fair is foul

[shania]

Hi, what do you understand by "fair is foul, and foul is fair" ?

[Eva Marina]

It's a paradox, something I'm told Shakespeare uses quite a bit (although I haven't read nearly enough of his work to know). It illustrates how the world Macbeth lives in is about to turn upside down. A bit of foreshadowing, now that I think about it....

[plafresnaye]

Actually, think from the angle of whom is speaking.

Fair is foul, and foul is fair. the witches, portrayed as "dark" would find what normal mortals find fair to be foul.

Also insinuates that things are not always as they appear (all that glitters is not gold)

[Peach]

"Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair" is also carried out throughout the entire play.

It means that at the beginning of the play Macbeth is observed to be this worthy person full of honor and glory, but as soon as his wife convinces him to kill the King (which was horrible because of divine right) then he suddenly thinks that it's a good idea to make himself and his life better not realizing the consequences that are going to proceed this action. (He's a good guy (Fair); but does a bad thing that no one would ever think possible of him (Foul))

At the end of the play Macduff kills Macbeth. (He's done a horrible thing by murdering someone else (Foul); but it's a good thing because Macbeth was a tyrant of a ruler (Fair)).

By the end everyone hated Macbeth and everyone that he loved (his wife) were killed/gone.

[teapot]

my understandin of 'fair is foul and foul is fair' is that goog is bad and bad is good. appearances can be decieving. the witches looked hidious but they brought good news to macbeth. it is how macbeth interpreted that news that brought about hus down fall. also a point to remember, when macbeth saya 'such a foul and fair day i have not seen' he is could be unwittingly connecting himself to the witches before he has ever met them

[dandan]

Macbeth is moved to action by prophecy and is in the end undone by it.He was told by the witches that macbeth would reign "till Burnam wood come to dunsinane" which he laughed off as impossible.foul/fair i believe to mean the soul of men in general..

[ladymacbeth8088]

It means like the whole world is being switched, and something terrible and strange will happen. get the ?if your still , I dont think I can help you.

[ladymacbeth8088]

i agree w/ u, teapot