"Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair": Revealing Its Meaning in 'Macbeth'

Shakespeare consistently makes use of the phrase “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” in his play, Macbeth. The meaning of the phrase suggests that appearances can be deceiving, and what may seem good or fair on the surface can be morally corrupt or foul underneath. Similarly, something that may appear foul or evil can actually be fair or advantageous. The phrase embodies the play's exploration of the blurred lines between good and evil and the characters' struggles with moral choices and their consequences.

“Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair”: the Meaning and the Use of the Phrase

The phrase “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” is a creative use of literary devices with consonance in the repetition of “f”, symbolism of the witches’ foul nature and Macbeth’s outward portrayal of heroism despite his inner cowardice. The glaring paradox predicts Macbeth’s deception of the witches’ prophecies for his life, and whether they were fair or foul. The first act of the first scene perfectly describes the meaning of phrase, explaining just how looks can be deceiving. The witches sing the phrase in this scene of Macbeth “Fair is foul and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air”. This is partly because people associate witches with evil and darkness and because they play “foul” and are not exactly “fair” in their dealings.

In a separate incident, Macbeth himself uses it when he describes a day that is fair and foul at the same time because even though he wins the war, there is massive loss of life and bad weather “So fair and foul a day I have not seen”. There is constant repetition of the phrase in other occasions. The line simply points out that things are not always, as they seem and that what people see or think is not always, what it really is. Therefore, Shakespeare possibly uses this line so much in this particular play to highlight the great inconsistency that exists between appearance and reality. Although the entire phrase is a complex logic, it easily proposes that the world is full of surprises and there is no telling whether something is a mirage, an apparition or the real deal. Usage of the phrase could be compared to the recent labelling of two-faced leaders and liars as “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

Macbeth’s strong wishes to ascend to kingship prove to be his fall as his ambition greatly blinds him. The initial prophecy by the witches that Macbeth could possibly become king solicits a strong reaction of fear that does little to hide the fact that he already had it in mind. The witches profess “All Hail Macbeth! thane of Glamis. All Hail Macbeth thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter”. His reaction sufficiently describes his anxiety to sit at the throne, which leads him, and his power-hungry wife to set out on a journey of evil deeds. For instance, Lady Macbeth’s push leads Macbeth to become so ambitious that he kills King Duncan, and then sets out on a rule founded on threats and paranoia. Ambition, when followed through with the right actions and procedures is a good thing.

However, when people become as ambitious as the mischievous Macbeth and the even more devious Lady Macbeth, then it is surely a recipe for chaos. Lady Macbeth actually confronts Macbeth and speaks about his manhood in an effort to psyche him up to go ahead with the murder plot to which he responds “Prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares do more is none”. It appears that without the pressures of his wife, Macbeth would not have followed through with the murder plot. Despite his ambition, Macbeth should have interpreted things in the prophetic form that they came rather be very literal, which caused his anxiety and paranoia. On the issue of fate, Macbeth took it literally in his decision to resort to the murder of King Duncan. Unchecked ambition is a dangerous thing. It leads to Macbeth’s quick fall and serves as sound advice for people who want to pursue their passions but leave destruction on their way to the top. The moral of the piece, therefore, is that ambition should be checked so that it does not breed evil.