The supernatural

• "Fair is foul and foul is fair" - witches Act 1 Scene 1
• Analysis of "Fair is foul, and foul is fair":

  • Literary techniques used: consonance in the repetition of "f", symbolism portraying the witches' sinister nature and Macbeth's facade of bravery despite his underlying cowardice
  • The paradoxical statement foreshadows Macbeth's manipulation of the witches' predictions for his benefit, blurring the lines between what is just and what is wicked
  • In Act 1, Scene 1, the witches chant this phrase, illustrating how appearances can be misleading
  • The witches are traditionally associated with darkness and malevolence, engaging in deceitful actions that are far from virtuous
• 1. Witches open the play.
  2. Witches give prophecies to Macbeth and Banquo (in this extract).
  3. Macbeth sees the dagger that leads him to King Duncan’s chamber.
  4. Macbeth’s appalling reaction to Banquo’s ghost at the banquet
  5. Macbeth’s visit to the witches.
  6. Macbeth’s response to the apparitions (x3) + seeing the 8 heirs of Banquo.
  7. Macbeth is told about the suffering of Lady Macbeth (when she is hallucinating about blood on her hands)
• "Thunder and Lightning" - chaos Scotland is about to endure. "Lightning" connotes stronger power as in the paths superstition associated lightning with Gods which sets the stage for moral conflict.
• "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?"
• Analyse "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?" - After Macbeth has ‘seen’ the dagger before him, the handle towards his hand, he then begins to doubt himself. This line indicates that Shakespeare intended the actor playing Macbeth to attempt to pick up the dagger, only to find that it’s made of air. There’s an implied stage direction here for Macbeth to reach to grab the dagger, only to find there’s no dagger there. The dagger is used to represent violence and ambition and with Macbeth choosing to grab the dagger it shows he is accepting the evilness.
• "Unsex me here" - Lady Macbeth Act 1 Scene 7
• "These Juggling Fiends" - the witches deceived him.
• In Act 5, Scene 5 of Macbeth, Macbeth refers to the witches as "these juggling fiends," reflecting his frustration and disbelief towards them
• Macbeth expresses his lack of trust in the witches, stating "And be these juggling fiends no more believed, That palter with us in a double sense"
• This phrase highlights Macbeth's negative perception of the witches and the impact of their manipulative actions on his mindset