Lady Macbeth: Look the Innocent Flower
Deception & Power
“LOOK THE INNOCENT FLOWER BUT BE THE SERPENT UNDER’T.”
(Act 1, Scene 5)
In “Macbeth”, deception is strategically constructed. While Macbeth’s duplicity emerges from fear and ambition, Lady Macbeth embodies something far more controlled: deliberate performance. She understands that power does not always operate through force, but through appearance.
Her instruction to Macbeth reveals this with chilling clarity.
Deception As Performance
The theme of appearance versus reality is a central concept in "Macbeth," and for Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, it is a performance. Her role as hostess becomes a stage on which she constructs the illusion of loyalty and honour. When Duncan arrives, she embodies the very image of gracious femininity, and is rewarded with a diamond for her hospitality. Yet, beneath this performance lies the calculated intent to destroy him.
Deception is a strategy.
“All our service, in every point twice done and then done double…” (Act 1, Scene 6)
Shakespeare constructs Lady Macbeth’s deception through hyperbolic language, as her excessive declarations of loyalty mask her true intentions.
The repetition and amplification in “twice done” and “done double” create a sense of exaggerated devotion, suggesting that her performance is deliberately excessive. This overcompensation exposes the artificiality of her speech as she is not simply being hospitable, but performing loyalty to conceal betrayal.
The language mirrors the concept of equivocation seen in the witches, where meaning is deliberately distorted. Lady Macbeth’s words, like theirs, cannot be taken at face value.
In this way, Shakespeare aligns Lady Macbeth with the supernatural forces of the play, positioning her as a figure who manipulates truth through language, blurring the boundary between appearance and reality.
Gender, Power & Agency
Lady Macbeth’s deception must be understood within the constraints of her world.
In a society where:
Masculinity is associated with violence and direct action
Femininity is associated with passivity and obedience
Lady Macbeth occupies a paradox.
She cannot wield power through force, but she can wield it through manipulation.
Her duplicity reflects:
A subversion of gender expectations
A strategic adaptation to a system that excludes her
So, whilst deception is framed as morally corrupt, it is also the only available form of agency.
Contextual Relevance
Jacobean Gender Roles
In Jacobean society, women were excluded from political, social, and military power, with authority largely reserved for men. As a result, female influence often operated indirectly, through persuasion, manipulation, and control of the domestic sphere.Biblical Allusion (Serpent)
The image of the “serpent” draws on the biblical story of Adam and Eve, where the serpent represents temptation, deceit, and the corruption of innocence. For a Jacobean audience, this allusion would immediately signal moral danger, aligning Lady Macbeth with forces that undermine natural and divine order. By juxtaposing the “innocent flower” with the “serpent,” Shakespeare invokes the fall from innocence into sin, reinforcing the idea that deception is not merely social, but profoundly moral. This deepens the audience’s understanding of Lady Macbeth’s role as a tempter and strongly mirrors Eve who tempted Adam.The Supernatural & Equivocation
Lady Macbeth’s language closely parallels that of the witches, particularly in its use of contradiction and concealed meaning. The witches famously speak in equivocations and Lady Macbeth adopts a similar strategy in her manipulation of appearance and reality. Her instruction to present one image while embodying another reflects this distortion of truth, aligning her with the supernatural forces that destabilise the play’s moral order.
Key Quote Analysis:
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” (Act 1, Scene 5)
Shakespeare constructs deception through juxtaposition and biblical allusion, as Lady Macbeth contrasts the “innocent flower” with the “serpent” to reveal the calculated nature of appearance. The image of the “innocent flower” evokes purity, beauty, and passivity - qualities traditionally associated with femininity and social harmony. In contrast, the “serpent” carries connotations of deceit, temptation, and moral corruption, drawing on the biblical figure of Satan in the Garden of Eden. This allusion deepens the sense of calculated evil, positioning deception not as impulsive, but as premeditated and symbolic of moral inversion. Unlike Macbeth’s later concealment of guilt, which is driven by fear, Lady Macbeth’s instruction is composed and intentional. She recognises that in a patriarchal world where violence defines masculinity, her influence must operate differently. Deception becomes her means of asserting agency, not through physical force, but through the manipulation of perception. Therefore, Shakespeare illustrates that duplicity, while often coded as feminine and morally suspect, is also a tool of control in a world where power is otherwise inaccessible.
Want to Continue Your Analysis of Deception in Macbeth?
If this quote helped you understand how deception operates in Macbeth, here are two more that develop the same idea:
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know”
Each of these reveals how Shakespeare constructs a world where appearance becomes a tool for manipulation, and truth is deliberately concealed.
Try This (Exam Practice)
Write a paragraph analysing how Shakespeare presents deception in:
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
In your response:
Identify a specific literary device
Analyse key words in detail
Link your ideas to the theme of appearance vs reality
Continue exploring deception in Macbeth here » More on Macbeth
Bring This Into Your Classroom
If you want to move beyond reading analysis and actually teach students how to write like this, I’ve created a ready-to-use lesson based on this exact quote and analysis.
Free Macbeth Lesson (Ready to Use)
✔ Guided quote breakdown (step-by-step)
✔ Student annotation task
✔ Model analytical paragraph (A-standard)
Download the free lesson here » Lesson & Worksheet
The Modern Relevance
Although Lady Macbeth operates within a Jacobean world, her insight into the performance of innocence remains strikingly relevant. The tension between appearance and reality continues to shape how individuals construct identity and exercise power.
1. Social Media & Curated Identity
In the age of platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, individuals often present highly curated versions of themselves, carefully constructing an image of success, happiness, or authenticity. Much like Lady Macbeth’s instruction to “look like the innocent flower,” appearances are deliberately shaped to conceal insecurity, competition, or personal struggle. This highlights how deception is not always malicious, but can function as a form of social survival, where identity becomes something performed rather than revealed.
2. Corporate and Political Image Management
In modern corporate and political environments, public figures frequently maintain a polished and trustworthy image while concealing less ethical practices beneath the surface. This duality reflects the idea of being the “serpent under’t,” where outward professionalism masks ambition, manipulation, or self-interest. Whether in corporate branding or political campaigns, success often depends on controlling perception, reinforcing Shakespeare’s insight that power is not only exercised through action, but through the management of appearance.
want more Like This?
This analysis is taken from the QuoteCards Macbeth e-Deck, where every key quote is broken down using the 4Cs Framework:
Concept (what idea is being explored)
Character (what it reveals)
Context (why it matters)
Craft (how Shakespeare constructs meaning)
So instead of memorising quotes, students learn how to construct clear, conceptual arguments under exam conditions.
Explore the Macbeth e-Deck » QuoteCards: The Macbeth e-Deck
