But 'tis strange
and oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
the instruments of darness tell us truths
win us with honest trifles to betray's
In deepest consequence
how does this paragraph relate to the theme of "fair is foul"?
2007-02-05 10:06:33 · 2 answers · asked by Daine W 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
One of the prime themes behind Macbeth is the "fair is foul, foul is fair" concept - in other words things aren't what they seem.
This is highlighted by your quote.
The "instruments of darkness" which we would expect to tell us lies actually "tell us truths" (eg. the witches) and those who purport to tell us truth ("honest trifles") actually betray us.
2007-02-05 10:12:26 · answer #1 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Witches told Macbeth something that he'd LIKE to believe (i.e., that he'll be King one day)...insofar as he's soncerned, their prophecy is "fair." However, in the passage you've quoted, Macbeth says that there are malevolent forces ("instruments of darkness") that tempt us to do horrible things by persuading us that they're acting in our best interests. They want us to behave badly, damning ourselves in the process. In such cases, what first seemed "fair" is actually "foul."
2007-02-05 16:47:50 · answer #2 · answered by shkspr 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋