Theme of apperance vs realoty

• • Shakespeare uses the Witches to show how human greed makes us vulnerable to deception and betrayal.
  • Early after their meeting with the Witches, Banquo reminds Macbeth, "The instruments of darkness tell us truths; .
  • This shows that humans can be easily fooled by lies if they are given with small truths. .
• The opening scene:

  • foreshadows the use of trickery and witchcraft in the play because of the Witches presence,
  • restablishes Macbeth as an untrustworthy, corrupt character.
  • his first words recall the Witches opening chants. two tied together, a their roles in the play complement each other.
  • Witches use appearance to deceive Macbeth, who in turn betrays his own kinsmen and friends.
  • Macbeth's motive for his deception is his lust to be king suggest power is behind all evil and manipulation in the world. chain of influence: the citizens of Scotland obey their king, Macbeth, who obeys prophecies
• Structure:

  • the slow breakdown of order in Scotland as the plot progresses.
  • In the play, the idea of appearance vs. reality is closely linked to the idea of order vs. disorder, or chaos.
  • If appearance is a trustworthy, accurate reflection of reality, then order is kept.
  • if not, chaos breaks loose.