Theme Analysis: “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare uses this ever-present theme of perspective to highlight the despicably deceptive actions perpetrated by the portrayed villains while also emphasizing the goodness of the heroes and their misfortune to further contrast the two parties. Through the demonstrations of the foulness and fairness of the characters, Shakespeare successfully expresses the value of perspective by calling attention to how there can be multiple interpretations of the same action or identity which is ultimately paradoxical as one thing can simultaneously have two or more opposing natures. By the end of the play, Macbeth is truly an evil man, but many question if he was initially evil or if the sudden opportunity and prophesies turned him into such an ambitious man, willing to stop at nothing to achieve
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By the end when Malcolm admits that he was simply verifying Macduff’s allegiance, both Macduff and the audience are unsure as to how many of his words were false as shown when MacDuff says, “such welcome and unwelcome things at once ‘tis hard to reconcile.” With this scene, Shakespeare calls the intentions of the “good guys” into question, thus furthering the idea that not everything is as it initially seems. Up until this scene, Malcolm seemed like the obvious choice of ruler, with strong moral fiber, but with this well-meaning deception, the possibility of a darker side is suggested. Despite how quickly he casts off the charade, for someone’s first time ever lying, Malcolm was convincing enough to have fooled Macduff. Therefore, with this scene, Shakespeare shows how those who appear to be fair have the potential to be just as foul as the
During the the Middle Ages and Renaissance loyalty played a huge role in everyday life. Men were expected to show loyalty to their king, their fellow soldiers, and to their country. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, loyalty plays an important role. Macbeth,Malcolm, and Macduff are all examples of loyalty in Macbeth.
Life is full of people who were meant to lead, and others who were meant to follow. This aspect of life has dissipated over recent years, but it was one of the most important aspects of life during the time of feudalism. Kings and queens were the most important aspect of a nation, their personal ability lent itself directly to the stability and prosperity of the kingdom. There are thousands of examples of terrible monarchs in history, but less examples of ‘good’ monarchs exist. Frederick the Great of Prussia, Victoria of The United Kingdom, Joseph II, and Louis XIV are examples of monarchs that have used their extreme amounts of influence to exert their force on the world in order to win favor for their realm.
By this point, fair and foul are nearly identical, no one knows what is going on. After Macbeth’s bloody deed against Duncan, those close to him are suspicious, especially when he is chosen to be king when Malcolm flees Scotland out of fear. “Thou hast it now- king, Cawdor, Glamis, all As the Weird Women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for’t” (III.i.1-3). Confusion and chaos are finally getting cozy among the Scottish citizens.
Macbeth recognizes the rapid and drastic downfall of his life and by making the comparison to a poor player that is no longer heard from, he thinks that life is meaningless and lacks purpose. Understanding how his deception leads to destruction, his perspective on life shifts to a cynical view. His existence is merely a performance and his inability to continue the honorable act illustrates Macbeth’s undoing of his former nobility. As his destructive nature changes his attitude, his carelessness will continue to spike as he reaches the end of his life. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to give attention to the reckless attitude that results from allowing deception to
Thus, in William Shakespeare’s classic play Macbeth, the author suggests that an individual’s identity is often an illusion voiced by crippling desire and the influence of others. As creators of turmoil by nature, the witches catalyze changes in Macbeth that enable his transformation from a righteous military general into a committed megalomaniac. Furthermore, they inspire the awakening of Macbeth’s ambition and fool him by providing a false sense of security. This exploitation is expected from the dark and sinister creatures as they firmly believe that “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” (Shakespeare, trans. 2012, 1.1.12).
Thesis: In Macbeth, Shakespeare’s juxtaposition of his characters’ “deepest desires” with their “false face[s]” furthers the motif of deception and treachery, setting the stage for Macbeth’s ultimate regicide. When the audience sees Lady Macbeth act like a traditional hostess despite her murderous desires, her treachery becomes amplified. Before Duncan arrives, Lady Macbeth is seen on stage planning to influence her husband, who is “too full [of the] milk of human kindness,” to change his nature and murder his cousin and king, Duncan (1.5.17).
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” “What’s done is done,” and “I bear a charmed life,” are all significant and favored lines from the well-recognized play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s shortest yet fiercest tragedy, Macbeth recounts the story of a valiant Scottish general who acquires a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day, he will become King of Scotland. Overwhelmed with aspiring thoughts and prodded to act by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and conquers the throne for himself. The bloodbath suddenly intensifies as Macbeth and his wife attempt to cover up his crime. Ultimately, this drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to arrogance, insanity, and death.
Whereas in the text of Macbeth, the setting is first presented as evil, stated by Macbeth “no foul and fair a day I have not seen“. On the contrary Macbeth is presented as ‘brave’ and ‘courageous’, ‘the savior of the day’, this implies that the writers chose the great difference in setting and character for the reader to
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare set in Scotland about a murderous and vehement king who spirals on a path of destruction as he suffers from the consequences of determining his own fate. The predominant theme portrayed throughout the play is honor vs. loyalty. This is represented through the identification, actions, and quotes of numerous characters. To introduce the theme of honor vs. disloyalty, the characters Banquo and Macbeth exemplify traits that are equivalent with the moral of the story.
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth, in many cases, is portrayed as being evil. However, his character is not truly the evil force driving the actions of the play. His wife, Lady Macbeth, as well as the witches and their misleading prophecies, are the real driving forces of Macbeth’s unspeakable actions. Macbeth is driven mad by the evil around him, causing him to turn to the violent behavior displayed throughout the many murders of the play.
Lady Macbeth plays a key part in driving Macbeth’s motivations and encourages Macbeth to overcome his strong sense of guilt and take action on the prophecies. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is “green” (I.VII.40) and “a coward” (I.VII.46) and that he resembles the proverbial “poor cat”. (I.VII.48) The willingness of Lady Macbeth to reach the epitome of betrayal is displaced that heightens the understanding of the overpowering and strong nature of Lady Macbeth as well as the deep and murderous motivations she wishes to impose on her husband. Shakespeare exposes to the audience to the persuasive and emotive techniques Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate and drive Macbeth's motivations. This
In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare introduces us to a man on a mission to assassinate the reigning king of Scotland, King Duncan. Through King Duncan, Shakespeare reveals Macbeth’s crude and unfiltered nature while capturing every second of Macbeth’s sadistic plan. With the use of paradox, internal character struggles, and the idea of fate, Shakespeare provides insight on what madness Macbeth created and the effect his madness has on other characters. Through the use of paradox in the play, minor details guide the path of the story to the very end.
A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.
Macbeth 's confidence diminishes and when he begins to meet his true fate. A powerful theme shown in Macbeth is that anyone can be susceptible to being both good and evil; this is shown through the snowballing effects of Macbeth 's potential idea of evil, to his guilt of murdering Duncan and Banquo, and his and Lady Macbeth 's eventual downfall due to committing worse deeds for power. Anyone can be capable of good or evil, and in this case, Macbeth was shown as becoming potentially evil towards the beginning of the play. This is introduced when the witches first told Macbeth the good fortunes that were going to come to him. In the first spell they cast they chanted, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (1.1.12).
By portraying Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s loss of moral discipline, Shakespeare accentuates the calamitous corruption of human nature, and warns society that ambition without