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| The weird sisters chant their prophecies.
Theme:
CONTRADICTION
Quote: "Fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene
1, Line 10
This quote is a statement made by the weird sisters in
the opening scene of Macbeth[i].
The quote is in fact a paradox because it suggests that something can be
both good (fair) and bad (foul) at the same time. Nevertheless, it is found to
be true in the play and is an ongoing theme: it means that what appears to be
good may in fact be bad and conversely what appears to be bad may in fact be
good. Macbeth, for example, is both an honorable and loyal subject of the king
(as seen when he risks his life in battle on the king’s behalf) as well as a
treasonously disloyal subject who contemplates and commits the murder of the
king. Macbeth sees the prophecy of the witches to be positive as he is excited at the prospect of
becoming King of Scotland, yet the prophecy is actually his own undoing as it
ultimately causes his death. At the same time, we can see this paradox
exemplified in the character of Lady Macbeth who is both fair, a beautiful
woman with womanly characteristics, and foul as she ambitiously plots the murder
of her sovereign. This quote is used to set the mood of the play and to suggest
that the events that are to come will be contradictory. The suggestion that
what is good can also be bad is seen repeatedly in stories and in our own
lives. An example of this is the Chinese legend about the man who is awarded a
horse that later turns out to have negative consequences.[ii]
In our own lives, this quote reminds us to be wary of winfalls and to act
responsibly: winning the lottery, for example, might result in one becoming
obsessed with material goods.
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Friday 18 January 2013
Quote on Contradiction #1
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