appearance vs reality theme

• key ideas

  • Contrast between appearance and reality illuminates the discrepancy between an individual’s external presentation
  • encompassing both physical appearance and behaviour and the true essence of their internal nature and genuine intentions.
  • puppetry empowers certain characters to conceal their true intentions and manipulate others, all in the pursuit of satisfying their self-controlled desires.
  • continually blurs the boundaries between reality and illusion.
  • Prophecies of witches introduce an enchanting deception, a theme which persists as characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth employ illusion and façade to conceal sinister intention.
  • This starkly contrasts with characters of unwavering morality, piety, and honesty – Banquo & Macduff.
• intents 


  • Use of deception may yield immediate advantages, allowing one to manipulate reality.
  • Yet, he demonstrates that fleeting success of such deceitful tactics ultimately accelerates one’s downfall and precipitates a rapid descent of madness.
  • Unveils a disquieting and alarming perspective for the audience, exposing the intricacies and brutality inherent in human nature.
  • He illustrates how individuals employ their cunning instinct to manipulate and deceive, granting a glimpse to the hidden machinations of humanity when unobserved
  • dramatic irony- able to witness dual personas adopted by characters juxtaposed by genuine motivation
  • audiences morality assesses each intentions - possess knowledge of both facades and authentic reality
• banquo - ” i dreamed of the three wierd sisters last night“

  • ”i dreamed of the three weird sisters last night” (banquo) “i think not of them“ macbeth - act 2
  • scrupulous, pious and honest and the anti thesis to the theme
  • external demeanour aligns seamlessly with his true nature, exemplifying a stark contrast where his appearance mirrors reality
  • abstract noun “dreamed“ signifies affliction he is haunted in waking moments and realm of sleep - intrusion of superstition into banquos consciousness trespassing his unconscious mind
• banquo - part 2

  • motif of sleep is synonymous with loss of innocence 
  • macbeth “sleep no more“ and lady macbeths somnambulant state 
  • banquo restrains capacity to sleep and acknowledges his ability to “dream“ illuminating preservation of innocence truthfully admits to being captivated by supernatural without subsuming to guilt induced insomnia 
  • sincerity operates as a foul to macbeths deceit as macbeth falsely asserts he does not “think” of the prophecies 
  • moral characterisation strategically employed to contrast macbeths dishonesty and duplicity
  • juxtaposition accentuates moral divergence between banquo and macbeth
• lady macbeth and the witches - ”look like the innocent flower”

  “look like the innocent flower be the serpent under’t”

  “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter” (Witches)

  • Personify theme – L.M. assumes role of fourth witch, employs cunning schemes to manipulate Macbeth.
  • Both witches & L.M. embody the theme of employing deceptive practice to manoeuvre acquiring power over Macbeth.
• lady macbeth and witches- ”look like the innocent flower” part 2

  • incorporates biblical allusion - “serpent” draws parallels to genesis narrative “fall of man”
  • Choice of diction serves to underscore her belief in effectiveness of deception – akin to serpents manipulation
  • cloaked in an “innocent” flower like façade – eases with which deceit can be orchestrated when temptation and pride are at play .
  • Witches exploit Macbeth’s hubris to employ their deceptive influence.
  • Short sentences, highlighting Macbeth through a comma, signifies a targeted approach.
  • Prophecies tailored to stroke his ego and satisfy ambition, witches obscure his wisdom, making him susceptible.
• lady macbeth and witches - “fair is foul and foul is fair“

  • Communication paradox – moral ambiguity – potent sense of contradiction & disorientation.
  • Foreshadows impending chaos. Prophecies and deceit leave Macbeth bewildered and disoriented
  • Trochaic tetrameter – distinct from iambic pentameter of noble characters.
  • Eerie, songlike quality – unnatural manor compounds duplicitousness – even their speeches transcend earthly realm – easily tapping supernatural realm to successfully deploy oral deception.
  • Banquo characterises Witches as “instruments of darkness”
  • Underscores sinister musicality
  • Conflicting words possess hypnotic allure for Macbeth
• macbeth- ”stars hide your fires”

  “Stars hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Act 1)

  • Dark and light imagery – contrast of ominous connotation with “black” and bright imagery to “light” – dichotomous character.
  • Possesses virtuous façade of an upright Jacobean man, yet harbours malevolent and tyrannical intentions.
  • Shows sinister motive, in metaphorical darkness, as if his true intention concealed in “light” would obstruct him from acquiring the illegitimate title of king.
  • Rhyming couplet “desires” and “fires” has a resemblance to the enchanting spell-casting technique employed by witches – accentuates deception.
  • descent into shadowy and malevolent trajectory as he is asking for his duplicitous intentions to be revealed so he can fulfil ambitious, ego-centric desires.
• macbeth- “i heard a voice cry“

  “There’s a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’” (Act 2)

  • Recurring motif that makes sleep synonymous with innocence. Macbeth, troubled by guilt, has a disturbed sleep pattern – departure from innocence.
  • Disintegration of innocence is a consequence of deceitful actions in seizing the throne and committing regicide.
  • no longer used imperative commands to reflect on mental anguish and haunting “cries” which torment him
  • “Sleep no more!” exclamative sentence - enduring an irreversible nature of macbeth’s loss of sleep and innocence
  • disruption of natural order through wickedness masked by a facade of moral piety - forever condemned mind to relentless torment of guilt
  • sempiternally he will battle with moral restlessness finding no redemption or salvation - murderous tyrant who defied moral order