These witches are the first characters we are introduced to in the play, so we immediately know their actions and roles will be essential to the main storyline. One of the first lines they say is “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, and this quote immediately sticks with the reader. At this point, the meaning of this quote is still unknown, yet we know it sticks out against the other quotes within the story. Later in the scene, these witches come across Macbeth for the first time. These characters have a way of seeing the weaknesses of the characters they come in contact with and working upon those soft spots.
In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare crafts the witches to be evil and deceiving with a manipulative trait from the start. To the audience this emphasises the idea that they are powerful for the wrong reasons. At the beginning of play the witches enter through the stage direction “thunder and lightning” this symbolises that the witches characters are seen to be evil as the weather precedes them. This phrase creates a bitter tone that reflects onto the witches. This shows the audience that they can be despicable characters.
The main idea surrounding this play, is that the hunger for power that Macbeth craves comes from the idea that was planted into his head by the witches. The witches can clearly be seen as malicious in their
Shakespeare presents many people as being culpable for the terrible crimes in the play. From the very start of the play he presents Macbeth as a tragic hero like character with his great flaw being his ambition and his desire to fulfill what the witches had told him. The witches introduced the idea from the Jacobean perspective as they heavily believed in a greater power of evil in the world – they truly believed that witches were real. They also believed in fate, which is shown by Shakespeare when the witches chose Macbeth out of everyone to become Thane of Cawdor and King. It creates the idea that everything is predestined and meant to be chosen from this higher power of evil.
“Fair is foul and foul is fair”. This is possibly the most iconic quote from the play Macbeth. Written in 1606, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the play dramatizes the effect of the greediness for power, strong lust after a goal, and envy, all of which are three of the seven deadly sins that many people believed in during this day age of England, in which, Macbeth takes place. Macbeth was written about eleventh century Scotland, which was troubled, violent, and lead by feuding families. To make his plays as realistic as possible and as entertaining as he could, Shakespeare reflected history in his plays.
Literature aids in the understanding of ideas, beliefs and ideologies from a context different to our own. William Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy, Macbeth, published in 1606, follows the tale of a once noble man named Macbeth, who, influenced by his hamartia, became the catalyst for disrupting the natural balance of the universe. Macbeth is a text which relates to the contextual beliefs and ideologies of the Early Modern Period and whilst the text endorses those beliefs it also challenges the traditional notions of patriarchy. The text reinforces the Early Modern England beliefs of; the Great Chain of Being through symbolism of nature out of order; the Divine Right, shown through dialogue, imagery and symbolism; and witchcraft which is emphasised
Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth to present how ambitious actions, could change a character and lead to their fatal flaw. At the beginning he expresses her as manipulative and ruthless towards her husband Macbeth, where she feels more masculine, making the Jacobean audience feel horrified. However, as we go further along in the play, we see these deeds get the better of her as she starts to feel powerless, weak and guilty. Shakespeare uses irony here to show us how women were portrayed as housewives and told to let the men fight in battle, but Lady Macbeth saw herself as too strong and dominant for that job.
The witches, supernatural harbingers of chaos, drive Macbeth’s purpose and spark his unchecked ambition, inciting deadly desires, responsible for the downfall of the once noble and valiant warrior. Through their prophecies at the start of the play, Macbeth discovers that his fate lies with the crown, a seemingly glorious fantasy, yet is in reality, a poisonous ploy to destroy him. This is demonstrated through use of pathetic fallacy, “In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”, foreshadowing the supernatural turmoil which is to lead to Macbeth’s demise. Additionally, “Ere the set of sun…there to meet Macbeth”, alludes to the idea that darkness is to overpower and cloud Macbeth’s sense of morality on meeting with the witches, causing further irrational decisions. “Fair is foul and foul is fair”, sets the tone for the theme of appearance vs reality, an ironic sentiment since the Macbeth’s goal after the murder of Duncan was to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”, yet the person being truly deceived was Macbeth himself, by the witches
The play Macbeth by William Shakespear goes through many different tragedies in Scotland following the main character, Macbeth, and the conflicts that took place. Viewing those events from the religious lens, there’s a lot of evidence that represents Macbeth’s visions and hallucinations where he goes against his faith, morals, and then receives those consequences. Since Shakespeare wrote this around the 1600s where religion was a huge debate in England, he sets out an example of Macbeth and his wife in the play of how going against their beliefs sets them to a path of hell and misery. Shakespeare also includes conscientious characters like Macduff where this signals the lesson of staying loyal to god and staying away from the dark like Witchcraft.
During the play Macbeth seeks out these three witches to learn about what might come to him in the future. What Macbeth does not realize is that the witches have a backwards morality. When the witches are first introduced they are seen reciting the phrase “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Macbeth act 1 scene 1 line 9) Macbeth is driven closer and closer
William Shakespeare tells the tragic story of how Macbeth, once a loyal soldier was corrupted by power. “Foul is fair, and fair is foul,” becomes a common theme throughout the play, as appearances continue to deceive. Shakespeare supported the common theme of appearances being misleading by portraying masculinity and femininity in non uniform ways. Throughout Shakespeare's Macbeth he insightfully illustrates the motif of masculinity; as he uniquely defies the stereotypes of gender, and mixes up common ideas portrayed with a man or woman. Lady Macbeth is the focus of much of the exploration of gender roles in the play.
Macbeth, more than most, is a play about morals. Those of which, macbeth did not have. In the beginning of the play, there was some morals there but after he encountered the 3 witches and soon after, told his wife of what he was told, he began to lose his morals. The king respected him and him the king, but the thought of possible power can easily corrupt the human mind. “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir.”
Shakespeare’s Macbeth was written as praise and in honor of King James. In all reality, Shakespeare used his play to show people the injustice of innocent women being slaughtered because of the King’s obsession over witches. The character Macbeth is a representation of the corruption of that day.
William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a timeless masterpiece that delves into the depths of human nature and the corrupting influence of power. One of the play's central themes revolves around the witches' quote, "Fair is foul, foul is fair," which highlights the idea that things are not always as they appear to be. Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses various literary techniques such as language, characters, setting, imagery, symbolism, and irony to emphasize this theme, which eventually leads to Macbeth's tragic downfall. From the very beginning of the play, Shakespeare introduces the theme of deception through the language used by the witches. Their paradoxical statement, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," sets the tone for the rest of the play
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
