Macbeth: appearance and reality 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 distinguish between appearance and reality, with tragic consequences. Poor judgment is highlighted by Duncan, who trusts Macbeth too much; Lady Macbeth, who is deceived by witches; and Macbeth, who is repeatedly deceived by others. King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a superhero loyal to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald and helps the king solve a big problem that wins the war. Duncan trusts Macbeth greatly because of Macbeth's heroic efforts and gives Macbeth the title "Earl of Cawdor". In reality Macbeth is not as loyal to the king as he seems. He has ambitions to become king after hearing the prophecies of the three witches. After Macbeth returns to his castle, he makes plans with Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan when she comes to visit him. As Duncan arrives, he says something very important. Duncan says: “This castle has a pleasant seat; the air/ Recommends itself nimbly and sweetly/ To our delicate senses” (I.vi.1-3). This quote shows that Duncan, like Macbeth, even feels that Macbeth's place is comfortable for him. Duncan never suspects Macbeth's trustworthiness and never does anything to protect himself. Macbeth easily kills Duncan. Therefore MacBeth's appearance deceives Duncan. Lady Macbeth is tricked by the three witches. When Macbeth gives Lady Macbeth the prophecies of the three witches, Lady Macbeth realizes how wonderful it would be for her to become queen once Macbeth becomes king. Lady Macbeth convinces Macb... halfway through the paper... that she has done so, and insists that if Macbeth is a man he should kill the king. Lady Macbeth seems to tell him the right thing to do and Macbeth listens to her. The result is his first serious crime, the killing of the king. Therefore, it seems that Macbeth judges people by their appearance and is led into tragedy. The three characters, Duncan, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth show errors in judgment as they cannot distinguish between appearance and reality. This error in judgment leads to their respective downfalls. This theme is also very relevant in modern society as politicians, businessmen and religious leaders present one face to the public and another to family and friends. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longmann, 1999.