Deception and Betrayal in William Shakespeares Macbeth

Deception and Betrayal in William Shakespeares Macbeth The play ‘Macbeth† written by William Shakespeare† not only shows us how betrayal and deception undermines society but how it restores the moral law and society back to the way it was before the Thane of Cawdor and the tyrant Macbeth brought about the destruction in the first place. the play Macbeth also featured two changes to the throne of Scotland, both as a result of betrayal, deception, the aid of the weird sisters and the death of kings, the fate of Scotland changed for better and for worse. Deception and betrayal is apparent right from the beginning of the play where Duncan states that â€Å"No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive /†¦show more content†¦Nevertheless, once the King had been killed and Macbeth had taken his place, Scotland fell into disrepute with Macbeth’s treason the reason that he had completely undermined society. Talk of Macbeth’s treachery and its impact on the society was followed after Banquo’s death, when Ross informed Macduff and Malcolm that â€Å"O nation miserable† and that â€Å"It cannot / Be call’d our mother†. The great deceit of Macbeth was illustrated as resulting in â€Å"sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air† and Scotland was said to be â€Å"the dead man’s knell.† At this point in the play, the fear and common place of betrayal was in every characters’ mind and this was exemplified when Macduff’s son says that â€Å"there are / liars and swears enough to beat the honest men and / hang them up.† Although king, Macbeth still sought advice from the â€Å"weird sisters† in order to ascertain his future. On first meeting the ‘weird sisters’ Banquo warned Macbeth that â€Å"oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray us / In deepest consequence.† This deception and betrayal by the witches towardsShow MoreRelatedMacbeth Deception2997 Words   |  12 PagesTheme of Deception/Deceit in Macbeth Throughout Macbeth things are not always as they seem. Deception in the play is always present, with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the three witches being the chief instigators of deception. From the very first scene, the deception within Macbeth’s world is clearly defined. â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair†, say the witches at the beginning of Macbeth. 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