Ambiguity Leads the Way Jean-Francois Carrier

Dramatic tragedies are by definition plays that enact the struggle and downfall of their main character or characters. "The Tragedy of Macbeth", by William Shakespeare, is a perfect example of this; the entire play portrays the fatalistic misadventure of the Macbeths. This Shakespearean play is emblematic for the omnipresent feeling of uncertainty it bears. Indeed, almost every situation carries paradoxical elements that flaws moral judgments. What presents itself as good augur often ends up being terrible. The world is presented as irrational, which can be observed throughout many aspects of the play.

This feeling of uncertainty is brought to the audience at the very beginning of the play with the first of the strange and confusing scenes where the We¿rd Sisters take part. After a short dialogue where they state that they must meet Macbeth after the battle, the witches leave the scene with their famous paradoxical line: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair [. . .]" (1.1.11). This contradictory statement has a heavy impact on the essence of the play since it comes back very often in different forms. Essentially, it means that appearances are not what they seem to be; they are flawed and no proper judgment can be...