The paradox, ‘’fair is foul and foul is fair’’ appears as a rhyming couplet at the end of Act 1, it also acts as a double entendre, as it can be perceived as that the witches are describing themselves, their appearances our foul, though their prophecies are appealing and hence, fair for Macbeth. However, the quote can also be depicted as the ongoing motif of the whole text, that nothing is what it seems, this is shown through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions. Lady Macbeth is portrayed by her peers as a ‘’gentle lady’’, however, when she is with Macbeth, her true personality arises, clearly detailing that she is the mastermind behind Macbeth’s relentless killings. As to Macbeth, he is portrayed as a highly regarded, honourable, noble soldier, but due to many variables he ends his life as a coward, corrupt by power and misleading conspiracies. The paradox of ‘’fair is foul and foul is fair’’ is evident within the theme of good and evil in relation to the witches.
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a statement that alters one’s actions and evokes a behavior from a person/character which makes the originally false statement come true (Wisegeek). For example, one might say, “Today is going to be a great day!” Which will alter a persons actions in a way that will actually make this prediction come true. William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth, uses self-fulfilling prophecy in a subtle yet foreshadowing way to prepare and unfurl the thoughts and actions of his characters. This tragedy, written in the early 1600’s, was composed mainly to appeal new interests around London. It is a depiction of a noble, along with his wife, who brutally slaughters a King and his kinsman so that he may be the King (Shakespeare xiii).
The atmosphere is quite supernatural. A form of imagery is created threw the descriptive language in the opening scene e.g. ‘fog and filthy air’. The reader is left thinking who Macbeth is after being introduced to the witches and their characters. 2) Explain the meaning of the witches line “fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, scene 1, line 11) * The line ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’ is an exploitment of opposites.
She has the ability to build up a climax into a higher level and then to defuse it by ending an act – turning it into an anti-climax. Moments of high tension include the initial accusations of witches, and John Proctors attempt to undermine Abigail. This could suggest that Abigail Williams is only part of the play to relieve or exacerbate problems occurring in the play, demoting her from the category of being the most important character in, “The
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a dramatic play written to reinforce these patriarchal ideologies in question. The representation of characters Lady Macbeth, Macbeth and the Three Witches deviating traditional ideologies and creating turmoil and disorder within society help to support the dominant patriarchal ideologies within the Great Chain of Being. Shakespeare constructs the Three Witches as defiant and disloyal to contextual gender ideologies of the time to emphasise the immorality of transgressing into masculinity. When we are first introduced to the weird sisters in Act 1 Scene 3 Banquo comments on one of their defining features; “you should be women, but your beards forbid me from interpreting that you are so”. In this we are clearly shown that the weird sisters possess traits of masculinity.
Like a foul for one can be fair for the other. It is a paradox that signifies that there is no significant of good and bad things as their role can be reversed. This quote is predicting the evil that will cloud Macbeth’s judgements. 2. What is the significance of Shakespeare beginning the play with the witches?
Shortly after, Banquo warns Macbeth of danger, explaining that the witches may not be trustworthy: And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence. By the end of Act I, Banquo still relates to Macbeth as his friend. Banquo has noticed a strangeness in Macbeth's behavior, but assumes it is merely a reaction to the new honor (Thane of Cawdor) he has suddenly received. Macbeth and Banquo maintain their friendship into Act II, when Banquo mentions the witches. Macbeth lies, saying he never thinks of them, but tells Banquo that he would like to discuss them further.
The unifying function of the paradox is sustained by Shakespeare on different levels in the play, through techniques such as juxtaposition and irony. At first reading, the witches seem to insinuate that what appears good is evil and what appears evil can be good, implying that noble values of goodness and beauty are reversed in the confused atmosphere (“fog and filthy air”). The really frightening word is “is”. According to the three witches what is fair – good, beautiful, right – is foul – ugly, shameful, wicked. The two things are identical.
“Shakespeare’s Macbeth warns of the dangers of trusting appearances.” Duplicity and deception is a theme clearly punctuated in William Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’; the idea that appearances may not always be a reliant indicator of what they hide is encapsulated in the first scene of the play in the line “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” This paradoxical statement, spoken by the calculating three witches, proves to be a fundamentally important aspect of the play – one that is ultimately a warning, a reminder by the playwright to the audience that trusting appearances can have fatally dangerous consequences. The first example the audience sees of someone who suffers dire ramifications as a result of being too trusting and naïve is Duncan, the king of Scotland at the onset of the play. He himself admits that he erred when he “built an absolute trust” on the Thane of Cawdor, a “disloyal traitor” who betrayed the king. Duncan concludes that “There’s no art/To find the mind’s construction in the face”, stating that he believes a man’s inner motives cannot be beheld simply as a result of observing his face. The truthfulness and relevance of this statement is shown repeatedly throughout the play; even in the same scene Macbeth murmurs aside to himself “Stars, hide your fires,/Let not light see my black and deep desires”, henceforth alerting the audience that Macbeth has dark motives, later referred to by himself as “Vaulting ambition” Shakespeare elicits uncomfortableness in the audience by juxtaposing evidence of Duncan’s gullibility with proof of Macbeth’s dark inner motives, and this uncomfortableness proves not to be unwarranted; Duncan is the victim of a regicide committed by Macbeth, a man he once referred to as a “Valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.” When the king had arrived at Macbeth’s castle, he had been his typical cheerful self, stating, “This castle hath
Observing the juxtaposition in these two scenes with Polanski’s Macbeth with the influence of the witches, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s role of ambition and his weaknesses. In Shakespeare, Macbeth is interpreted as being intrusive with evil as he and Lady Macbeth both make deliberate choices to do evil deeds. As a victim of fate Macbeth is deemed to some extent not accountable for his actions, but as a victim of his own actions, Shakespeare makes him subjective to the consequences by his own behaviour. Firstly, In Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth is delineated as a victim of his own actions, with his overpowering ambition and tendency to self-doubt. This is identified in Act Two, Scene Two where Macbeth converses with Lady Macbeth about the death of Duncan.