Xavier Khoury

Ms. Skirtich
20 December 2017
English 12: British Literature
Deception
Under the rule of Macbeth loyalty dies and deception thrives. A once great Scotland left

powerless, void of hope. “Macbeth” was written by William Shakespeare in the early 1600s.

Shakespeare originally wrote the play “Macbeth” to appeal to King James I by scripting points

that interested him such as family lineage, witchcraft, and deception. Shakespeare displays

deception in Macbeth through prophecies, betrayal, and murder.

Shakespeare first displays deception in Macbeth through prophecies made by the weird

sisters, three witches that roam throughout Scotland. The weird sisters deceive Macbeth early on

in the play. They do this by greeting him with “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis

/ Thane of Cawdor! / King hereafter!” (I.iii.48-50). During this time, Macbeth’s title is only

Thane of Glamis, so naturally, he is confused as to why they address him this way. Shortly after

Macbeth’s encounter with the weird sisters, he finds out that the Thane of Cawdor committed

treason and executed. These acts of treason lead King Duncan to rename Macbeth Thane of

Glamis and Cawdor due to his bravery in battle.

With the prophecy slowly falling into place, Macbeth eagerly awaits his kingship. All

seems possible considering he is cousin to the king, but when Duncan names his son Malcom

next in line for the throne, Macbeth decides to take action. Shortly after being named Thane of

Cawdor due to loyalty, Macbeth murders Duncan in order to become king. Later in act three

Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft who presides over the weird sisters, says “How did you dare to

trade and traffic with Macbeth in riddles and affairs of death;” (III.v.4-6). Hecate essentially
scolds the weird sisters for revealing the future to Macbeth, so in order to set things right, she

demands the weird sisters to mislead Macbeth the next time he comes to them. The weird sisters

do so by giving cryptic and twisted prophecies.

Shakespeare then displays deception in Macbeth through betrayal. This idea derives from

act one when Macbeth states “The Thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me in barrowed

robes?”(I.iii.109-110). this was the first instant of deception in the play due to the prior Thane’s

treason to the throne. Leading to Macbeth’s newly acquired power. This power plants seeds of

greed and ill intent. Another instants of betrayal in “Macbeth” is the death of Banquo. Macbeth

went to great lengths to ensure that the crown remained in his grasp.

Finally, Shakespeare displays deception in Macbeth through murder. Murder digs its

roots deep into the plot structure of the play from the beginning. When Macbeth commits to

murdering Duncan, he looks into the darkness of his room saying “Is this a dagger which I see

before me, the handle towards my hand?” (II.i.33-34). The dagger which Macbeth sees before

him is not truly there, it is only a figment of his imagination stemming from his lust for power.

Macbeth goes to extreme lengths to secure his crown, and the mad king hires cut-throats to kill

his best friend Banquo and his son. When they fail to kill Banquo’s son, Macbeth erupts into

rage saying “We have scorched the snake, not killed it.” (III.ii.13). This ties into deception

because the weird sisters predicted that Banquo’s children would take the throne. In conclusion,

Shakespeare displays deception in Macbeth through prophecies, betrayal, and murder.