Deception and Fight for Light versus the Dark
Two of the most profound motifs in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth involve the struggle between good versus evil and deception. The deception throughout the story created the façade for tragic Macbeth and his soon remorseful wife that hides the horrifying truth that Macbeth is the traitor in “borrowed robes” (1.3.108). Under the influence of unchecked power of choice, Macbeth takes goes through with actions that have serious and devastating consequences for himself and for other characters in the play. Once Macbeth has committed an act in which he uses his judgement for negative ends, he finds it increasingly difficult to restrain himself from resorting to the sinister use of darkness. Ultimately, …show more content…
Deception in the play is always present with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches being the chief instigators of this deception. From the very first scene, the deception within Macbeth's world is clearly defined. "Fair is foul and foul is fair", the witches proclaim at the beginning of Macbeth (1.1.10). This paradoxical language that Shakespeare utilizes adds to the play's sense of moral confusion and quickly introduces the theme of deception to the audience, by implying that nothing is quite as it seems. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is “a play of the air-- a play in which ‘the sightless couriers of the air’ can carry the species of a ‘horrid deed’” implicating that the illusions of the vanishing witches, the appearing dagger, the ghost of Banquo, and the apparitions influenced Macbeth’s insanity (STUART). The play clearly portrays how living a life of deceit will ultimately end in disaster and downfall. Macbeth learns the art of deception and fools Banquo, King Duncan, and the public from suspecting his sinister actions from the start. From the beginning, he welcomes Duncan into his home, knowing that the king will meet his end in due time. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth then goes on to kill the guards outside Duncan's chamber to cover up his dreadful deed, and make it appear as though the guards committed the crime. It seems as though, “Macbeth may remain unaware of all the implications of what he sees until the …show more content…
"Sights: King Saul and King Macbeth." Vanities of the Eye: Vision in Early Modern European Culture. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. 236-65. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 128. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Lowenthal, David. "Macbeth: Shakespeare Mystery Play." Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philology Spring 1989: 311-57. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 57. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Shakespearean Criticism Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Mehl, Dieter. "Macbeth." Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. N.p.: Cambridge UP, 1983. 105-30. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Shakespearean Criticism Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1999.
Two of the most profound motifs in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth involve the struggle between good versus evil and deception. The deception throughout the story created the façade for tragic Macbeth and his soon remorseful wife that hides the horrifying truth that Macbeth is the traitor in “borrowed robes” (1.3.108). Under the influence of unchecked power of choice, Macbeth takes goes through with actions that have serious and devastating consequences for himself and for other characters in the play. Once Macbeth has committed an act in which he uses his judgement for negative ends, he finds it increasingly difficult to restrain himself from resorting to the sinister use of darkness. Ultimately, …show more content…
Deception in the play is always present with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches being the chief instigators of this deception. From the very first scene, the deception within Macbeth's world is clearly defined. "Fair is foul and foul is fair", the witches proclaim at the beginning of Macbeth (1.1.10). This paradoxical language that Shakespeare utilizes adds to the play's sense of moral confusion and quickly introduces the theme of deception to the audience, by implying that nothing is quite as it seems. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is “a play of the air-- a play in which ‘the sightless couriers of the air’ can carry the species of a ‘horrid deed’” implicating that the illusions of the vanishing witches, the appearing dagger, the ghost of Banquo, and the apparitions influenced Macbeth’s insanity (STUART). The play clearly portrays how living a life of deceit will ultimately end in disaster and downfall. Macbeth learns the art of deception and fools Banquo, King Duncan, and the public from suspecting his sinister actions from the start. From the beginning, he welcomes Duncan into his home, knowing that the king will meet his end in due time. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth then goes on to kill the guards outside Duncan's chamber to cover up his dreadful deed, and make it appear as though the guards committed the crime. It seems as though, “Macbeth may remain unaware of all the implications of what he sees until the …show more content…
"Sights: King Saul and King Macbeth." Vanities of the Eye: Vision in Early Modern European Culture. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. 236-65. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 128. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Lowenthal, David. "Macbeth: Shakespeare Mystery Play." Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philology Spring 1989: 311-57. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 57. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Shakespearean Criticism Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Mehl, Dieter. "Macbeth." Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. N.p.: Cambridge UP, 1983. 105-30. Rpt. in Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Shakespearean Criticism Online. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1999.