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Macbeth Deception Essay

Decent Essays

Interwoven Themes
(A discussion on a theme of deception in the beginning Acts of Macbeth)

There is a reason why Shakespeare is so great. A tiny aspect of his greatness includes him having a way of being able to speak with and relate with different audiences. The groundlings are known for guts and gore, yet some see his plays in a romantic and tragic lighting. From the very beginning of the play Macbeth, the feeling through the audience is mutual, as a very dark tone is set across the stage for all observers. A theme of deception is shown through this feeling of darkness and will continue to be present throughout the entire play. Up to the first two Acts of Macbeth, the theme of deception is shown through the three witches, the idea that one …show more content…

In the first two acts, she may be the very image of deception. She is basically behind the whole plotting of the King’s murder. She knows she can manipulate Macbeth by using questions. A few of the many questions she arouses are stated in lines 35-41 on page 338. She expresses, “Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? The questions continue and Lady Macbeth is basically questioning his manhood without saying it directly. This deceives Macbeth as he takes those words to heart and gets on the defensive side. This poses the question of the difference between men and women and their capability to deceive. Lewis shows in the writings of Lying and Deception in Everyday Life that, “Although some have maintained that the sexes differ in the propensity to lie, it appears that a larger difference is in motives for deception. Relative to women, men are more suspicious of what they hear.” This shows that men are more affected of what they hear and will let it influence them more. This could be for the good or the bad. Sadly, in the case of Macbeth, he is deceived by Lady Macbeth for the worse, which eventually leads to his own

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