"Macbeth"

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I.i.10). This becomes the key phrase in describing Macbeth's downfall. It defines the night vs. day motif, foreshadowing the evil that will soon come. The night vs. day motif is so important in bringing out the theme of evil in this play because almost all of the elements of Macbeth's downfall are revealed at night. Sleeplessness, murder, and the witches' prophecies all become relevant as the drama …

…sleep he loses, the more he is exposed to night, which is evil. The witches play a key role in turning Macbeth into the paranoid, dangerous person that he his. They basically ignite the tragedy as well as Macbeth's fate when they tell him he will be Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth was not aware of the problems that the prophecy would soon create, nor was he aware that it would bring him to his end.