Theme: Reality vs. Appearance

The difference between how things seem to be and how they really are is a major theme in literature. For example, in Macbeth, Duncan says to his sons, "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust." (1.4.14-15) The king warns his sons about being too quick to trust others because people are not always what they appear to be. In Macbeth, this duplicity is seen from the perspectives of both the deceived and the deceiver.

Find examples in the play of how the Macbeths attempt to mask their true intentions.

The theme of "reality vs. appearance" appears in real life , as well as literature. In the subpages below, you will find two articles about the al-Assad family, the present leaders of Syria. Read the articles and answer the questions. Explain how these articles relate to the theme.

CC standards addressed in this exercise:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.