Act 1 Reading Log
Scene 1
• Quote analysis : “Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air” (1.1.12-13). This quote by the witches indicates the general atmosphere of the play, which is one of deceit and uncertainty. Acts that alone are terrible are justified many times throughout the play. By ‘hovering through the fog and filthy air”, the witches mean to say they are above the conflicts of men and although Macbeth may not know his fate, they certainly will.
• Significance of scene: Sets the general mood of the play as well as foreshadows what is to come. Without this scene, the reader would be left unknowing as to the atmosphere of the play and all it entails.
• Metaphor analysis: The first witch remarks “When shall we meet again? In thunder, lightning, or rain?” (1.1.12-13). This line is in reference to when the witches will approach Macbeth: before, during, or after the battle he is about to be involved in, with thunder representing before, lighting during, and rain after.
Scene 3
• Quote analysis: “often times, to win us our harm,/ The instruments of darkness tell us truths;” (1.3.122-123). This quote is a very important one as Banquo heavily foreshadows what is to come later in the story. By this quote, Banquo says that evil can be brought about by simple truths, and that deception often lies around them. Macbeth is eventually corrupted by a simple, deceptive truth; that he will be King.
• Significance of scene: The witches share Macbeth’s