- Source
- Macbeth
- Date
- c. 1606
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Donalbain
Meaning of “There’s daggers in men’s smiles.”
Friendly appearance can conceal harmful intent, so trust should consider patterns of conduct rather than expressions alone.
Where does it come from?
Macbeth, Act II, Scene III, reviewed against the scan-backed 1918 Yale text and the First Folio facsimile. Donalbain's 'There's daggers in men's smiles' follows Duncan's murder as Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee; it is fictional suspicion under immediate danger rather than a universal claim about trust.
Why the local voice matters
Donalbain says this after Duncan’s murder in Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3.
