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William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a supernatural tragedy, which utilizes many metaphors to repeat themes throughout the entire play. The supernatural aspect of this play begins in the first act, when three witches meet and tell one of the most prominent themes in the play, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (I, 1, 12, 1). They tell Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman, and his friend Banquo that Macbeth will be king and that Banquo’s sons will become king. Macbeth does not heed his friend’s warning and takes this prophecy into his own hands, and ends up murdering the king, as well as Macduff’s family (another Scottish nobleman that suspected Macbeth of murdering the king). This downward spiral eventually leads to Macbeth’s demise. Macbeth began the play as an honest and loyal man, but after the vigorous goading of Lady Macbeth to murder Duncan, he becomes bloodthirsty and reliant on the prophecies of the witches. Lady Macbeth is exactly the opposite; she starts out evil and ends up feeling guilty for her actions. Duncan, who is murdered early in the play, seems like a good king from descriptions of other people, but from his actions and words, he is really an overly trustworthy and asinine king. The theme of “fair is foul and foul is fair” (I, 1, 12, 7) is shown throughout the play in the characters of Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. From the accounts of others, Duncan seems to be a good man that leads his people well, but when you analyze his character it is seen that he is really a bumbling king. During the battle when the Thane of Cawdor is leading a rebellion attempting to seize control of the throne, he does not do anything except stroll around and ask wounded sergeants how the battle is going.
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