Fair Is Foul And Foul Is Fair Macbeth

Macbeth opens on a scene of the three witches gathered to decide where and when they will meet the title character. Not many details are revealed in the first scene of the play, other than the establishment of witches who intend to interact with Macbeth, but one particular line does, at least, set the tone for the rest of the tale. Together, just before parting ways, the witches all recite, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (Shakespeare 1.1.). On the surface, this statement seems simple enough: good is bad and bad is good. But what does that really mean within the context of the play? There are two main things to note about this line. To begin with, the witches’ statement can be looked at as either an observation or an incantation. If merely