Examples Of Fair Quotes In Macbeth

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, this simple quote was a foreshadow of what's to come next in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (I. i. 10). A series of events follow a disruption in the Great Chain of Being, much like a Butterfly Effect. Macbeth, the main character in the play, is hesitant at first but is quickly overtaken by his drive towards being King. He kills all who stands in his way and threatens his position in an attempt to cover up his murder of the Thane of Cawdor, Duncan whom he took the place of. The Great Chain of Being states that every single person has their place in the world, and Macbeth disrupts this precious structure.

Macbeth disrupted the natural order, which it interfered with his surroundings.

“First Witch: When shall

we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch: When the hurly-burly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won.” (I. i. 1)

These particular lines begin the play, the witches speak of a storm that they most likely conjured. The witches speak of the civil war that will end that day. Even though it is good for the war to end, it is storming out which shows that evil is still to come (it represents dark forces). When the second witch says “hurly-burly”, it can mean either the war or the storm. Shakespeare makes the human world and the natural world combine, when something upsets one then it upsets the other as well. Macbeth upset the natural order when his murdered Duncan and took his place as King of Scotland.

After Macbeth killed King Duncan, Ross and the old man spoke about the eclipse.

“Ross: Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with man’s

act,
Threaten his bloody stage: by the clock ‘tis day,
And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp.
Is’t night’s predominance, or the day’s shame,
That darkness does the face of earth entomb,
When living light should kiss it?” (II. iv. 7)
An eclipse makes the sky become darker because of the moon’s shadow onto the earth.

It was supposed to be broad daylight, yet it was still pitch dark outside. Back in the 11th century, when Macbeth takes place, it was not known why an eclipse occurs. An eclipse was considered to be an unnatural occurrence back then, even in 1606 when the play was written. It was thought that it was caused by King Duncan being killed, which upset the heavens. The Great Chain of Being is a religious concept and is thought to be created by God. The concept states that everyone and everything in the universe has its place, which is in hierarchal order. When Banquo then heard that Macbeth was then named the Thane of Cawdor, he thinks “What, can the devil speak true?” The witches predicted this; the witches are thought to be at the bottom of the chain and speakers of the devil (I. ii. 108).

Disturbing the Great Chain of Being also can show behavioral issues in animals. “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed it” (II. iv. 13). An owl that typically hunts only mice, killed a falcon. Not only did an owl eat a falcon, but Duncan’s horses went mad also.

“And Duncan’s — a thing most strange and certain

—
Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race,
Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out,
Contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would
Make war with mankind.” (II. iv. 14)
Duncan’s horses are usually obedient, but they escaped from their stalls and turned wild. His horses are the greatest of their breed. This is unnatural, much like the murder of King Duncan.
In conclusion, disturbing the Great Chain of Being results in complications within our natural world. Any break in the order of the Chain comes with consequences, this can be seen in our world. It can manifest itself in the form of natural disasters and insanity in animals and humans. The top of the hierarchy is the king, who speaks for God. If harm is done to the ruler, then disruptions in the natural world will occur. The disruptions you see (eclipse, animals going mad) reflects on the breakage of the Great Chain of Being that Macbeth caused. Overall, Macbeth is a play that shows the consequences for your actions which can take many forms.