As, by the strength of their illusion, / Shall draw him on to his confusion.
Act III, Scene 5
Context
Hecate describes the magical spirits she will create to deceive Macbeth. These illusions will lead him toward his downfall by feeding his overconfidence and clouding his judgment.
Analysis
'Illusion' and 'confusion' form a rhyming couplet that sonically enacts the witches' method—the smooth, predictable rhyme lulls the listener just as the spirits will lull Macbeth. The near-identical endings make confusion sound like the inevitable outcome of illusion, as if one word naturally produces the other. This tight sonic link reinforces the play's larger pattern: in Macbeth's world, seeing falsely and thinking falsely are inseparable.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Shakespeare uses rhyme not just for aesthetic effect but to model the mechanics of deception—the easy slide from 'illusion' to 'confusion' in this couplet mirrors how effortlessly Macbeth will mistake false visions for truth, making his downfall feel linguistically inevitable.