Think of a person you know who acts one way when he or she is with a group of people, but acts very differently when you’re with him or her in private. Describe how this person acts in public or private, and explain why you think he or she wears such a mask sometimes- why not be yourself at all times?
Act one contains many quotes that address the idea of false appearances. Find two quotes, put them into your own words, and explain how they relate to the theme of appearance v. reality.
Two faced, deceiving, dishonest, phony faced, etc. You can call them whatever you like. They all have the same characteristics. I know for one that I have trusted way too many people with personal things that have come back to haunt me.
ReplyDelete"The worst part about being lied to isn't about the lie, it's about knowing you weren't worth the truth."
I've had so many people come and go in my life, a few that have ended without definite conclusion. The hard part for me isn't about moving on, it's about trying not to cling to the past. I'll never forget the friendships I have had, no matter for what length of time it lasted. I learn from the experiences and I meet great people everyday. It's just hard to look back and remember how fake it really was. One person can appear to be your best friend. You can invest your time in the relationship, call them from inside your closets late at night to make sure they're okay, love them even when you hate them. And through all that, you could still go to school on Monday and hear secrets that make you cringe from people you barely know. Not just any secrets. Your secrets. So no matter what you do, or how much you cared, you have to move on. Because the truth is that holding onto what's fake makes you forget what's real. I can guarantee that everyone has some hard friendships and some tough times, but in the end you got to forget what you want and remember what you deserve. Everyone keeps telling me it'll get better, so you just have to believe them!
Macbeth quotes:
King Duncan- "To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust."
Macbeth- "That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies."
When King Duncan says this in Macbeth, he knows where the loyalty was truly lying there. He had absolute trust in Macbeth, and he knows the thoughts that plague Macbeths' mind. At the same time, Macbeth knows that this is an obstacle that he has to take into his own hands. The destiny of the king lies in his hands, whether it be life or death, he will be the one taking the fall or gaining the title using the King. In reality, things are much more complicated for both of them. Macbeth sits contemplating the life of the King that he holds in his grasp, and there the King sits having revelations about loyalty and trust and what power can do to one man.
Masked faces aren’t just reserved for Halloween and Masquerade Balls. They are prominent in politics, high schools, and society today. One of my friends from church acts sweet and innocent at Sunday school but does things outside of church that shock me. It is like this person is trying to appeal to our church leaders and adults by putting on a good face but still having ‘fun’ when not around these people. Also, this person is trying to suit themselves to the environment and act like the others around them. They can’t be themselves in either the church atmosphere or the party atmosphere because they are trying to act the way you are ‘supposed’ to act.
ReplyDeleteIn Macbeth, we see Lady Macbeth put on a ‘mask’ when she decides to kill King Duncan. All throughout Act 1, Scene 6 Lady Macbeth play the innocent wife and humble servant as she placates King Duncan. During this, however, she is already plotting to help her husband gain the throne. She tells Macbeth in the end of Scene 5 to “Only look up clear, To alter favor ever is to fear, Leave all the rest to me.” In this, she is telling Macbeth to keep his expression calm so that they don’t tip off King Duncan, and to let her do the work. She is telling Macbeth to ‘put on a mask’ while they plan and then attempt the murder. Another time in Scene 5, we see Lady Macbeth again tell Macbeth to don a mask. She says, “Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under’ t.” This means to keep a innocent and loyal appearance while in reality you are a scheming, evil serpent.
Phony-face people. I, sadly, know a lot of them. But the one person whose image flashes in my mind whenever I hear that term is a former friend of mine. I met her in sixth grade and we and about five other people all enjoyed hanging out together. She was actually upset about losing a close friend of her's to the 'popular' group, but, a bit selfishly, I didn't mind because she would always come to me. In seventh grade, she and her friend made up, which was awesome,but she didn't really like me as much anymore. It was as if I was her backup friend. In eighth grade, we were know longer friends. She spent her time with people who I didn't like, and she didn't even acknowledge me. However, I was the one she went to when she was in a fight with them. When she was alone with me, she was funny and nice. But when she was with her 'friends' she gossiped, and looked down on people. She was polite to my teachers and my mother (we carpooled), but at school, I was the subordinate in her eyes. A quote from Macbeth that I feel describes the situation well, is, like Rebekah said, "Look the th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." - Lady Macbeth. This described how the girl was nice and sweet to her parents and other adults, but in school, her main mission was to make people see the worst in themselves, to make her feel better. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to be innocent, but inside be filled with the cruelty of murder. Another Lady Macbeth quote that fits is, "That which cries "Thus thou must do," if thou have it;" because Lady Macbeth is saying it's okay to kill the king because that's the only way Macbeth will be king. The same way the girl would do anything for popularity.
ReplyDelete"Look the th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." -Lady MacBeth
ReplyDeleteIn the first quote by Lady MacBeth, she is telling her husband to have a innocent face when he really has a guilty heart. She tells him to cover his face because if he doesn't, King Duncan will be able to know what he is going to do and that he can no longer trust MacBeth. This quote displays the theme of appearance vs. reality because MacBeth may appear innocent but the reality is that he is not.
"To find the mind's construction in the face." -King Duncan
King Duncan's quote about MacDonwald shows that he can see the appearance of people if they are lying vs. being truthful. He says that you can "find the mind's construction in the face" which tells us that your face should portray what your mind is thinking. If you can read the face (which King Duncan claims he can) than you can read what the mind is plotting/ thinking.
I know many people who act differently in private than they do in public places or around a group of friends. I think that they don't feel confident in themselves and they just want to do what satisfies the public and society. They feel as if they aren't good enough the way they are so they need to pretend to be 'cooler' and to 'fit in' better. In private, a person can be open, free and act like they want to. But, while in a group, they act extremely animated and over-the-top friendly. I love having friendly people around me and I know that is the case with most other people. So, to satisfy the public's wants, people will act friendly and consistently excited just so they can appear to the public in a way that they will feel more accepted. The idea of people not liking you because of how you act yourself has frightened everyone so they want to wear a mask. They are willing to give up their true identity to be popular and even gain status.
I have been in a situation much like Emily not too long ago. My friends and I welcomed a girl into our "group" during a year of middle school. In private, she was a really sweet girl, and I was astounded by the way I was blown off later by her. She found friends who she liked better I suppose, and we were the back up group. It must have felt nice to have people to be friends with when your better ones weren't around. Strangely, I wasn't that mad about the incident, because sadness was more of what I felt. I was sad and disappointed that we were basically betrayed, which connects to our trust post about knowing people who you have mistrusted. Even today she doesn't give as much as a "hi" when her real friends are around. I wonder why she even comes to me at all if she has no one better to be with, because both of us know we'd rather be hanging out with other people. I feel like in Macbeth, Macbeth starts to be a phony friend early on when he is with Banquo and the witches reveal his prophecy. "Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more!" -Macbeth. This is when greed begins to take over him and he might begin to betray Banquo. His mind immediately wanders off to higher possibilities. A thought that could've gone through his head is "If I can be so much greater, why am I still here with this 'lesser' person?" Although he gets these evil thoughts "out" of his head, I believe they never really leave him. Another quote I feel connects with the post is on page 35 line 75, when Lady Macbeth says, "Your hand, your tongue;look like the innocent flower..." She is ordering her husband to betray and deceive the King with his actions and his words. This is an obvious example of appearing like an "innocent flower," while in reality, Macbeth is interacting with the victim of his cruel plan. This would lead me to believe that it is foolish to trust one anothers appearance, when you no not what evil lies inside them.
ReplyDeletePeople want to be liked. Church, school, and family are all scenerios in which people act differently from who they really are. I know a girl whose, "face and personality is innnocent like a flower," when she is around her family, yet, when she is at school she is not the angel she makes herself out to be. It is like when Lady Macbeth acts like a good and loyal host for the king but is secretly plotting to kill him. At school, she often will cuss, gossip,lie, and cheat without her parents ever knowing. "That the keen knife sees not the wounds it makes," explains perfectly the way she sneaks around behind her parent's backs without realizing the harm that it is doing to their relationship.She does this simply for one reason, popularity. Like Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to become king, this particular girl would do anything to become more popular. In fact, when she first moved in she asked me a lot of questions about who was and wasn't popular, what kind of cliques she should try to join, and what some of the popular classes were. Being naive, I told her. Little did I know that she would take what I had told her to a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteWhen you meet someone new, you only see the good things that you want to see. Over time you notice people's flaws and realize that they might not be as good of a choice for friends than what you thought at the beginning. Sometimes you learn that people can be phony or fake. They say one thing, but later on they say something completely different. I think that people can be like this because they are insecure with who they are. They don't know who they are, so they act fake because they are just confused with their own self. I think that in private, they are who they truly are and they are just being themselves. When they get out in public or are around other people though, they act like the person that they want to be. They are uncomfortable with who they are, so they create a new person who isn't uncomfortable or awkward to be, so that they can mask what they are really feeling. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, King Duncan puts his trust in his Thane of Cawdor. "He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust." (pg. 27, Act 1 Scene 4 Line 15) King Duncan believed strongly in his Thane of Cawdor, and his Thane of Cawdor went and deceived him. "Norway himself, with terrible numbers, assisted by that most disloyal traitor the Thane of Cawdor..." (pg. 13, Act 1 Scene 2 Line 59) The Thane of Cawdor was working for King Duncan, but he then turned on the King and started working for Norway. The Thane became a traitor and was phony. The King then had the Thane executed because he wasn't loyal. On the outside, the Thane of Cawdor looked like a really good guy, but on the inside he really was just looking for a way to be more important. Another scene in Macbeth where fake or phony people are portrayed is when Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth, telling him that if he doesn't kill the king, then he is not manly enough. She also tells him that he must look innocent on the outside, but in his heart be pure evil. "Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." (pg. 35, Act 1 Scene 5 Line 75) These people in Macbeth are deceitful and a bit evil. They are fake, phony, and two faced. It's no wonder that they commit such evil acts.
ReplyDeleteI think that having two sides is just how many people are. They want to fit in with a certain group of people or they just don't feel comfortable with who they are. They figure that the best way to fit in is to just act like the people they admire. Or One of my friends from way back in third grade would always invite me over to play in the afternoon and we'd have such fun times together! However, when we came to school the next day she'd pretend not to have a clue as to who I was or why I was talking to her. When you are with a person and there is nobody there to pressure them to act differently and they are more comfortable, they can act like their true selves knowing that they won't be judged on how they act.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Shakespeare's Macbeth quotes " That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies". This quote is showing how a person can either choose to be held back, or take matters into their own hands and go at it and fight their way through. This relates to appearance versus reality as Macbeth can either choose to ignore what the witches were saying and forget about becoming King or stand and fight his way, though he may not be doing the right thing. Many people wouldn't have any tousle dropping all their friends and family to get up higher in the rankings. They could feel that they are being hindered and they need to forget about everything in their desperate attempt to climb up the social ladder.
Another quote that shows appearance versus reality is when King Duncon says "...to find the minds construction in the face". I believe he is saying that he can see how you think through you facial expressions and how you act. He could see that a person who was feigning sweetness was really a sour person inside as one gives a lot about themselves away by how they appear to others.
I have friends who act one way with me, and a totally different way when they are with the ‘popular group.’ When around me, my friends are funny and kind; but when they are with others it seems as though the could care less about me. Their dual personalities make it difficult to invest fully into these friends because it is impossible to know if what you say will be exposed to others. Like my friends willing to do anything to be popular or ‘fit in,’ Lady Macbeth in Macbeth is willing to use a facade to gain power, as shown by her statement “...look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t. (Act I, Scene 5, Line 75-76)” Lady Macbeth’s comment is describing the use of a facade, one innocent and unassuming, to mask evil and deceit. Like Lady Macbeth, my friends use a facade either with me or with others, just to please people, when they aren’t confident enough to be themselves. Macbeth also alludes to this common human practice saying, “Stars hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Act I, Scene 4, Lines 58-59). Macbeth is describing his fear that his desire to become king, by any means possible, will be exposed. Like Macbeth, my friends and other ‘fake’ people are always worried about what others will think about them, and are uncomfortable with who they really are.
ReplyDeleteI know how important it is for some people to be popular or to make a good impression, but sometimes that level of dishonesty and a phony face can be misleading and hurtful. I know a few people who talk without thinking, mostly whatever the other person wants to hear. Their true opinions don't come out like they would if I were talking to them in private. I think they act like this because they are concerned about their reputation and don't want to be the ones that others gossip about.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth reveals his behavior towards Duncan and his real evil plan and feelings when he says to himself" Let not light see my black and deep desires". Macbeth has been praising and supporting Duncan while really is planning his demise. As he travels at night he wants the darkness to hide his true feelings and motives.
Another quote showing apperance vs. reality is when Duncan says "There's no art To find the mind's construction of the face". There is no way to know exactly what someone is thinking or truely understand their thoughts just by looking. Expressions and mannerisms can be deceiving and display only a phony face.
When faced with this blog question, two people immediately came into my mind. I don't want to mention names so let's just call these two individuals Ham and Cheese. Also, Ham and Cheese here happen to be brothers; one is one year older than me, and the other is one year younger than me. Well, Ham, Cheese and I happen to be very good friends. We love to go ride bikes, walked to Powell together, play cops and robbers, do the whole put playing cards on your bike tires bit, lit ants on fire with a magnifying glass...you get the point. Great friends. Got it? Now, add two of their friends into the mix (So now it’s officially a small "crowd") and guess what happens. Ham and Cheese suddenly act as if I was no better than some chopped liver that their Mom served them to eat for dinner!!! They say some REALLY mean things and I run home bawling my eyes out. The next day, Ham and Cheese show up at my front door asking to come outside asking as if nothing had ever even happened! Shortly thereafter apologies went around and things went back to normal. Then, the buddies showed up again! I finally had the good sense to go back home before anything happened. From then on, that is how our friendship works. My Mom shared something with me that explained why Ham and Cheese may act this way (keep in mind that they are two guys, the two friends are guys, and I am the only girl). She said that when groups of guys get together, they always want to "show off" to their friends just to prove how tough or strong they are. (Sorry guys, but is this not completely true ladies?)This usually results in someone getting physically hurt, or the odd person out (in my case, me, the only girl) getting totally land blasted and cut down to the point of tears!
ReplyDeleteThe two quotes that I found in Macbeth were:
• “Look like th’ innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.” – Lady Macbeth
• “Only look up clear, To alter favor ever is to fear, Leave all the rest to me.” – Lady Macbeth
The first quote is talking about what a two faced person really is. It describes how one second the individual is the pleasantest, most lovely thing you had ever encountered in personality and on the surface, but the next second, they are nothing better than your most horrible nightmare. The second quote describes a two faced being as well. She is telling her husband, Macbeth, to act as if they were not plotting to kill the King, but to instead act as if he were glad to have his company. She then says that she herself will do the vile deed.
As do all of us, I know people that act differently according to situation. One in particular I knew as funny, caring, and always there to help. After they went to a middle school different from mine, I watched them begin to act cocky and aloof around their new friends. Correspondence between us became mostly one-sided. The last time I saw them, one year ago, they hardly spoke to me. I didn't feel comfortable with them anymore as they made me feel lesser. Now, I don't hear from them at all! I think they felt a need to hide certain parts of themselves because they wanted to impress their new friends. The transition from a public school to a private school also influenced this, I believe. It's possible they felt they needed to act the part of a superior person at this new prestigious school rather than behave as inclusive and laidback as in elementary school.
ReplyDeleteSimilar situations of masked interiors are being demonstrated within Macbeth. In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth says to her husband "To beguile the time, look like the time, bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." She is essentially telling her husband to deceive King Duncan by acting loyal and kind all the while he's really preparing for committing the crime that while launch him into royalty.
Lady Macbeth demonstrates this again when she tells Duncan in Act 1, Scene 6 "For those of old, and the late dignities heaped up to them, we rest your hermits." This false statement tells Duncan that both she and her husband are loyal to the king and any other person of high honors. Despite this, she and her husband are well on their way to murdering, if not, attempting to murder, the king.
Our society today is filled with many characters. Most of the characters are not who they say they are. Almost everyone I know has worn a “mask” at one point in their life. Phony faces can be used in a good way, but they are mostly used in a deceiving way. In my own experience, I lost a family member so I was feeling particularly mournful; I know I wouldn’t want to come to school crying a river, so instead I wore a “mask” to school. I wanted to appear normal to my peers and not some overly sensitive kid. Even though it’s never good to bundle feelings inside you, sometimes a phony face is necessary. However, most phony faces I come across are not used for sorrow. I believe it is in the human nature to never be pleased with ourselves. Everyone has at least one flaw so the natural response is to do any means necessary to cover it up. So if someone is the nicest, cleanest person but the girl they like only likes the bad boys then this person will act tough in front of her. They may punch you to look strong or show that they know how to fight. When it involves groups of friends, the mask changes to show them how cool you are and sometimes means making fun of your friend to look cooler than him. Masks are what break friendships. It’s close to trust problems, because you think you may know your friend but when they go and act differently because of the situation, you don’t even know who they are anymore.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth Quotes
1:5:75- “Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower,” said Lady Macbeth. This basically means that everything that is visible needs to look harmless, like a cute little girl. This almost explains how to display a phony face. It describes to the reader what a “mask” looks like when in reality it’s just a cover for the truth on the inside.
1:5:85- “Leave all the rest to me,” said Lady Macbeth. This quote compared to my previous quote shows that on the outside she acts innocent and clean but on the inside she is full of evil. Lady Macbeth is the perfect example of a phony face.
There was a kid I grew up with. He goes to my church, he was in all my classes until 7th grade. My dad said that he was, “a respectable, polite young man.” I can see how my dad thought that too, because he acted angelic when he was around parents. He always knew what to say and when to say it. He appeared charming and modest and always asked about what was interesting in their lives and acted like he genuinely cared. But the first time I was left alone with him, in kindergarten no less, I politely said, “Hi, I’m Sophia. What’s your name?” and he said, “your worst nightmare.” Then he started teasing pulling my hair, making a mess out of my room and threw all my My Little Ponies against the wall of my playroom. Yep, he was a typical Eddie Haskell. All he did was suck up to adults and made you miserable. Even to this day, he makes me miserable every time I see him. If you ask me, I think he does this so that he gets to meet people through making a good first impression because if he acted like this all the time with new people, he wouldn’t have any friends. I accidentally left my book in my locker, but I remember the part where Lady Macbeth tells her husband something along the lines of being a flower on the outside, and the serpent underneath.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is sure to know someone who puts on a "phony face" in a particular surrounding. This usually occurs when a person is around the people that they are not truly comfortable with, and is especially common in the high school or teenage years. For example, I know a friend who acts a certain way when around his friends, and quite the opposite when he is around his family. In the company of his peers, this individual is willing to push the boundaries and bend the rules, but has a very quiet, responsible attitude when he is in the presence of a family member, especially his parents. A drastic change in personality is often caused, as in this case, by the pressure that is put on one to act in a certain way due to the behavior of the people around him or her, or the expectations of this crowd.
ReplyDeleteThis notion of false appearance is a major motif in Act One of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" as well. "Let not light see my black and deep desires" (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 59) is a perfect example of this idea. Macbeth is subconsciously unable to avoid the lure of the possibility of becoming the king in the near future, but is afraid to show the truth to others because he is expected to uphold the honor of being a Thane. Sometimes a person's "poker face" can be a danger to the group that is affected by it. Lady Macbeth's passionate statement is evidence of this, saying, "... look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't" (Act I, Scene 5, Line 75-75). Shakespeare's conniving character employs this technique to gain an advantageous position on an unsuspecting victim. Whether it is for the common reason of trying to meet expectations, or for the purpose of masking a hidden desire, the employment of a "phony face" is an aspect of human nature that finds its way into the simple and complicated aspects of everyone's life.
I know a ton of people and many who are my “friends” who are two faced, phony faced, backstabbing, fake, etc. All of the people I know that are like this act the exact same way. They are nice to me and want to talk to me when they are by themselves, but once they have other people around them, they put me by the wayside and act like “Oh I don’t know this girl she just happened to be here.” They also aren’t so good at keeping secrets. Most people who I thought I could trust and felt that they were my best friends ended up not being trustworthy. In eighth grade, I became best friends with the new girl. She and I were inseparable. I found out at the end of the year that everything I told her she went off and told the ‘popular’ group. None of them made a big deal till the end of the year. That baffled me a lot. She and I are no longer friends. As Lady Macbeth said “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” Also, as King Duncan said, “He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.” Both of these quotes describe the situation very well. The girl was like flower, sweet and friendly on the outside, but on the inside, she was like a serpent, mean and cruel. I have gotten over it because it was last year and I don’t go to school with any of those kids any more, but I have trust issues because of that.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you James. When I am alone with my friends, just hanging out, they seem to have fun and include me a lot. But as soon as they step foot into another social group at school or somewhere else, they seem to ignore me and treat me with almost no respect. I think that they wear that mask because they are too afraid that the true them will not be as accepted by their peers as the phony mask that they portray to society. The converstion between King Duncan and his son Malcolm, Duncan says, "There's no art To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust" (Act 1, Scene 4, lines 13-16). King Duncan is expressing his true feelings to Malcolm, his son, after Cawdor was exectued. He told him his true feelings about Cawdor after he was dead because he did not want to face the adversity that was going to come upon him had he shared that information with Cawdor before he died. He was wearing a mask to the public and to Cawdor up until he was dead, just like when someone goes from being in a very social environment to a more private one. Then, before the gathering of the king and his kingdom, Lady Macbeth says to her husband, "Your face, my Thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye,..." (Scene 5, line 72-74). Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to make men read his face like a book. Make it believable that what your doing is the right thing and that you aren't up to something mischevious. To fool the guests, for the present time, that he is being a good host and welcome them in with his eyes. She's telling him this because the mask that he's hiding behind must be very articulate in order for him to obtain his deserved throne as king. Similarly, the characters in Macbeth and the people in my life, are often pressured and do not want to reveal their true selves to the world.
ReplyDeletePeople can be deceptive. They may appear friendly and cordial on the outside, but search deeper within, and there might be a hint of evil and savageness. I believe that most people, especially high school students, portray themselves a little differently towards people with a higher status. And usually it is very hard to detect whether they are your true friend or not. One of my friends in middle school was very sweet when it was just us alone, but when there were popular girls around, she started acting mean to me and lots of other kids. If the choice presented itself, she would always jump at the chance to sit with the “in” girls and not with me even though I was always her friend. She even tried to force me to be something I wasn’t. She wore a mask because she wanted to fit in. Popularity and being cool/accepted meant everything to her, even if she had to forget her other friends to reach that goal. It seemed like she cared about me on the outside, but once I dug deeper, all she wanted was to climb the to-tum pole to popularity. I even admit that sometimes I used to fool myself and others into a person that wasn’t truly me.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth was so set on obtaining as much power possible, that she forced her husband into murder. When she was around other characters, she appeared like an inviting woman, supported by this quote, “We gladly welcome you as our guests, with gratitude for both the honors you’ve given us before and the new honors you’ve just given us.” She is depicting herself as polite and like she is perfectly satisfied with the position her husband is in now. That is far from the truth. She just wants to cover up her plans to murder Duncan. When Lady Macbeth is with her husband alone or by herself, she is very vicious, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty.” Lady Macbeth is saying that it is her desire to be filled with cruelty. Evil! But would she ever let Duncan know this? No, because she is wearing a mask to deceive him.
When people have two faces, it's hard to know which one you're getting all the time. How do you know if someone's wearing a mask with you, and when they're not? For me, being myself isn't too hard, but some people don't know when- or HOW to be themselves. In my opinion, two faced people are as such because they are really insecure! As easy as it is for some people, others feel as if they will be judged or not liked for who they really are inside. So they may act one way because that's how someone else may WANT them to act, and act completely different with someone else, according to that other person's wishes. People might even have two faces to gain something, like popularity or friends, which is just awful.
ReplyDeleteIn "Macbeth", phony faces are common. In Act 1, Scene 5, Line 75, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth, "Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." Lady Macbeth is speaking of deceiving the King, and telling Macbeth to be deceptive and two-faced. She wants him to be sweet on the outside, like a flower, but evil beneath that, like a snake. Another example of two-faces is when Lady Macbeth says to Duncan, "Against those honors deep and broad wherewith your majesty loads our house. For those of old, and the late dignities heaped up to them, we rest your hermits." (Act 1, Scene 6, Line 20) Lady Macbeth is trying to appear honored and grateful to King Duncan for gracing her home with his presence, but really, she wants only to fool him into thinking that he is welcome here. She really intends to kill him, along with Macbeth, her husband. Lady Macbeth is the perfect example of evil, two-faced phoniness.
At home she is as delicate as a flower and an angelic as…well an angel. She is thought to be a perfect and innocent girl with no flaws. But at school she is as much as a liar and a thief as can be. When around her friends she turns into a beast, an uncontrollable wild animal that has no morals. And when she is just with me, she can only talk about how all her friends are backstabbers and are “super lame”. She always seem to have different personalities with different people. Why can’t she be herself always? I believe that the answer is that different people influence us in different ways. When kids are around adults, we aren’t usually going to act the same way or talk about the same things. When kids are around other kids we are going to try and fit in and talk about what every else is talking about, this will eventually become a habit of ours.
ReplyDeleteIn Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3, line 13, Duncan says “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.’’ Duncan is saying that you can’t read a man’s mind by looking at his face. This is always true. You might be able to figure out what he is feeling but not what his thoughts consist of. The thane of Cawdor had the king’s complete trust but in reality he was deceiving the king the whole time. Act 1, Scene 4, line 56, Duncan says “He is full so valiant, And in his commendations I am fed…” Duncan again thinks Macbeth is someone he can trust, but in reality Macbeth is about to kill the king. It seems that not many people can be trusted in this novel.
There are many people that act differently in different places at different times. They may want to impress someone, look popular or act different for many other reasons. When someone you know acts differently in an array of situations you immediatly think phony faced or two faced. When someone changes their attitude or personality for different occasions they are not being their true self and are bending their standards or personality to meet the criteria of others around them. I know a few people who act differently around me then with other friends and lower their values to look cool. I do not appreciate when I know people are acting one way to my face adn then behaving differently behind my back. When people try to keep this phony act up secrets can be spilled, feelings may be hurt and they lose all the trust and security they had in the ones they were fake to. I believe that the people who have the urge to lie about themselves are uncomfortale with who they are and take on different roles to feel better about their self image and make up for what they are "missing."
ReplyDelete"Were poor and single business contend against those honors deep and broad wherewith Your Majesty loads our house."(Pg.39,Act 1,Scene 6) This quote said by Lady Macbeth saying that she and her husband could never pay the King enough for his generosity shows how someone can say something that is the complete opposite of what they are thinking. Lady Macbeth is complimenting the King while she is planing to murder him that night.
"He was a gentlemen who on I had built an absolute trust." (pg.27, Act 1,Scene 4). The King fully trusted the Thane of Cawdor and the thane betrayed the king by working with the king of Norway. He was a traitor even though the king had given him so much and put his trust in him to defend his throne.
Me, like so many others have met and been friends with people to whom you are not sure which side is the real and which is the fake. Fortunately for me, none of them have hurt me, just left me puzzled. Why? I understand why in Macbeth the characters did as they did,” Bearing welcome in the eye... But be the serpent under't.” (Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5, pg 35). But why would my dearest friends try to deceive me in this manner? Don't they know I am not King Duncan,trusting with my everything,”There's no art, to find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built and absolute trust.” (Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4, pg 27). My friends act this way because they believe that people will not like or accept them for who they really are, which is by far the most preposterous thing I have ever heard or seen in my life. Still they believe it. I count myself among the few who are able to be themselves with out caring what other people think. My motto is, if they don't like you just the way you are that just isn't your problem and too bad for them! Appearance and Reality can and most commonly are two very different things, and is a common theme thorough Macbeth's tale.
ReplyDeleteI think that again this is a topic mostly aimed towards teenage girls. If I were to say that there are alot of phony people in the world I would not be lying, but I just don't interact with them. When I read "talk about a phony person you know" the first person that came to my mind was myself. I am a very phony person, at school I am a shy and scared person but with my friends or family I am the most outgoing, loud and emotional wreck of a person you could possibly find. I know that doesn't seem right but that only because my friends force mr to show my true colors. I think I act such a different way in school (or used to) is because I'm scared of rejection, from boys, friends, basically everyone. "I would rather be someone everyone else wanted me to be than someone I wanted to be" this quote explains how I feel perfectly. There are also fake friends, and trust me I
ReplyDeletehave had my fare share of fake friends. But it's just a part of life "without fake friends you will never see who are your true friends" this quote is basically the hardest thing to except in life. Because it's true, you make think you finally have it right and it couldn't get any more perfect. Then things crash and burn and you start the process over again. The best quote I know is "I would be a fake person if I said I wasn't fake" because everyone is a fake person, small or large.
I have had many experiences with people wearing masks. It is an extremely vile habit in my opinion to act dissimilar in the presence of different groups. There are two instances I could share right off the top of my head. My brother is a great person. He is kind and a really great sibling. However, some aspects of his life make me have doubts. Out of all the people in our family, he is the most involved in church, although in truth he only goes to church to hang out with his friends. His friends are a whole other mask in his life, they act nice and respectful around adults, but like my brother, they act different otherwise. He and his friends are the sort of people who make a ruckus in a movie theater or have a party with alcohol. I heard my mom talking to my dad about part of a Facebook post that stated that someone was “Too drunk to remember”. The fact that he has friends under age that get intoxicated from alcohol is terrible. On the other hand, some people only change small parts of their character. In my middle school years, the “popular” kids all acted the exact same, they made the same jokes, they were in the same sports, and they all had the same emotions during events. Although, when I talked to any one of them alone, they acted far removed from the others. I could see that they only wore the mask to look cool in front of the others.
ReplyDelete“Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.” - Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth wishes for her husband to be royalty, but believes that he can’t kill Duncan; she is explaining to him that he must be a very kind and trustworthy man to the king on one side, but on the other, to be like a serpent and overthrow the king. Macbeth had not been wearing a mask yet, he was truly a loyal subject, but now he will certainly plan to murder the king with his wife. Obviously she also is wearing a mask because on the outside she is the sweet husband to a brave subject of the king, but on the inside, she truly has a bestial soul.
“He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.”-King Duncan.
By making the man the Thane of Cawdor, Duncan must have had some amount of trust for him. The fact that the thane could have been a trusted friend to the king on one side, and a treacherous man on the other shows that he was wearing a mask. A mask can be used to define any kind of lie, including traitors or someone acting nice in church then being a boor in other parts of their life.
I know a guy that is a very good friend of mine. When he is near me he acts like a pretty normal guy. He is courteous and a generally a good person. When he is near some other people that I know he acts like a guy that is almost too cool for me. I think he does this because the other people almost intimidate him, I think he acts different because if he doesn’t the other people will look at him as a lesser man. While around others he almost acts like a jerk to me sometimes. So maybe I could conclude that friends that wear phony faces are not the best friends to have.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth quotes:
King Duncan- "To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust."
Ross- "Norway himself, with terrible numbers, assisted by that most disloyal traitor the Thane of Cawdor..."
When King Duncan says this he means to say that he can tell if person is loyal or disloyal just by looking at someone’s face. He also knows Macbeth very well, not just because he is a great general, but also because they are cousins. The king trusts Macbeth in purest of ways, but Macbeth must overcome his loyalty and his good human nature to become king. Macbeth is going to kill the king, even though he doesn’t really want to, it is really Lady Macbeth who is urging him on. Macbeth acts as if he is loyal to the king, but he knows in the back of his mind that if he is to become king then he must kill the king. The quote from Ross means that Norway is being assisted by a traitor from King Duncan’s army, the Thane of Cawdor. The Thane of Cawdor has been lying to the king for a long time, as he has been working as a traitor. The thane acts as if he is loyal to the king, but he isn’t. He is really a very different person than he appears to be.
I do know some two-faced people. I think this has become far too common, especially among high school students. People want to seem “cool”, so they say or do things they wouldn’t normally when they’re around people they want to impress. But when those people aren’t around and they aren’t trying so hard, they act very different. Also far too often, people pretend to be someone’s friend. Then the minute they’re gone they’re saying all sorts of things about them behind their back. Reputation has been given such a high place in the society of high school. It seems like all that matters to people is what others think of them. People quite frankly need to learn to get over themselves, let loose, and just be themselves. If someone doesn’t like you when you’re being yourself, why would you want to be around them in the first place? Examples of Macbeth quotes relating to the subject are Act 1, Scene 5, Line 75, when Lay Macbeth tells Macbeth, “Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” She is telling him to put on a false persona and act as he always does when really he isn’t himself at all. Also, in Act 1, Scene 4, Line 13, Duncan says, “There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.” The thane of Cawdor was two-faced and betrayed the King, when Duncan trusted him completely.
ReplyDeleteI know of many people who like to wear masks and hide who they really are. I like to use the example of “plastic smiles” that somebody used when I was in middle school. People cover up their lies with smiles that have no meaning. In the world, social networks such as Facebook or Twitter can show this in many ways. For example, many people claim to be religious but their posts claim hatred toward God or curse Him or anything such as this. This is obviously a plastic or phony face, and I think that those people are total boors. In my life, some people may live a duplex life. For example, I know a few kids that go my church who act much differently at church than the way they do at school. They conform to the ways of the people they are around and do not show their real selves. In Macbeth, this phony face concept can be used while Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are plotting to kill their cousin, King Duncan so that Macbeth can fill a prophecy that three witches gave him. A perfect quote to join with this is: “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.” - Lady Macbeth. She is telling her husband, Macbeth to wear a phony face in order to trick King Duncan that he is not guilty or plotting anything, but that he is happy to be his host. Another good quote for the purpose of explanation is "That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies."- Macbeth. He is telling us that he will do anything to win the crown of his cousin King Duncan, even if it means putting on a false image for the rest of his life, showing that he is not guilty. On the other side of things, Lord of the Flies also is abundant with this. Jack for example, and his ephemeral opinions are completely false. He tries to act happy for Ralph, and even supports him, however he, deep inside, hates Ralph for everything including him being leader. This shows later in the book, but readers can see signs of it throughout. People do this to make sure that they will be accepted in any and every crowd they may fall into, and so that they can be loved. Many people feel like their personality is not right for the certain gang they are with, so they have to change in order to meet the needs of that specific group. Unfortunately, this is how many in our society act because this is the way our country was formed.
ReplyDeleteThough many people deny it, I know a lot of people who I knew as a friend but ended up changing in order to fit the standards of a 'popular' kid.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of this is Lady Macbeth, where in Act 1 Scene 5 lines 43 and 44 [in the no fear Shakespeare book] "Come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here." This example is the very opposite of what we are used to seeing. She's actually accepting this true personality behind her false, innocent personality. In fact, she is hoping for spirits (either witches or the devil most likely) to accelerate the evil in her, not hiding what most people avoid as much as possible.
The second quote from King Duncan in act 1, scene 4, lines 12-13 (again in my book) "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face." This quote is very true and interesting because a lot of people could believe someone's "plastic smile" as a motivational speaker who came to Powell Middle School spoke, if they aren't close enough to them. Just like the Thane of Cawdor before Macbeth, Duncan saw the shell, the surface of this man but not the rebellious interior of his mind. Ironically, the Thane of Cawdor carries on this trend onto Macbeth, with the King's total trust and faith, but with rebellious and seemingly evil thoughts.
A mask doesn't always mean two faced, backstabbing, or deceitful. In my experience, at my old school I was really great friends with one of the popular cheerleaders. When she was around her fellow cheerleader friends she was perky, hyper, outgoing, and spirited, and even when she was hanging out with them she would openly and kindly talk about how cool her other group of friends were. Then, when the two of us went to the mall, saw a movie, or just hung out I saw a totally different side of her. Though it was different, she still had the warmth of an amazing friend and was able to be herself. Never did I hear her put down either group. In Macbeth, the 1st Witch stated, "Macbeth is not so happy, yet much happier." She was basically trying to tell the two sides of his happy's; one is the worldly happy in which he was fortunate and the other is the heavenly happy in which Macbeth was truly fortunate. They were two different places but yet he is happy in different ways in both. Also in Macbeth the king claimed, "To find a trustworthy and loyal man by looking at his face". Sometimes a persons true qualities slip out and you catch the one moment of a you in them. So instead of finding the worst in someone, with a little bit of effort on your part you can bring out the best aspects of everyone's multiple personalities.
ReplyDeletePhony people are everywhere. It is hard to tell between the real people and the fake ones. People want to seem cool and fit in so they will act the part just to be accepted. One of my very best friends is the most two faced person I know. She is totally normal and awesome around me but as soon as someone "cool" comes along she will turn into this totally fake poser. I think she acts like this just so she can be accepted by the cool crowd and fit in. She might not be herself at all times because she is embarrased of her real self and doesn't want to show anyone how she really is.
ReplyDeleteMacBeth Qoutes:
"Your hand, your tongue; look like an innocent flower." Lady MacBeth I think this means talk, look, and act like the person you should be when really you are someone completely different.
“He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.” King Duncan. This means King Duncan trusted the Thane of Cawdor but he let the king down by being two faced and now all of his trust is gone.
Many people, teenagers especially, often hide behind masks to cover their doubts, fear, and most importantly, who they are. I know a girl who has a kind, gentle, caring, and fun personality in private, but in public, she exhibits boisterous, random, crazy, attention-getting behavior. I think she wears a mask often so that she can be considered popular, and fit in with the perceived image of “cool” American teenagers today. I also believe that she fears rejection from her “popular” friends if she chooses to be herself, instead of conforming to their behaviors. I believe that a person should always be themselves, because true friends will appreciate that person for who they are.
ReplyDeleteIn Act One, Scene Four of Macbeth, King Duncan notes that “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face” (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 12-13). By this he means that there is truly no way to judge what a man is thinking or planning by the appearance of his face; people can appear very different than who they really are. Lady Macbeth gives a perfect example of this idea as is shown in the quote, “For those of old, and the late dignities heaped up to them, we rest your hermits” (Act 1, Scene 6, Lines 18-20). Essentially, Lady Macbeth is telling King Duncan that she is overjoyed to have him as a guest, and that she and her husband are grateful for the honors given to them, while instead she is secretly plotting to murder him to gain more power for her husband. She shows that one can have a kind, genial appearance, but instead have evil, wicked intentions.
Trying to read someone's "Phony Face" can be as tough as trying to read a "poker face". They're entire point of using the disguise is to keep it hidden from you so it's only natural that it's so difficult to spot. I however have seen multiple occasions of people using their "Phony face". For instance, a friend that used to be in our group of friends would be treated as equally as every other person in the group, however as soon as a new member would join the group, things would change. A few people started to ignore him, and just treat him differently because he wasn't as popular. In my opinion, people just put on their "Phony Face", because of the people around them. In private they feel fine, but when it gets more social and public, people start to get nervous and change how they act. A great example of this would be in discussions in classes. If the discussions are in small groups, it's easy to be yourself. However, as the discussion reaches the entire class level, it becomes difficult for many people to stay theirselves. I think that if we all just stayed ourselves, it would strongly benefit everyone; however it just isn't possible for everyone to do this.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth: "By Sinel's death I know I am Thane of Glamis, but how of Cawdor?" (Act 1, pg. 19, Scene 3) To me this quote shows Macbeth trying to hide part of himself from the witches. He realizes inside that the witches are prophesizing him to kill King Duncan, however he tries to hide his knowledge so he can try and avoid getting himself into a situation connecting him to the death of the king.
"She tells him that the king must die that night but reminds him that he must appear to be a good and loyal host." (Act 1, Pg. 31, Scene 5)
This quote is just showing the greed and overwhelming desire for power of Lady Macbeth to try and convince Macbeth to use a "Phony Face". Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to lie to the king and pretend like nothing is wrong, while really in reality, he's about to be assassinated.
Everyone "has his or her moments". Just when is it not "just one of those moments" anymore, but a phony face? I have met a few people, not very many, who can be fun to hang out with. When we chat, I believe that we both can relate and we enjoy each other's company. When a lot of people are around, it is a different story. They spend 98% of their time chatting with other people. I feel rather excluded and as if I should be somewhere else. Sometimes this is because people don't know how you feel or it could be that they want to hang out with their "ideal crowd". I believe that if they are purposely ignoring you, it could be that they are insecure, like Madison D. commented. You have to decide if should hangout with them when it is more private, or if you should attempt to move on to a more balanced friendship.
ReplyDeleteThere are several examples of phony faces in Macbeth. In Act 1, Scene 5 line 63, Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth," Only look up clear. To alter favor ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me." She is telling Macbeth to seem innocent and she should take care of Duncan. During Act 1, Scene 6, line 18, Lady Macbeth is welcoming Duncan into their home. She tells him "Your majesty loads our house." She is thanking him for all he has done while she and Macbeth are secretly planning to eliminate Duncan.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth may seem like they are trustworthy people, but in reality they are secretly planning to get rid of Duncan.
I can think of many different people that “wear a mask” everyday. I think that in a way we all wear a mask at one time or another because there is something about ourselves that we want to hide, that we want to keep from the rest of the world. When you’re by yourself, you will do things you would never do in public just because you know no one’s watching. When you’re in a group of people, there’s almost that sense of, I have to please everyone else, and it’s almost never then case. Also, I think that a lot of people have it in their mind that they are better that everyone else and feel the need to act like their better than everyone else, especially in a group of people, and even more so when there are people that they don’t know or that don’t know them. I think too that there are people that where masks because they’ve been forced, not necessarily because they want to. And I think for a lot of people that the “mask” is a way for them to really identify people for who they are not just who they appear to be. There’s a quote that says,”Sometimes you need to runaway, just to see who will come after you.” I think it’s the same concept for most that they need to see who cares enough to find out who they really are. There is also the person that is just flat out two faced. That will say one thing and turn around and do the exact opposite right before your eyes. I think, especially in today’s society, that we have so many people to compare ourselves to, that we look at as being great and perfect. By putting on a mask and being someone you’re not, it allows the individual to be looked at differently, more like the perfect person, because they feel that who they are isn’t enough. That they must be something more, even if it means being something, standing for something that they don’t believe in, don’t support.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many quotes that really express the idea of phony faces. One I thought was very fitting was in Act 1 at the end of Scene 5, where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were talking about the arrival of King Duncan at their home. Lady Macbeth says, “Only look up clear. To alter favor ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me.” In this quote, Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to act calm, like nothing is happening so she can go unnoticed in her planning to kill King Duncan. It’s telling of phony faces because she flat out says to act like nothing’s wrong, to where that mask. Another appearance of phony faces in Macbeth, but not necessarily in one quote, are the 3 characters that make up the 3 witches. Although they appear to be harmless and to Macbeth even appear to be good, their true goal is to cause chaos and destruction. They just want to toy with your mind until it snaps. In Act 1, Scene 3, the First Witch is talking about torturing, and maybe even killing, a family because they wouldn’t give her chestnuts.
While later, they appear sane, chanting for Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor.
Wow! It sounds like everyone whether they're from the "popular" group, or maybe from a not well-known group of friends, has had at least one experience with dealing with two-faced people. I personally have had a couple. One of which was where my best friend had all of a sudden had "some new, cooler friends" and decided to leave me behind. That was the moment when I fully understood the phrase,"You can never have too many friends." Another of which is current. One of my oldest friends, I've known her since first grade, acts shy and subdued at school. However, when we are somewhere else, she is more herself. I guess it's not as bad as a friend who tries to be cool around other people but ends up just putting you down, right? In my opinion the coolest people are the ones who aren't even aware that they're cool or the ones who don't even try to be but end up being great. My mind wandered to the quote,"Be the innocent flower, but the serpent under't" -Lady Macbeth. This perfectly explains the nice and sweet persona people wear above their faux faces, and describes their true, nasty feelings against others.
ReplyDeleteI have encountered a few people in my life who are two faced or wear a mask. The hard part about this is that you think they are their true selves around you but you always question in the back of your head whether or not the person you know is the real or fake version. In private these people are some of the best friends you have ever had and are super sweet, but as soon as they get around a bigger group of people you are like “Who the heck is this and what did they do with my friend?” Whether it is peer pressure or that really is just how they act friends can act very different from what you thought you knew around different people. I don’t really know why some people feel the need to “wear a mask” if it is just to fit in with a different group of people and you need to change how you act to be around them then they aren’t people that you want to be around. I don’t know why people feel the urge to hang out with people who don’t truly love them or except them for who they are.
ReplyDeleteIn Act 1 Scene 5 Lady Macbeth says, “Look like an innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.” She is saying that Macbeth should have the appearance of an innocent man but in reality be a vicious murderer.
In Act 1 Scene 4 King Duncan talks about how the face often shows that people can be either trusted or not. This is addressed toward Macbeth. On the outside Macbeth’s appearance seems trustworthy and faithful but in reality he is just playing the King and really plans on killing him.
“Sometimes the people who you thought you were the closest with…. Are strangers in the end.” –Anonymous
“Look th' innocent flower,
ReplyDeleteBut be the serpent under't.” –Lady Macbeth (scene 5)
In this quote, Lady Macbeth is saying that she and Macbeth need to appear to be innocent and kind, while, secretly, they plot to kill the king. The reason as to why this quote goes hand in hand with appearance vs. reality is apparent. It relates because it depicts acting like someone you’re not in order to fool people into believing one thing about you, while you are truly the opposite.
“But 'tis strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.” –Banquo (scene 3)
This quote is about the witches. They inform Banquo and Macbeth about what lies ahead in their lives, which causes chaos. They are able to do this because they tell them prophecies that anyone would want to hear, but don’t voice the consequences that may come from the action taken to achieve said prophecies. This is appearance vs. reality because the witches are intentionally causing Macbeth and Banquo to take heed of only the good they see in the predictions and disregard any bad that their actions could cause. The witches deliberately betray them by not warning them of the consequences.
I know a few people who are one person while they’re only with me and someone completely different when around a certain group of people. For example, I have a friend who is fun to hang out with most of the time, but whenever we spend time with guys, she is an entirely new person. I think she “wears a mask” when she’s around guys because she is insecure about who she is. She could still be trying to find herself and might not feel comfortable with them until she does. She shows them who she thinks they would like to be friends with instead of making friends who enjoy spending time with her FOR her. I can’t say all of this without admitting that I “wear a mask” sometimes as well. I’m sure we all do at some point in our lives because it is inevitable that there is at least one situation that causes us to act like someone we’re not. It’s a sad truth that we can’t be who we really are to everyone we meet.
In my years of middle school and high school, I went and still go to my youth group every Tuesday where I met, what I thought to be the nicest girls, until this recent summer where they acted totally different around adults, and very rude towards me. I think they wear masks around adults to get a good but fake reputation to get what they want. In public, they act very polite and courteous, but in private they act self centered and selfish. Just like King Duncan said in Scene 4 line 15, "He was a gentlemen on whom I built an Absolute trust." I felt like I could trust these two girls with all my heart, just as King Duncan thought he could trust the traitor. They became fake friends with me just to get what they wanted, which is exactly what happened to Duncan. Another quote from the book Macbeth, was Scene 5 line 75, "Your hand, your tongue;looks like the innocent flower..." Macbeth is going to act very welcoming and innocent towards the King when he's really thinking of the perfect opportunity to kill him. The girls that have the phony face in my life did the same thing. They acted nice to me, invited me over to sleep overs, and hung out with me during youth group, but the only reason for this was for me to have a good reputation for them, until they demolished it this summer. I didn't see it coming, and probably still would not recognize it today.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I sometimes feel like I'm the one wearing the mask. I'm not really putting myself saying this but the way I am when I'm around people is completely different than the way I act when I'm alone. When I am with my friends I'm pretty much a joker, whether the jokes are funny or not. I talk a lot and I'm never serious. When I'm alone I think a lot. Not just about what's happening now but what will happen, where I'm going, what is wrong with me, what is right with me. I probably think too much and I assure you that that is not a good thing. I remember thinking about death at a very young day I still often over think things. I really wish I acted like that around everyone. My jokes are pretty stupid and I try not to do them but the weird thing is that I can't be quiet. I'm a chatterbox. Maybe it's just that I want to be popular or maybe I just want to impress the girls. The weird thing I'm seeing in the responses is that not that many people think they are "two faced" which is very interesting to me. Not that everyone is "two faced" but isn't everyone different around people than they are alone. In the Diary of Anne Frank (read it if you have not already) Anne Frank talks a lot about how she acts around people and how she is when she's alone. To paraphrase what an entire section of the diary talks about, she hates the other side of herself. She knows that she is popular at school but she like the part of herself who questions the world and the status quo. The part of herself who thinks and doesn't really care about the social aspect of school.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Macbeth quotes go:
"That is a step on which I must fall down."
-Macbeth
Macbeth is basically saying that this will be a problem that he will have to solve himself. All these thoughts that Macbeth have show how the proud and somewhat cocky Macbeth is divided inside. It shows how is slowly becoming corrupt through ambition.
"Unsex me."
-Lady Macbeth
Not the longest quote from Macbeth but these two words speak a lot about Lady Macbeth. She is asking for what I'm guessing is the devil to make her strong in a way so she can persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan. It pretty much shows how evil she is especially compared to Macbeth. It also shows how the seemingly quiet and timid Lady Macbeth is very evil.
Like everyone else, I am also well acquainted with what I call the, "Two-Face Friend." I had a very close friend who I grew up with. We did everything together from the day we met in second grade, to almost the last days of eight grade year. Last year, it became apparent that he would only talk to me late at night, when no one would know. He would never acknowledge me in the hallways or at school when he was in front of people. I realized that he didn't want to be seen being close with me.I believe that the number one reason why people aren't themselves, is because today's society pressures us to act/think as others want us to think/act. We have a great desire to please others.
ReplyDeleteFrom Lady Macbeth, "Yet do I fear thy nature. It's too full o' the milk of human kindness..." (Act 1 Scene 5) I think that Lady Macbeth is giving a good example of what we have to do to be "Two-Faced." We have to literally go against our good-nature.
Again from Lady Macbeth, "...if thou have it; and that which rather dost fear to do than wishest should be undone."(Act 1 Scene 5) This again means that you have to go against all you believe in to be "Two-Faced." Lady Macbeth shows that even though it may seem easy, you have to go against human nature and morals in order to be phony.
For many people, they may feel that it is necessary to try to impress absolutely everyone. But as we all know, it's impossible. That' when the 'mask' comes in. They may appear friendly on the outside, but inside, they may not be who the say they are. I believe that most people, especially teenagers, represent themselves differently towards people with more authority like teachers or parents. Two year ago in middle school, I had a friend that was great, but whenever there was someone else around, he started acting very cocky and he also ignored us and act like it never happened, that' how I knew that he definitely had a 'phony' face. Popularity can often change anyone, He showed kindness on the outside, but I could see that he wasn't my real friend.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth was so set on doing what she wanted, but she tried to hide it under her mask. She seemed kind and caring around the other charters, but we could see her true intention. This quote shows how she was on the outside. "We gladly welcome you as our guests, with gratitude for both the honors you’ve given us before and the new honors you’ve just given us.” But as we know,. She just wants to cover up her plans to murder Duncan. When Lady Macbeth is with her husband alone or by herself, she is very vicious, “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full/Of direst cruelty.” Lady Macbeth is saying that it is her desire to be filled with cruelty.This is what she is really thinking on the inside.
One of my best friends acts this way. He will only be like this if you are around him for an extended period of time. He is a best friend of mine for a reason, but this quality makes him less appealing as a friend. With a group of people he normally acts reasonable but he has a way of shutting people down by ignoring them and giving them looks. In public places such as church and when we are hanging out he is very moody. He is easily up settable if you are to close to him or if you are just in a sense smothering him with words. I understand that but if you are with a good friend, that shouldn't matter. In private is when his personality really blossoms. He is a real good friend and likes to have a good time. I think this is mainly because he doesn't feel he needs to show off for others. In private is when I can see my friend acting himself. I truly believe he wears a mask in public due to what others may think of him. I do not have problems being myself normally, but when I am around people that I don't know I wear a mask and act differently to get them to have a good first impression of me.
ReplyDelete"Look the th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." -Lady MacBeth (Act I, Scene 5)
I believe this quote demonstrates appearance vs. reality in a huge way. As Lady Macbeth is preparing for the arrival of the king, the utters these words. I realize she is plotting to kill the king, but the quote perfectly demonstrates her emotions. Her appearance is pleasant and welcoming but in reality, she is plotting to attack the king as if she was a snake under a flower.
“No more shall the thane of Cawdor deceive” Duncan (Act 1, Scene 2)
This quote said by King Duncan portrays the appearance vs. reality perfectly. It shows different yet the same meaning as the one above. From this perspective, the king is voicing his disappointment in the thane of Cawdor. On the outside, the thane is one that Duncan has built much trust upon, but on the inside the thane has been working against the king.
Even though we all, at some point, want to hide from the truth and not show who we truly are inside, there actually are people who store away their character and wait for it to be unveiled by others. I think it is fair to say that we all have known someone who does this. In elementary school, one of my closest friends went day to day hiding who she really was. When she was with me she was caring and considerate, but when she was with other people, she was evil and mean. In Macbeth, King Duncan says, "To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust." This quote is basically saying that when someone is trying to tell you something, it's not their face that you can trust, it's what's hidden behind their face that is where the real truth is. My friend would always be so catty to the other girls at our school, but behind her face was this insecure person just craving for any kind of attention she could get. Also in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says, "Look like an innocent flower, but be the serpent under it." She is saying that what might appear to be something on the outside, is actually something on the inside. I think that my friend was truly two different people just layered on top of one another. This just comes to show that even though someone might act one way around you doesn't mean that they act that way around everybody and that a real friend isn't real unless they are real everywhere they go.
ReplyDeleteI know a person who to me was very two faced, or phony faced, deceiving or whatever you want to call it. The worst part about being with her was that you knew every second you spent with her would be non existent the second she was with all of her friends. When it was just her and I we would talk to each other about the day and have really good friend to friend conversations and it felt good. I could tell her anything and she could tell me anything. She and I would be ourselves very open to each other and we would play games together go walk around school, and she would not hide how smart she was with me. I liked her for who she was and the person she was when it was just me and her, but the second she was with her friends she turned into a entirely different person. When she was with her friends she acted really fake. They would ask her questions I knew she could answer weather it was a math question or any question she would act like she didn't know it just to fit in. Or if I brought something up that we had done earlier that day she would act like I was delusional and it never happened. I think that she “wore her mask” sometimes because she felt that around these so called friends she couldn't be herself because maybe she wouldn't fit in with them. She felt like they might not of accepted her as a friend if she acted like her self. Also I feel like she acted the way she did when I said something we did and she rejected it because she felt like maybe they wouldn't like her if she admitted to knowing and being good friends with me. I liked her for who she was and not the masked creature she time and time again tried to be.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth quotes:
King Duncan,"To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust"(Act 1 Scene 4)
Lady Macbeth,"Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”(Act 1 Scene 5).
I think when king Duncan says this he's saying that he had known the Thane of Cawdor so long that he had built an absolute trust with him and he felt like he could trust him. As far as the mind's construction in the face, I feel this is saying that if you look at a persons face for long enough you can tell what there mind is thinking and tell what there true plan is.
I feel that lady Macbeth in this line is trying to get Macbeth to act like everything is fine and dandy and make King Duncan feel like everything is OK. But once he least suspects it kill him. Hence the “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under”t”. Macbeth is a very deceiving person and has great plans for the future. i believe she is also acting like a innocent flower with Macbeth and acting like she doesn't want anything out of her but inside she wants to be queen.
Many people that I know are "phoney faces" on of my best friends is a kind person when were alone, but when we are around other people, he feels the need to fit in. He wheres a "fake mask" so that is friends can relate with him. And sometimes, he will compleat ignore me when we are with other people. He feels that if he doesnt where this mask, that his friends will not no like him and he will not lyin. ITs like in macbeth when lady macbeth says be the flower on top but the serpant underneath.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it feels like that everyone wears a phony face sometimes, especially right now in high school. Some masks are to change people's opinions, but sometimes hey are to hide things. One of my friends was going through a really tough time, but she still put on a happy face. Even though she was unhappy, she still she hid it from most people. Sometimes, it can be hard to reveal your feelings because you don't know how people will react. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth quotes, "To beguile the time/ Look like the time." She is talking about fooling everyone around you about the truth. Macbeth himself also speaks of hiding the truth when he says, "Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires." He doesn't want others to see the truth about what he is thinking and what he wants.
ReplyDeleteI think that all of us at sometime in our lives have put on our “phony faces” and have pretended to be someone else for awhile; however, there are those people who have their phony faces on all the time.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends is one of these people. Whenever they are around me, they act what I would call “normal,” but when they are around other people, they act differently; they almost fall into that ever nagging voice of pier pressure. They are teetering on the edge; stuck somewhere in between. I think that the reason they were there “phony face” is because they don’t want their friends or peers to find out about them. However, I think that if they really are your friends, it shouldn’t matter what you’re hiding, they should accept you for who you are.
Quotes:
"To find the mind's construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust."
- King Duncan
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
-Three Witches
I think that both of these quotes are great examples of things pretending to be something that they aren’t. In the quote by King Duncan, he is saying that he put his trust in Macbeth. he hopes that his trust will be rewarded, but he suspects that Macbeth is going to do something.
In the second quote by the three witches, it is saying that nothing is really as it appears. The things that appear to be fair are really foul (Macbeth) and the things that appear to be foul, are really fair (Witches?).
Phony faces, masks, plastic smiles, whatever you want to call them, they happen all the time. Every day I see people acting like people they aren’t when they are around a group of people. This is kind of concerning and I always think of how great and open minded the world would be if everyone acted like themselves.
ReplyDeleteOne good example of this that I see all the time is those people who go to starbucks on a daily basis. I always walk by them and I see a big group of people drinking their coffee and hanging out, but there are always one or two people who, every time they take a sip, have the horrible expression on my face. It seems like they don’t even like coffee. I always think to myself “are they there just to be in that ‘cool’ group?” and it sure seems like they are. I also know another person who, when in a group, acts like a total jerk to people he normally wouldn’t just to make that group of people laugh and think he is “cool”. I always feel sad for the kids that get picked on because of people like this and I think that if everyone was excepting of how everyone else acts, bullying would be much less of a problem.
I think that people put on these phony faces to look cool in a group. It seems like that is what everyone wants, but that raises the question: Why can’t we be considered “cool” by just being ourselves. For that to happen I think everyone would have to change.
One great quote from Macbeth act one that really relate to this topic is when lady Macbeth welcomes the king into her house and says “Your servants ever have themselves, and what is theirs, in compt, To make their audit at your Highness’ pleasure, still return to your own.” (Act 6 line 30). This definitely is an example of Lady Macbeth wearing a mask because even though she is acting very kind to the king, she really is planning to kill him that night. Another good quote that relates to phony faces is during the 6th scene line 5 when Banquo says “Where they most breed and haunt, I have observed the air is delicate.” And it sounds like he is trying to convince Duncan that Macbeth’s castle is just perfect when really he is also in on the murder of Duncan that is planned for the night.
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." - Lady Macbeth
ReplyDelete""Let not light see my black and deep desires" - Macbeth
I chose these quotes to talk about because I feel like they are very important to what Macbeth is about to do. Lady Macbeth had to deceive Macbeth into killing King Duncan, Macbeth's cousin. In the first quote Lady Macbeth is saying how Macbeth has to look all loyal and trustworthy, when really he is mastering a plan to kill the king. In the second quote Macbeth is saying how people only see him for who he is on the outside thus not the inside.
People are always spreading rumors about how a person is "two faced" when really I feel like everyone acts different around specific people. When people are called names such as "two faced" it's usually because they were rude to you around there other friends, or if they act totally different around guys just to impress them and make you look out of place. I know certain people who do this around others, I don't know exactly why, but I am guessing it's because they are insecure about themselves. Like I said in the beginning everybody can act different around certain people, but when its not OK is when it others catch on, and I feel like that is what might happen in Macbeth.
I knew a guy at my old middle school who I had grown up with my whole life. I had known him since the first grade actually. He was smart, funny, and a brilliant writer. He was my best friend and I spent pretty much every day with him. But when we got into middle school, thing started to change. He teamed up with the wrong crowd and slowly his attitude started to go sour. He wasn’t the sweet guy I used to know. Instead he was nervy, constantly ticked off, and violent. Not to mention cocky. I even remember one day I was so upset and I was making a beeline for the girls bathroom when I saw him and his friends hanging out in the hallway. I saw him look at my with sympathetic eyes but instead of inquiring about me, he told me to get lost. My best friend, telling me to get lost. I was so mad by the end of the day when he came up as the buses where pulling up and he apologized, saying that if he had acted nice o me, his friends would have thought he was a sissy. I couldn’t understand it. He acted so tough and cool around his “friends” and he he began to pretend so much, it became to be the real him. He stopped writing and smiling and he turned into a very troubled person. Peer pressure is the main reason I think my old friend, along with anyone else puts on a “phony face.” They want to badly to be accepted that they will even hide who they truly are. Like in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth tells her husband “Your hand, your tongue; look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” (Shakespeare 1.5. 75-76) She is telling her husband to appear loyal and kind, but be vicious in actuality. Another quote is, “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” (Shakespeare 1.4. 13-14). Meaning, that people often hide their true intentions behind what expressions they let show in the outside.
ReplyDeleteWow! It sounds like everyone has had at least one experience with dealing with two-faced people at some point in their life. I personally have had a couple. One of which was where my best friend had all of a sudden had "some new, cooler friends" and decided to leave me behind. That was the moment when I fully understood the phrase, “You can never have too many friends." Another of which is current. One of my oldest friends, I've known her since first grade, acts shy and subdued at school. However, when we are somewhere else, she is more herself. I end up having a better time around her when she is her true self, because that’s who I became friends with, not the shy version of her. I guess it's not as bad as a friend who tries to be cool around other people but ends up just putting you down, right? In my opinion the coolest people are the ones who aren't even aware that they're cool or the ones who don't even try to be but end up being great. My mind wandered to the quote, “Be the innocent flower, but the serpent under't" -Lady Macbeth. This perfectly explains the nice and sweet persona people wear above their faux faces, and describes their true, nasty feelings against others.
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