The Importance Of Appearance In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Appearances can be described as a “glimpse of the unseen”. Imagine opening your favourite chocolate bar only to discover it was not the kind portrayed on the outer wrapper. Imagine purchasing an item online and when it arrives it’s not what you expected. Shakespeare depicts this concept well in the infamous play Macbeth; although, doing it with more clarity and depth. The witches and Lady Macbeth use manipulative words to alter Macbeth and his thoughts and decisions. Macbeth, becoming the King of Scotland, displayed himself as two very different characters and failed to fully conceal the horrible deeds he committed, thus affecting the people and how they viewed him. Shakespeare portrays deceptive appearances as a negative chain reaction, starting

Right from the beginning of the play the witches grant Macbeth with three prophecies, turning his focus point on fulfilling them, no matter the cost. They declare he will take three titles, but the one that caught Macbeth’s attention was when they said, “All hail Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter”(1.3.53). This started the anaraching thoughts and ideas in Macbeth that triggered that start of poisonous conceptions. Duplicity, along with disguising your outer appearance, insinuates your words and what you say. She grants conniving advice to Macbeth saying, "Your hand, your tongue: Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't" (1.5.72-73). Lady Macbeth streams through deceptive words into Macbeth to transform his thoughts to make sure he follows through with the ruthless plans, but hide it well in the meantime. It is very evident that influence is never neutral and the manipulating words of others can very easily control your thoughts, and eventually,

Falsehood and deception are traps that many people can find themselves in. Macbeth, a dynamic character in the play, encompasses this overarching idea brought to us by Shakespeare. He is easily influenced, in this case to do wrong, and this eventually leads to his downfall. Just like Macbeth was unable to, we too can’t hide our inmost self for long; the veil between your masks will tear and become revealed. In our lives, people tend to put on a false front in order to meet society’s intangible standards and to reach what society deems “successful”; in other words, people cover up their true identity and place a more “likeable” one to the forefront. We, as readers, can use discernment to distinguish deception and learn to beware of manipulation and deceit. We can learn that disguising our true selves will only lead to a road of consequences for everyone