Examples Of Paradox In Macbeth

In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses the literary device of a paradox and appearance vs. reality to portray different moral dilemmas Macbeth faces throughout the play. Macbeth has a moral downfall which is foreshadowed to early on in the play through the use of a paradox. The three witches are talking about meeting Macbeth, and they say, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air.” (I.I.12-13) This quote on a literal standpoint is saying good and bad are really the same thing. However, from a figurative standpoint it is saying that further along in the play after they meet Macbeth, he will experience a moral downfall which will lead him to not be able to recognize the line between evil and morality.