There’s no art
To find the mind’s construction in the face.
He was a gentleman on whom I built
An absolute trust.
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4. Duncan remarks on how he was deceived by the Thane of Cawdor, who has been executed for the crime of treason. The King is shocked at how he was betrayed by a man whom he had absolute trust in. What Duncan is saying is that you can’t judge a book by its cover, or read someone’s mind by looking at their face. There is irony in the fact that Duncan trusted Cawdor who turned out to be a traitor. There is further irony in that this quote is followed by the stage instructions, “Enter Macbeth.” Macbeth is about to be given the vacant title of Cawdor by Duncan and he will also become a traitor. Duncan fails to see this coming too.