Macbeth Fair Quotes

The statement by the witches in Act I, Scene I, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1,1,12) continues to echo throughout the story and accurately describes the theme of the play. This paradox meaning “nothing is what it seems” is the backbone of the many changes and switches which occur between characters throughout the story. Later on in the first act, Macbeth himself has a very similar quote to the witches, regardless of the fact they are yet to meet. In Act I, Scene III, Macbeth says, “So fair and foul a day, I have not seen”. (1,3,40) Repeating this line again makes the reader stop and think and realize, it is going to be a major theme of the play they are about to read. This quote only introduces itself in the first act; it continues to

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. When they meet Macbeth, they make predictions for his future which cause him to lose sight of where he was originally. As a result of these predictions, Macbeth’s actions begin to change and we see the first effects of the paradox “foul is

The theme “nothing is what it seems” definitely comes into play in the life of Macbeth. His character experiences many changes regarding both his emotions and his personality throughout the story, but many of his motives and feelings are left undisclosed leaving the reading wondering who Macbeth really was. Throughout the story, Macbeth wears many masks and the reader is left questioning many of his feelings and actions. In Act I, Lady Macbeth calls him a coward herself out of frustration with her husband. She says, “And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou'ld’st have, great Glamis,” (1,5,10). From this moment on in the play, he seems to strive to remove that cowardly reputation. However, he seems to do it in the wrong way. He is covering his cowardly actions with even more cowardly