Appearance versus reality. Reality Throughout their lives, every human being experiences a period in which they are deceived by what appears to be true, while there is an underlying reality of which they are completely unaware. People use words, actions and emotions to deceive people into thinking they are authentic, thus keeping reality hidden. In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the dichotomy between appearance and reality is used incessantly to intensify the plot of the play. The characters are blinded by what they see as true, making it difficult for them to distinguish between what is actually real and what appears to be real. The disconnect between appearance and reality throughout Macbeth adds suspense to the play and deepens the drama within the plot. The play Macbeth opens with a messy scene in which the three witches are introduced. They all together say, "Beautiful is ugly, and ugly is beautiful:" (Act I, scene i, line 11), which sets the evil tone of the play and initiates the idea that appearances are misleading and deceptive. What is considered good and pleasant by witches may be seen as terrible and bad by others, and vice versa. Later, when the strange sisters tell Macbeth that he will be king, he is unable to see the true evil intentions of the witches because he can only think of the good they are telling him. He says, “This supernatural urge/ Cannot be sick, cannot be good; if sick / Why did it give me serious success? ”(I, iii, 131-133). Macbeth wonders why they would promise him something so magnificent if they are supposedly so evil. He cannot see the ill will that truly resides in them because he is deceived by their false appearance of virtue. This is the starting point of... middle of the paper... nice and safe for Duncan, the reality is that Macbeth is planning to kill him. Duncan is completely unaware of his fate, creating dramatic irony and much suspense for the audience. The division between reality and appearance within Macbeth generates a lot of tension and suspense in the plot of the play. The characters' deceptively good appearances and immoral intentions make it difficult to deduce what their true intent is. The separation between what is real and what feels real plays an extremely important role in the show. Without the disconnect between appearance and reality, the characters would never be brought to ruin because they would never be misled from what is the honest truth. Therefore, the contradiction between appearance and reality is necessary to amplify the drama and anticipation within the plot.