AQA English Literature GCSE

Macbeth: Themes
Appearance vs Reality

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Appearance vs. Reality

The​ difference between appearance and reality​, and the ​deception ​that is possible
because of this, is at the heart of the
tragedy of Macbeth. The ​outward
appearance​ of the Macbeths as
trustworthy and innocent enables
them to get away with their plot to
murder Duncan and ascend the
throne. Loyalty and trust are
juxtaposed by the ultimate betrayal.

The ways in which reality and

appearance can be ​manipulated ​and
altered ​is facilitated by
Shakespeare’s use of the
supernatural​. From Witches and
spells to hallucinations of knives,
blood and ghosts, the ​chaotic atmosphere​ and ​mental instability​ of the main characters is
central to the play.

The Witches

The Witches are the first ​exposure ​we get as an audience to the​ chaotic ​and​ inverted
world of Macbeth. The opening of the play​ ​creates a ​paradox​, the contradictory statements
are reflective of appearance versus reality.
➔ One witch says,​ “When the battle’s lost, and won,” (1.1)​ which suggests there are
two sides​ to every story. One side loses, but one side wins.
➔ One of the most famous lines is, ​“Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (1.1)​, the use of the
conjunction​ ​“and”​ shows both good and bad can exist at the same time. Even the
weather​ is reflective of this, as Macbeth declares ​“So foul and fair a day I have not
seen”.
Here Shakespeare warns his
audience that ​no one and nothing
can be trusted​. In a wider sense, he
suggests that there are ​no
certainties when it comes to
morality​. What appears to be good
on the surface may not be.

Despite the grotesque outer

appearance of the Witches - Banquo
describes them as ​looking ​“not like
th' inhabitants o' th' Earth”​ (A1S3)​ -
what is interesting to note is the
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Witches aren’t​ overtly violent or cruel​ within the context of the plot. They don’t tell Macbeth
to kill Duncan. Instead, it is the ​chaos and confusion ​they create that is so frightening.

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, ​“Oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us
truths; / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequences,” (1.3)​. This
shows that humans can be ​easily fooled​ ​by lies​ if they are given with small truths. These
contradictions confuse us and lead us ​astray​.

Lady Macbeth

Besides the Witches, Lady Macbeth is one of the most significant examples of the difference
between appearance and reality, and the ​conflict​ between the two. Her ​ambition​ fuels her
deception of others and she ensures she ​disguises​ her true intentions in order to ​gain
power​.

Feminine vs Masculine
Initially it is likely that her ​outward
appearance ​as a ​woman​ would mean the
audience would assume her to be weak
and therefore superfluous to the story line.
However, as the play progresses we see
the inner workings of her mind and realise
internally she is stereotypically
masculine​. As she becomes more
powerful and masculine she is ultimately
destroyed by her weak mind.

The audience can see Lady Macbeth is

aware of the importance of outward appearance and how it can be ​manipulated​ when she
teaches Macbeth how he should act.
➔ She tells him, ​“To beguile the time, / Look like the time, bear welcome in your
eye, / Your hand, your tongue,” (1.5)​. Her use of ​physical features​, such as
“eye”​, and ​“hand”​ emphasise the importance of outward appearance. The ​verb
“look”​, shows how he doesn’t have to ​be ​“like the time”​, only ​imitate ​it.
➔ A similar idea is expressed later when she instructs him to​ “Sleek o’er your rugged
looks, be bright and jovial / Among your guests tonight,” (3.2)​.
➔ She finishes,​ “Look like th’innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t,” (1.5)​.
Again she is stressing the important difference between ​looking​ like something and
being​ something else. The juxtaposition of ​“flower”​, which ​connotes femininity​,
with ​“serpent”,​ which ​connotes masculinity and trickery​, shows how there can be
a ​dangerous divide​ between a person’s​ outward appearance and inward nature​.
◆ “Serpent”​ is an​ allusion​ to the ​Biblical story​ of Adam and Eve, where it is a
symbol of the devil​.
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Shakespeare demonstrates how appearances cannot be trusted because they are
moldable​, meaning they offer no ​insight ​into the reality of a person.

Shakespeare shows how appearances can be used for acts of ​self-denial​ as well as
deception, ​keeping the conscience clear​ even though a crime has been committed. After
asking the spirits to take away her inner femininity, Lady Macbeth says,​ “Come, thick night,
/ And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, / That my keen knife see not the wound it
makes, / Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,” (1.5)​. This shows how she
wants to use appearances to her advantage by ​blinding ​others to her actions.
➔ The ​personification ​in ​“my keen knife see
not the wound it makes”​ implies there is a level of
self-deception to her plan, where her ​“knife”
appears to be a ​symbol for herself​.
➔ The​ semantic field of darkness​,
furthermore, implies our ​reliance ​on what we ​can
see​ makes us ignorant and gullible. Shakespeare
could be ​criticising ​his society’s focus on ​obvious,
black and white truths​.

Ultimately, though, her deceit is met with fitting

consequences, as she is ​caught between reality
and imagination​. Her hallucinations are symbolic of
her losing control of herself, which is ironic as she
has tried so hard within the play to control everyone
else. By the end she cannot control her mind and is
ultimately destroyed by it.

Macbeth

Macbeth ​benefits ​greatly from the conflict between appearance and reality, managing to be
viewed as an ​honorable warrior and king​ despite the awful crimes he has committed. He is
a ​symbol for deception and facade​, but also for the way people ​lose sight of themselves
when they are constantly deceiving others. It becomes hard to tell ​who ​is the real Macbeth.

Descriptions of Macbeth
One of the first descriptions of Macbeth we get is from Duncan, who calls him ​“O valiant
cousin, worthy gentleman,” (1.2)​. Macbeth appears to be the ​perfect subject and
kinsman​. ​“Valiant” ​and ​“worthy” ​are ​adjectives associated with honour and nobility​,
particularly in the context of the​ royal court​ and the ​Code of Chivalry​, which the
Renaissance admired. This is ​situational irony​ because we soon see that Macbeth is
neither ​“valiant”​ nor ​“worthy”​, demonstrating that the way someone appears through their
words and actions ​reveals nothing​ about what lays underneath the surface.

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Macbeth’s ​first line​ in the play is, ​“So foul and fair a day I have not seen,” (1.3)​, signaling
how his​ fate ​is tied to the ​confusion of contradiction​. Shakespeare ​foreshadows ​his
indecision and ​moral ambiguity​. Furthermore, the use of​ “foul”​ and ​“fair”​ echoes back to
the Witches’ opening chorus,​ associating his character with the supernatural​. We can
guess that Macbeth might be an example of someone who seems fair but​ “is foul”​.

Outward appearance
Macbeth, too, sees appearance as
something that can be ​managed ​to
meet his ​intentions​. He tells Lady
Macbeth, ​“Away, and mock the time
with fairest show, / False face must
hide what the false heart doth
know,” (1.7)​, with the ​rhyming
couplet​ suggesting he finds
contentment ​in this plan.
Shakespeare implies ​deception ​is a
form of ​playing God ​because people
believe they can defy​ “time” ​and
truth, the ​most powerful forces
humanity is subjected to​. The juxtaposition between​ “false face”​ and ​“false heart”
highlights the ​divide ​between someone’s ​outward looks and true nature​.

A similar sentiment is given later, when Macbeth says,​ “We / Must lave our honours in
these flattering streams / And make our faces vizards to our hearts, / Disguising what
they are,” (3.2)​. These ​metaphors ​about ​“honour”​ and ​“fairest show”​ suggest
compassion is a ​performance or scientific process​ that can be ​reproduced ​without
meaning ​behind it. The ​verbs​ ​“disguise”​ and ​“hide”​ imply the Macbeths’ lies ​shield ​them.
This shows how they are ​scared of being discovered and losing their good reputations​.
Shakespeare suggests people use their appearances to ​protect themselves from
judgement​, accusing society of being ​afraid ​of intimacy.

Overcome by reality
Like his wife, Macbeth ​suffers ​from his ​exploitation ​of appearances, as he starts to be
unable to tell what his reality is anymore. The appearances of the​ “dagger” (2.1) ​and the
“Ghost of Banquo” (3.4) b ​ oth convey his ​crumbling sense of reality​. The evil, corrupt
parts of himself he tries to repress and ​“disguise” ​start to​ express themselves ​in the form
of morbid hallucinations and spirits, suggesting your true nature can never be changed no
matter how much you alter your appearance. He can’t​ trust his own mind​ as a result of his
deceit. The biggest conflict as a result of appearance vs. reality is within ​Macbeth’s own
head​.

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Secondary Characters

The other, secondary characters in the play get their fair share of confusion and chaos when
it comes to appearances. Shakespeare shows that it’s not just the Macbeths and the
Witches who experience a ​distorted, deceitful reality​. The whole world is ​upside down​,
and we’re all just living in it.

Duncan
Though Duncan is a good king, Shakespeare implies he is ​vulnerable ​because he isn’t
wary ​of the difference between appearance and reality. He is too ​gullible​.

He tells his subjects, ​“Signs of nobleness like stars shall shine / On all deservers,”
(1.4),​ suggesting he believes a person’s good nature is ​reflected ​in their face. The ​imagery
of ​“stars”​ shining like a spotlight implies good people stand out in a crowd, almost as if
illuminated by God​. The ​“stars” ​are an ​allusion ​to ​Heaven and God​, suggesting there is
a link or connection between God and His people because the​ “stars”​ can reach down to
earth.

Macbeth, in contrast, wants to be in darkness to do his

crimes, asking for​ “seeling night” (3.2) ​suggesting it
would be obvious to Duncan that he’s not a ​“deserver”​,
but Duncan is unaware of Macbeth’s plots. He remarks
that the Macbeths’ ​“castle hath a pleasant seat,” (1.6)​,
calls Macbeth a ​“worthy gentleman” (1.2)​, and Lady
Macbeth an ​“honoured hostess,” (1.6)​. He is ​taken in
by their ​“pleasant”​ appearances. It is almost humiliating
how drastically wrong his impressions of the Macbeths
are, challenging these ​ideologies​. Shakespeare
suggests true evil is so ​dangerous ​because it arrives
with the face of goodness. The most vulnerable people
are those who don’t ​understand ​that the world is an evil
place.

Symbolism of darkness
The ​distress ​Duncan’s murder welcomes into the world
is ​symbolised ​by Shakespeare’s use of ​darkness and nightfall​. The ​pathetic fallacy​, with
furious thunderstorms and thick layers of fog and darkness that the sun can’t get through,
creates an ​atmosphere of obscurity and fear​. Before the murder takes place, Banquo
observes, ​“There’s husbandry in heaven, / Their candles are all out,” (2.1)​. The night is
dark and starless, an ​omen ​for the hopeless, devastating future to come. He suggests that
even heaven is acting suspicious and secretive, so that ​the whole world is against him​.
Furthermore, it seems Macbeth’s wish has come true: the ​“stars”​ have extinguished their
“fires”​. This is ​significant ​because it suggests Macbeth has a ​supernatural ability to
control his environment​ and ​reality​, ​provoking fear​ from the audience.

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 Analysis Tip
It’s important to note small changes in the ​atmosphere​ of the play, these can be
influenced by factors such as the ​weather​ and ​changes from light and dark​. Often these
things are easily overlooked if you’ve not bothered reading the play properly. For example,
In the paragraph above a character mentions that ​“candles are all out” ​which could be
easily missed. Analysing the effects of small things like this will stand you out from other
candidates and will make your analysis seem unique and original.

Development of the Theme

Macbeth is ​introduced ​to us through the words of the Witches. The ​opening scene
foreshadows the use of trickery and witchcraft​ in the play because of the Witches’
presence, but it also ​establishes Macbeth as an untrustworthy, corrupt character​.
Equally, his first words ​recall ​the Witches’ opening chants. The two are ​tied together​, and
their roles in the play complement each other.
➔ The 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, as Shakespeare suggests
power is behind all evil and manipulation in the world​.
The ​hierarchy of power​ in the world means there is a ​chain of influence​: the citizens of
Scotland obey their king, Macbeth, who obeys the prophecies of the supernatural Witches.

Structure
An interesting ​structural ​point to consider is how Shakespeare ​organises ​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.

The play opens with​ thunder and lightning

while a battle rages​, but this is just a ​glimpse
of the chaos that is to come.

For the most part, Scotland seems to be

controlled and organised​. We see that
Duncan is a thoughtful king who is good at
maintaining order ​and ​honouring the
hierarchy​. This all ​changes ​once Macbeth
becomes king. The sky is permanently dark,
more and more people die, and horses try to
eat each other.

As reality breaks down the Macbeths are haunted by more and more hallucinations. Ghosts
and hallucinations are a ​symbol for the divide between appearance and reality​, as no
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one can tell what exactly they are: imaginary, or real? Also note how, in their final scenes,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth stop talking in ​perfect blank verse​. Their switch to ​prose
indicates their ​mental instability​. ​Reality falls apart​, slowly exposing the villains in the
story.

The final message

Overall, Shakespeare places his characters in ​a world full of chaos and confusion​, but the
resounding message seems to be that ​their world isn’t too different from our own​.

Anyone is capable of putting on a ​mask ​and mocking the time. Anyone could look like an
innocent flower while being the snake under it. But all of this goes ​against ​the ​natural
order​, and more importantly, ​against God​. It is only ​rewarded with death and suffering​.

By the end of the play, the Macbeths’ moods swing so violently, their decisions change so
quickly, that it seems​ their masks have tricked even them​. They no longer know ​who ​they
are, their sense of self has been ​destroyed​, because ​they have driven their appearances
away from their reality​.

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