Fair Is Foul, Foul Is Fair

FAIR IS FOUL, FOUL IS FAIR

In the tragedy, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the paradoxical theme of "Fair is foul, foul is fair” functions throughout the play. The line is a prophecy which means one thing seems like another. It implies especially to the characters that they are not as they seem to be. The Three Witches are the ones who introduce the paradox that runs throughout the play. As this paper develops it will cover more on the different types of deceptions and how it plays an important role in Act 1. The different types of deceptions that will be discussed in this essay are deception of atmosphere, deception of Macbeth and the deception of witches.

In Macbeth, one of the things that was deceptive was the atmosphere. In Act 1, the atmosphere created by the author was very horrifying. The play sets the scene with a mysterious gathering of the three witches. The witches appeared suddenly in the mid-conversation, which was dramatic and created unclear ideas about the dubious topics of conversation. This in turn created an air of tension, suspicion and an ominous atmosphere. The presence of thunder and lightning was a symbol of evil and created a more hostile atmosphere. This suggested that the rest of the play would be full of deceit, revenge, anger and pain, implying the play would be a tragedy. Later on the witches planned to meet Macbeth in the play on the heath. Antithesis was used in the ultimate stanza, where the witches chant a warning: Fair is foul, and foul is fair, Hover through the fog and filthy air? This implied that appearances were deceptive, and it created a sense of mystery and encouraged thought as to what significance this may hold for later in the play. The confused messages it conveyed provoked deep thought amongst the members of the audience. After the victorious battle, Macbeth’s first words echoed the final words of the witches in the first scene, as he addressed Banquo: “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.” This referred back to the witches who stated the theme of the story, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” The significance of Macbeth’s quote suggested the idea of being deceptive in appearances in terms of them winning the battle, but at the same time the weather being uncertain. This was ironic as he was the character who later became two-faced and deceptive, so he was in fact talking about himself.

Secondly, the characters in Macbeth are deceptive. The theme, “Fair is foul, foul is fair”, occurs during all the scenes throughout the Act 1, and was mainly centered on the main character, Macbeth. Macbeth tried to obtain his position as a king by deceiving King Duncan. Possibly the most notable switch occurred between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns of the witches' prophecy, she was absolute in her decision to kill the King. Another man who was full of deception was the thane of Cawdor. He betrayed his own country by aiding the Norwegian king to fight against his country in the battlefield. Another person who was deceptive was Lady Macbeth. She was extremely welcoming and displayed kindness towards King Duncan, when in fact behind this she was planning his death making the