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   lit24 Teacher
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   The line, "Fair is foul and foul is fair" uttered by the witches in the opening scene of the play is the objective correlative which  sums up the 'world' of the play: What appears to be good is actually evil and what appears to be  evil is actually good.

   The first line which Macbeth speaks echoes this same idea with reference not only to the weather but also with reference to the political situation. The Thane of Cawdor, a trusted ally of King Duncan has proved to be a traitor. King Duncan orders his execution by remarking, "No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive/Our bosom interest:go pronounce his present death."

   Similarly, Lady Macbeth herself smears the innocent servants with the blood of the murdered king to make everyone believe that the innocent servants are the murderers of the king, "I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal/For it must seem their guilt."

   In Act I sc 6 when Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle, he remarks ironically,"This castle hath a pleasant seat." However,in Act II Sc.3 the morning after Duncan has been murdered, the gatekeeper of Macbeth's castle imagines that he is the gatekeeper of hell as he opens the door to let in Macduff and Lennox. The 'fair' castle has become 'foul.'

   The play ends with the initially 'fair' Macbeth realising that he has all along been deceived by the 'foul' witches, "And be these juggling fiends no more believed/That palter with us in a double sense."

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/q-and-a/tagged-with-character

   http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/q-and-a/tagged-with-plot

   http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/themes

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   Posted by lit24 on Sunday October 12, 2008 at 9:47 AM