Fair Is Foul And Foul Is Fair

Okay, you've got
a ton of answers here, but what I believe is the intention behind these words, (the reasonsay
them), is because they are making an incantation. They are not just making an observation about
the nature of things as they see them. In theatre, every character is engaged in action. The
witches are powerful characters and Shakespeare has them at the beginning of the play for a very
specific purpose, which is to set up thefor the whole of what's to come. The lines we are
addressing are deliberately spoken....a state of affairs willed into being....by the witches. We
are witnessing the creation by the witches of a reversal in the ordinary nature of things. Here
we witness an incantation creating an environment for the whole play that follows, which turns
right into wrong, good into bad, and all things bright into gloom. This incantation helps to set
the tone and direction for the play.