Examples Of Fair Quotes In Macbeth

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, this simple quote was a foreshadow of what's to come next in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (I. i. 10). A series of events follow a disruption in the Great Chain of Being, much like a Butterfly Effect. Macbeth, the main character in the play, is hesitant at first but is quickly overtaken by his drive towards being King. He kills all who stands in his way and threatens his position in an attempt to cover up his murder of the Thane of Cawdor, Duncan whom he took the place of. The Great Chain of Being states that every single person has their place in the world, and Macbeth disrupts this precious structure. Macbeth disrupted the natural order, which it interfered with his surroundings. “First Witch: When shall

Second Witch: When the hurly-burly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won.” (I. i. 1)

These particular lines begin the play, the witches speak of a storm that they most likely conjured. The witches speak of the civil war that will end that day. Even though it is good for the war to end, it is storming out which shows that evil is still to come (it represents dark forces). When the second witch says “hurly-burly”, it can mean either the war or the storm. Shakespeare makes the human world and the natural world combine, when something upsets one then it upsets the other as well. Macbeth upset the natural order when his murdered Duncan and took his place as King of Scotland.

After Macbeth killed King Duncan, Ross and the old man spoke about the eclipse.

“Ross: Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man’s

It was supposed to be broad daylight, yet it was still pitch dark outside. Back in the 11th century, when Macbeth takes place, it was not known why an eclipse occurs. An eclipse was considered to be an unnatural occurrence back then, even in 1606 when the play was written. It was thought that it was caused by King Duncan being killed, which upset the heavens. The Great Chain of Being is a religious concept and is thought to be created by God. The concept states that everyone and everything in the universe has its place, which is in hierarchal order. When Banquo then heard that Macbeth was then named the Thane of Cawdor, he thinks “What, can the devil speak true?” The witches predicted this; the witches are thought to be at the bottom of the chain and speakers of the devil (I. ii. 108).

Disturbing the Great Chain of Being also can show behavioral issues in animals. “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed it” (II. iv. 13). An owl that typically hunts only mice, killed a falcon. Not only did an owl eat a falcon, but Duncan’s horses went mad also.

“And Duncan’s — a thing most strange and certain