping this idea of not judging a person based on appearance in mind, it is apparent that Macbeth does not judge the witches based on... ... middle of paper ... ...ary to make sure that a person really gets to know someone before taking advice from them and refrain from fully trusting them just because they look like an honest person on the outside. From Macbeth, one can learn that the interior and exterior of a person may be completely opposite and therefore must each be analyzed thoroughly before any accusations may be made. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth.” McDougal Littell Literature. Evanston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. 342-423. Print. Wills, Garry. “Macbeth.” In Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, pp. 125-44. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. 31 January 2010 /servlet/LitCrit?dd=0&locID=lln_pebr&d1=SCRT_090_0004&srchtp=b&c=1&df=f&docNum=FJ4095750004&b0=macbeth+themes&vrsn=1.0&srs=sc&b1=KE&d3=60&ste=10&d4=0.25&stp=DateDescend&n=10&tiPG=0>

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