Macbeth Essay
In William Shakespeares play “Macbeth”, The theme of “Fair is foul, Foul is fair”(1.1.11) is used a lot throughout the play and it is one of the most important themes. This phrase “Fair is foul, Foul is fair”(1.1.11) comes from one of the last lines in Act 1, Scene 1. It is spoken by the 3 witches in the play. This one line becomes stronger and stronger throughout the play and helps the reader predict a lot of what will happen later on in the play.
The phrase “Fair is foul, Foul is fair”(1.1.11) means that every action isn’t always pleasant and some unpleasant actions are fair(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071210080743AA5M76L). This theme has important significance or meaning to Macbeth. At first, the witches seem to be talking about themselves when reffering to the phrase but later on in the story, more of the play unfolds and the play shows that the phrase is relevant to no one but Macbeth. This quote is an underlying theme that reflects through the plot of the play. There was a similar line in the play that Macbeth achieved after the victory of the war and the line was “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”(1.3.39). This could fall back to what “fair is foul, foul is fair”(1.1.11) is defined as in the beginning of this essay. “So foul and fair, a day I have not seen”(1.3.39), as in it was fair in victory but foul because of all the lives that were lost.
The phrase ‘Fair is foul, and Foul is far’ also presents itself after the 3 prophecies are revealed to Macbeth by the witches. The first prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis” (1.3.49-50). The second prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor”(1.3.51-52). The third prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.53). One example of the this is how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan to kill King Duncan but they act friendly, welcoming and caring in front of him in order to hide their intentions and true emotions. They were acting
The phrase “Fair is foul, Foul is fair”(1.1.11) means that every action isn’t always pleasant and some unpleasant actions are fair(http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071210080743AA5M76L). This theme has important significance or meaning to Macbeth. At first, the witches seem to be talking about themselves when reffering to the phrase but later on in the story, more of the play unfolds and the play shows that the phrase is relevant to no one but Macbeth. This quote is an underlying theme that reflects through the plot of the play. There was a similar line in the play that Macbeth achieved after the victory of the war and the line was “so foul and fair a day I have not seen”(1.3.39). This could fall back to what “fair is foul, foul is fair”(1.1.11) is defined as in the beginning of this essay. “So foul and fair, a day I have not seen”(1.3.39), as in it was fair in victory but foul because of all the lives that were lost.
The phrase ‘Fair is foul, and Foul is far’ also presents itself after the 3 prophecies are revealed to Macbeth by the witches. The first prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis” (1.3.49-50). The second prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor”(1.3.51-52). The third prophecy was “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.53). One example of the this is how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan to kill King Duncan but they act friendly, welcoming and caring in front of him in order to hide their intentions and true emotions. They were acting
References: • "What does this quote mean?"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"? - Yahoo! Answers." Yahoo! Answers - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013. .