Deception and Disguise in Macbeth and the Modern World

Deception and Disguise in Macbeth’s World

In the modern world, many things or persons present themselves as friendly, but in reality, they are toxic ones. This powerful quote, “Look like the innocent flower, / But be the serpent under it” (Act I, Scene 5, Lines 66-67), summarises an important theme in this tragic story. It shows how a character’s appearance is often taken in rather than their true colors, which can cause a great disaster. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the most phony people in this play because the simple prophecies that The Weird Witches gave Macbeth had changed his and Lady Macbeth’s lives. Many relationships, businesses, or prescription drugs can also present themselves as “innocent flowers.” In life in the modern world, people are usually between reality and appearance, guilt and loyalty.

The Machinations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Most of the Macbeth play shows how Macbeth tricks King Duncan into believing he’s a good person, but in reality, he betrays King Duncan. Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to play innocent until the King trusts him so no one will suspect his true intention of murdering the King. Macbeth then continues his bad actions and decides to murder his friend Banquo. In the play, it shows that Lady Macbeth is the brains behind all of Macbeth’s crimes. If Macbeth first realized it was a bad thing to do when Lady Macbeth told him to kill King Duncan, he would not be the serpent, and nothing bad would have happened. That is how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are not the innocent ones. They are the evil people in this play.

The Modern Parallels of Deceptive Facades

There are many real-life examples of how people take things or people for granted and use them for their own benefit. Such as businesses, business partners, or even business deals or contracts can often present themselves as “innocent flowers” even though they are really “serpents.” Many business partners are very shady and may show you they are true to you, but in reality, they are attempting to steal your money or rob the company. Countless individuals agree to sign a contract, believing it will benefit them, but they are actually agreeing to bad terms and will rob them. Also, people will often not read the contract and do not see what they are getting into. Those are some examples of how businesses take individuals for granted to benefit themselves.

The Consequences of Illusion and Neglect

Additionally, many individuals harm other people or even their own bodies just because of being extremely rude and not thinking straight, such as people’s relationships and taking prescription drugs for their own use. During relationships, significant others can represent themselves as honest individuals but turn out to be dishonest and evil people. Many marriages can end in divorce because people view their significant other as a wonderful person or an “innocent flower” but then discover they are harmful and violent “serpent.” Also, prescription drugs can represent themselves as “innocent flowers” but are actually “serpents.” For example, people can feel relief from prescription drugs and will continue to take more than they should. People then become addicted to the prescription drug, which can ruin their lives. That is how people harm their bodies or each other just because they do not think straight.