Reality In Macbeth

Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be King hereafter"(I.iii.52-57)  When Macbeth hears this prophecy, many questions instantly run through his head.  He begins to wonder, "What are they talking about and how will I become king?"  Macbeth does not entirely trust the witches, for he does identify them with evil.  The foretelling of the witches sparks the plot of the murder.  The sparks burst into flame when Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy.

The theme of appearance versus reality is very important in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The characters of Duncan, Macbeth, and Lady Macbeth are unable to differentiate between appearance and reality, resulting in tragic consequences. Poor judgment is evidenced by Duncan, who trusts Macbeth too much; Lady Macbeth, who is fooled by the witches; and Macbeth, who is tricked repeatedly by others.

The three witches have told Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor as well as becoming king. Macbeth believes that the witches predictions will come true because he has just been announced the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is very confused. The tone of this soliloquy is one of bafflement. In fact, he proclaims that the witches’ fortune “cannot be ill, cannot be good” (130). Given that Macbeth had been told about being king, he’s had terrible thoughts about murdering Duncan which “unfix [his] hair” and “make [his] seated heart knock at [his] ribs” (135,136). Macbeth does not want to kill his friend, yet he still desires to become king. It is very ironic that his emotions and mind-set towards Duncan who is his “friend” has changed because of the fortune that the witches have given Macbeth.

The witches played an undoubtedly large role in MacBeth, being the instigators of the entire plot. In act one scene three, the witches say: `all hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, thane of cawdor! ... All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter!' (Line 47-50) these prophecies

Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” Upon hearing these predictions, Macbeth becomes intrigued by the idea of being referred to as the Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, as he has neither of these positions. These three predictions influence Macbeth’s decision making throughout the story. In order to fulfill these prophecies, Macbeth would have to kill King Duncan to usurp the throne.

In Act I, the three witches visit Macbeth and Banquo. The weird sisters make three predictions; Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor, he will become King, and Banquo’s sons will become king. Even though the witches did make these prophecies, Macbeth’s fate was not yet sealed. Later in the same scene, Ross and Angus meet Macbeth. They tell Macbeth that he is now the Thane of Cawdor.

Reality is the state of being real or actual, whereas an illusion is a mental misinterpretation of what is believed to be true. Illusions often prevent people from perceiving reality and objective truths, which consequently results in delusions, and in some cases, tragedies. In Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, the theme of illusion versus reality is overtly evident in the main character, Macbeth. Macbeth frequently misinterprets illusions as the actual reality due to possessing such an untamed ambition, which ultimately ends up resulting in a series of tragic and horrific events, for Macbeth and his victims. Macbeth’s ambition first leads him into believing that he is destined to become King of Scotland, which results in

Although the witches only play a small role in the play, they have a huge impact on what goes on. The witches are the base of the play, and without the weird sisters, there would not be a play. Throughout the play, the witches tempt Macbeth to do things that will make his fate come true. The witches add fuel to the fire by revealing to Macbeth the prophecies, which drive him to kill many of his friends, change his heart, and ultimately lead to his downfall.

In Macbeth, the witches tell Macbeth prophecies about him becoming king. “All hail Macbeth, thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” The first part of the prophecy, Macbeth becoming Thane, happens shortly after without any of the witches doings.

The plot of “Macbeth is extremely confusing, taking some readers two or three read throughs of the play in order to finally get what is happening inside of the universe Shakespeare has created. A quick summary is King Duncan’s nation is in turmoil with in fighting, hurting major political parties inside of Duncan's cabinet. During the fight Macbeth AKA thane (lord) of Glamis is in war with the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. After a major battle, Macbeth meets three witches that speak of prophecies of him and Banquo’s future; One of which comes true quickly, which is Macbeth becoming the thane of Cawdor after the death of the previous thane. Another part of the prophecy is that Macbeth will become king and after becoming thane of Cawdor Macbeth decides to kill Duncan and take the throne.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have determined to murder him so that Macbeth can become king as soon as possible. Macbeth and his wife plot and murder King Duncan. They scapegoat lowly servants who take the blame for the king’s death. When Duncan’s son flees the Macbeth household in fear, Macbeth takes the throne.

Macbeth’s fundamental vision is to become the King of Scotland by assassinating King Duncan. As Macbeth returns from battle, he meets the three witches. They predict that Macbeth will possess the titles of the “Thane of Glamis”, the “Thane of Cawdor”, and become the future King of Scotland (1.3.49-50). Macbeth begins to form his design after hearing the witches’ predictions. After the witches vanish, a messenger enters and greets Macbeth with the title of Cawdor. With this marvelous news, Macbeth’s desire to become king grows, and he talks to himself and whispers, “two truths are told, as happy

They have just won a battle and are making their way home across the moor when they see three women. They prophesise that Macbeth will be Thane of Glamis, then Thane of Cawdor, and finally King of Scotland. Macbeth knows he is already Thane of Glamis, but neither of the other two promised. However as the witches disappear into thin air, Ross and Angus enter, bringing news of the Thane of Cawdor's impending death. The King has announced Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, as the previous Thane committed treasons which are punishable by death, so that two of the three prophesies have come true, which immediately unsettles the atmosphere of the play.

In the beginning of the play, the witches make three prophecies. First, that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor. The second part of the prophecy is that Macbeth will become King. The third prophecy being that Banquo will be father to future kings. When Macbeth first hears the prophecy, Duncan holds the position as king. King duncan is also a very loved king by his people. Macbeth and Duncan even have a good relationship. Macbeth is Duncan’s greatest war hero and because of Macbeth’s great success in battle, Duncan rewards him by promoting him to the position of Thane of Cawdor. With this promotion, Macbeth realizes that the witches first prophecy was true. With this realization, Macbeth’s head begins to fill with thoughts of killing King Duncan to speed up the process so that he can become king. When he tells his wife of the prophecies and his promotion, she becomes extremely

Before Macbeth met with the sisters, there is no information he was seeking further reign or power. After the sisters' greeting, Macbeth claims otherwise: "The Thane of Cawdor lives,/A prosperous gentleman." Macbeth cannot believe he would be king, especially if the Thane of Cawdor still lives, saying "to be King/Stands not within the prospect of belief." After he is told that the Thane of Cawdor is dead, Macbeth realizing that part of the sisters' greeting has become a reality, that they may have told Macbeth a prophecy. Since part of the prophecy is true, Macbeth thinks the prophecy is good, but still troubles his physical body when he has done nothing to it: