Task

The witches open the play by chanting, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”  How does this relate to the events and the characters in the play thus far?

Respond in 5 to 8 sentences in the 4.02 Fair is Foul Discussion. Read two other peers’ responses and comment on those. Look at the 4.02 Paragraph Rubric for more information.

Collaborative Essay

Look through the list of topics below to see which one you are most interested in exploring. This is on a first come, first serve basis. Open 4.02 Role Assignment. You will select your top three roles as #1 being your first choice and #3 being your last choice. No role can be repeated in your group. When you have completed your role sheet, go to the 4.02 Role Assignment Discussion and attach it to the discussion so your group members will know what role you have selected. First come, first serve. Your teacher has final say in each group’s role.

There are tabs below describing each role.

A symbol is a word, object, event, person, or animal that stands for another word, object, event, person, or animal. It can be tangible (that means you can touch it) or intangible. One common symbol is a rectangular piece of red, white, and blue cloth that is tangible. This symbol is the American flag; it symbolizes freedom, liberty, independence, and the United States of America.

Examine the symbols in the play by choosing two or more to discuss. You are responsible for tracking and explaining the significance of your symbols. Make sure you provide an overall explanation of the role and meaning of each symbol. You may choose from the list below.

  • blood
  • the weather
  • witchcraft
  • the dagger
  • nature
  • kings
  • ghosts
  • the number three
  • sleep
  • hands
  • light
  • darkness

It is not sufficient only to tell what the symbol is; you must analyze the symbol and support it with details from the text. Why is the symbol important to the play?

Use the chart to help you draft your thoughts.

Discuss the use of comparing and contrasting two characters below and explaining their roles in the play. When you compare items, you are finding similarities; you are telling what is the same. When you contrast things, you are finding differences; you are telling what is different about two or more things.

  • Lady Macbeth
  • Macbeth
  • Banquo
  • King Duncan
  • Macduff
  • Lady Macduff
  • Three Witches
  • Malcolm
  • Donalbain

Use the chart to help you draft your thoughts.

A theme is a universal message or truth about life. It can also be a moral or life lesson that the characters or readers learn. The theme will not be explicitly stated in the play but rather implied.


An implicit theme is suggested, or stated indirectly, through what happens to the characters. Don't confuse theme with the general topic of a passage. The topic can be identified in a few words, but the theme is generally expressed in a sentence that reveals the story's message.

Themes can be revealed through a character's actions or through conflict in the story. A theme is a main idea of a literary work. Novels and plays often have a number of themes because they explore many different issues and questions about life. Themes are developed through a literary work's characters, plot, setting, point of view, and symbols.

There are a few questions that will help you find the theme to the play:

  • How did the characters react to a certain conflict or problem?
  • What important decisions did the characters make?
  • How did the characters grow and change over the course of the play?
  • What did the characters learn?

Select one theme from the novel to discuss. You may use a theme from the list below, or you may create your own theme that your teacher approves.

  • Things are not always what they seem.
  • Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
  • Ambition can lead directly to a person's downfall.
  • Power makes any man or woman corrupt.
  • There is no difference between fate and free will.
  • Don't judge a book by its cover.
  • Blood is thicker than water.
  • Supernatural powers can change people.
  • Bad weather can create chaos in people's lives.

After choosing a theme, find three or more passages that clearly define and illustrate your selected theme. You must discuss in detail how the textual evidence demonstrates the theme found in the play.

Use the chart to help you draft your thoughts.

Read the quotes below and choose two to discuss. First, explain the context of the quote; that means where it takes place in the story and what is happening. Next, discuss the significance of the quote; that means state the theme, historical significance, symbols, metaphors, or any other meaning you can draw from the quote.

  • “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” The Witches, Act I, scene i
  • “What, can the devil speak true?"  Banquo, Act I, scene ii
  • "But screw your courage to the sticking-place, And we'll not fail." Lady Macbeth, Act I, scene vii
  • “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?" Macbeth, Act II, scene i
  • “Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and I fear Thous play'dst most foully for't.” Banquo, Act III, scene i
  • "Something wicked this way comes." The Witches, Act IV, scene i
  • “Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, Pluck from the memory a rotted sorrow, Raze out the written troubles of the brain..."” Lady Macbeth, Act V, scene iii
  • “Macduff was from his mother's womb Untimely ripp'd.” Macduff, Act V, scene vii

Make sure you also answer the two questions below.
1. What does this character, setting, or symbol represent?
2. What is this character’s, setting’s, or symbol’s significance to the play as a whole?

Use the chart to help you draft your thoughts.

 

 

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