The theme of nature, both in the sense of the natural world around us and the nature of self, is explored in the play Macbeth. One of the most frequently recurring themes in the play is that the notion of false appearance is inseparable from the notion of evil.
The idea of characters "seeming" to be something and really "being" something other, the central idea of deception finds expression in the play in a wide range of images and non-figurative statements.
Duncan discovering Cawdor's treachery moralises (1,iv,12) that "there's no art to find the mind's construction in the face"Malcolm, distrusting everyone after his father's murder knows the "to show an unfelt sorrow is an office, which the false man does easy (2,iii,135-6) the same notion is more concretely expressed by Dolalbain in "there's daggers in men's eyes". However, the most important images of disguise are used by and about Macbeth.
Meeting the witches Macbeth asks of them "Why do you dress me in borrowed robes?" this metaphor begins the train of clothing and deception imagery which forms such an integral part of the play, From this moment Macbeth acquires the habit of deception and maintains it over time. His career is built on it. We are repeatedly reminded of his need to maintain a false appearance if his schemes are to succeed; to "look like an innocent flower/ but be the serpant" (1,v,62) and "fase face must hide what false heart doth know"(1,vii,82). From this point in the play he maintains the appearance of an innocent until finally abandoning the charade in Act 4.
Lady Macbeth's speeches also can be examined to look for masking images.
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