Apperance Vs. Reality in MacBeth

Essay by Brooke SoperHigh School, 12th gradeA+, March 1997

download word file, 4 pages 4.3

Downloaded 90 times

Appearance Versus Reality

The way people act on the outside and who they really are on the inside may be two totally different things. Some may change because they feel they don't fit in. Others pretend to be something they truly aren't. No matter which way you look at it, if you try to act like someone your not, the truth will always appear in the end. That is exactly what happened in William Shakespeare's play, MacBeth. Banquo, MacBeth, and Lady MacBeth each project an image, but as time passes. The realities of their true personalities begin to emerge.

As an honorable man, Banqou tends to hold back his true feelings in order not to offend others around him. At one point in the play, Banqou and MacBeth find themselves in the presence of three weird sisters who make three absurd predictions. MacBeth leans toward believing them while Banqou says, 'And oftentimes, to win us to do our harm, the instruments of darkness tells us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence'.

(Act I, Scene 3) A thoughtful yet skeptical Banquo speaks his words here very carefully to MacBeth in order to remain honorable. He doesn't want to come right out and tell MacBeth to be cautious in his actions, so he tries to soften his words so that MacBeth might contemplate his future movements. However, MacBeth does not take heed of Banquo's warnings. Because of the witch's predictions and his impatience, MacBeth kills in order to get what he expects is coming to him. When Banquo takes time to contemplate what has been going on, he turns his thoughts to MacBeth. He expresses his feelings about the situation in Act II, Scene 1. Banqou feels that MacBeth might have something...