A paper which explores the motif of lies and deception in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
The paper examines the use of lying among the various characters in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It discusses how lying and deception spreads from a supernatural phenomenon to become entrenched as a human modus operandi among the characters, especially Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
Even Duncan himself is unwittingly drawn into the witches’ web of equivocation, saying that what the Thane of Cawdor hath lost noble Macbeth hath won (I ii 67). He means to say that Macbeth has inherited the title which the Thane of Cawdor has relinquished by rebelling against the king. As the play unfolds however, this statement takes on an added dimension as it becomes evident that Macbeth has inherited not just Cawdor’s title, but also his role as the traitorous murder of the king and usurper of the throne.