false appearances

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Recommended: Macbeth literary analysis

A false appearance is like an optical illusion, the eyes ‘see’ something that differ from what it actually is. That is why one should remember that eyes are not always seeing the truth. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare displays an important thesis regarding appearances. He makes a great statement of how a person can be easily deceived by a false appearance. A great character to be used as an example to portray the idea of deception by appearance is “ brave Macbeth” ( Macbeth I. ii.16). Macbeth is perceived by Duncan, the Scottish king, as a noble and trustworthy man, but eventually turns out to be a traitorous tyrant. Throughout the play, Macbeth tries to mask his “ black and deep desires” ( I. iv.50) from other characters, but the audience can see them through his thoughts and actions in soliloquies and monologues. However, sometimes it is hard to distinguish between what appears to be real and what actually is. That is why Shakespeare gives hints to the audience to guide them to the truth by foreshadowing, and by using the leitmotifs of masking and blood.
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