Intro paragraph: In a riveting play laden with the supernatural, nothing is as it outwardly appears to the naked eye. Tension, mystery, dread and ambiguity pervade the drama. Using the theme of appearance vs reality, Shakespeare delves deep into the darker side of humanity and the inner plotting/scheming of the human mind.

1) Witches: the witches set the scene for confusion and illusion in the play. They successfully manage to mislead, cheat and incite evil throughout Scotland via deliberately ambiguous and misleading language. Even their physical appearance is contradictory and perturbing.

Quotes:

Fair is foul and foul is fair
Lesser... (More)

In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents us with a powerful vision of evil. From the very opening scene of the play, the power of evil is displayed with supernatural activities. The theme of evil and it’s consequences are clearly seen throughout the play as it changes the characters in the play and brings nothing but destruction. The fight between good and evil is depicted in the moral choices each character makes in the play. Evil is portrayed to be powerful as it is always seen to turn the hearts of the characters to seek for their own selfish desires.

The play opens... (More)

We first meet Duncan behind the battle fields of two battles (against the rebel MacDonwald and an invading Norwegian army) waiting anxiously for any news. From this time until his brutal murder, he is presented as a noble King of Scotland. Duncan is pictured as the perfect, impartial king in the play. Shakespeare shows Duncan to be an example to others. Duncan’s love for his country is one of the main qualities of Duncan. We can see this when he eagerly seeks for any news from the captain who has returned from the front lines.

When Duncan hears of Macbeth’s... (More)

Macbeth, despite influences of the witches and Lady Macbeth, is responsible for his downfall. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth is a tragic hero who destroys himself by his own wicked and selfish ambitions. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a courageous, noble hero of Scotland who has bravely won the war. As the story continues, Macbeth soon becomes a tyrant king who is willing to murder anyone who becomes a threat to his kingdom.

As the play begins, Macbeth proves himself to be a hero as he demonstrates his bravery and courage. He is praised... (More)