Weixuan Wu 10/30/19 Blog

10/30/19

Weixuan Wu 

PD 5

Sophomores 2020

Aim: How do the witches set the mood and foreshadow events to the play?

Group Work:

Each group was given a big paper, with the quote Fair is Foul, Foul”(Macbeth Act 1 Scene 1). Every person in the group should respond to the quote, or respond to a group- mate.

Discussion:

Team 1 Big Mac 

• Good things can be bad, and bad things can be good, just like Yin and Yang 

Team 2 MacDeath

• What seems good at a time may be a bad decision in the long term.

Team 3 Mickey D’S 

• Expectations vs Reality 
• Just because things are fair doesn’t always mean they are good
• Foul can become Fair when it’s justified 

Team 6 Voldemort

• Every argument or issue have two sides 
• There’s both positive and negative side to a decision
• Foreshadow to major event in the play 

Paradox- A seemingly self-contradictory statement, that may prove to be true.

In the case of “ Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair.” Fair and Foul seem to be two things that are completely opposite. However, as we read Act 1 scene 2, we realized that Fair and Foul can exist at the same time. In the scene, the Captain praised Macbeth as a brave man when he executed Macdonwald(leader of the rebel), even though Macbeth “Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops”. Splitting someone open is not a good thing to do normally, but the Captain praised Macbeth for doing it, this shows under some circumstances, Bad (Foul) and be good(Fair), and Good(Fair) can be bad(Foul). Depend on which side are you on, “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair.”

Summary of Macbeth Act 1 Scene 2:

• A wounded captain reports to King Duncan what happened in the battle.
• The Captain describe Macbeth as a brave man that slew the traitorous Macdonwald
• The Thane of Ross bring in the news of victory 
• The King proclaims the traitorous Thane of Cawdor will be executed
• The King gave Macbeth Cawdor’s title. 

Reflection:

Today in class, we analyze the phrase “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair” form Macbeth by Shakespeare. After analyzing this phrase, I learned that fair and foul exist at the same time, just like good and evil. And appearances can be deceiving what appear to be good might be evil in reality. The motif of “Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair” can be seen throughout the play. For example, in Act 1 scene 2, the captain described Macbeth as a brave man, but in reality he slew Macdonald cruelly. Having a better understanding of the meaning of the quote will help us further understand the play. I will use what I learned in class today to help me judge situations and make decisions in the future. A decision might appear to be good, but can also have negative effects, considering the consequences will help make a better decision.