Throughout the play, especially in the first act, duality and contradiction is commonly mentioned. Initially, this is seen as the witches speak in the opening scene. "Fair is foul," they say, "and foul is fair" (I, 1, 12). The Weird sisters also speak in this manner when they address Banquo. They tell him he will be "Lesser than Macbeth and greater" (I, 3, 68). Although this seems perplexing, one later finds that what they say is true; though Banquo does not become a king

The dual nature of people and situations, confusing the issue of fact and fantasy, is a major theme illustrated in Macbeth. This is seen first through the equivocations of the Weird sisters and others. Also, the supernatural beings and occurrences reinforce the idea. Lastly, characters' notice of the triviality of appearance further demonstrates the theme. Because Macbeth was too trusting in that which could not be trusted, he was bound to fall tragically.

he is a better man than Macbeth. In the fourth act, many things "double." The witches wish upon Macbeth double the pain, and he wants to be double sure about himself. Another example of equivocation is the imaginary liar the drunken porter allows into the gates of hell. This further proves that this eluding form of speech is wicked and deserves punishment. By saying two separate things together as truth, one is unsure about the validity of the statement.

Through all their trials, the main characters agree that appearance is often a po

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lady Macbeth, Lesser Macbeth, Macbeth IV, Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth Throughout, Fife IV, Macbeth Laugh, iv 1, weird sisters, lady macbeth,
Approximate Word count = 672
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)