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Fair Is Foul And Foul Is Fair In Macbeth

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“Fair is foul, foul is fair” is a confusing term. You may ask, how does it make even the slightest bit of sense when it contradicts itself? Well, it becomes clear once you think about the fact that not everything follows its first impressions. Something can have two different aspects to it, and the first scene in Macbeth and its 3 adaptations all share something in common; they have “fair” and “foul” aspects to them. Firstly, the important phrase here is “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” It means that something can have 2 contrasting traits. Think of something as a book; its outer appearance may seem boring, but on the inside, its pages may contain an exciting story; this would be considered a “fair” aspect. A hotel may have bad presentation from the outside, but the rooms and service might be great. On the other hand, something can look good on the outside, but its contents may be harmful or “foul”. For instance, a restaurant may look fancy from the outside and have ornate decorations on the inside, but the food may be tasteless or unappetizing. Moving on, Macbeth, originally by famous playwright Shakespeare, boasts a strange first scene. The first thing we see are witches flying out of a storm. They discuss about when and where they would meet next and decide that it would be on an open field after a certain battle was over. Then, their spirit animals call upon them and they make a chant, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair / Hover through the fog and filthy air.” They leave

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